दाँत (daant)
noun
Means 'tooth' in the literal, anatomical sense, and extends into several common idioms built around teeth as a symbol of aggression, greed, or vulnerability.
Sense
1
:
tooth (body part)
noun, masculine
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: दाँत (daant) shows up constantly in daily talk -- dentist visits, kids losing baby teeth, or complaining about tooth pain (दाँत में दर्द, daant men dard, 'toothache'). It is also the root of several vivid idioms, covered separately, so this sense stays narrowly the physical tooth.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often forget the chandrabindu (ँ) and write दात (daat) instead of दाँत (daant) -- the nasalization is essential, not decorative. 2) Some regional/colloquial speech drops the nasal sound, but the written standard keeps it.
Sample Sentences:
मेरे दाँत में बहुत दर्द हो रहा है।
My tooth hurts a lot.
(mere daant men bahut dard ho rahaa hai।)
बच्चे का पहला दाँत निकल आया है।
The baby's first tooth has come out.
(bachche kaa pahlaa daant nikal aayaa hai।)
रोज़ रात को सोने से पहले अपने दाँत ज़रूर साफ करो।
Brush your teeth every night before sleeping.
(roz raat ko sone se pahle apne daant zaroor saaph karo।)
डॉक्टर ने कहा कि यह दाँत निकलवाना पड़ेगा।
The doctor said this tooth will have to be pulled out.
(doktar ne kahaa ki yah daant nikalvaanaa padegaa।)
उसके दो दाँत टूट गए थे जब वह गिरा था।
Two of his teeth broke when he fell.
(uske do daant toot gae the jab vah giraa thaa।)
अगर तुम मिठाई कम खाते तो तुम्हारे दाँत इतनी जल्दी खराब न होते।
If you had eaten less sweets, your teeth wouldn't have gone bad so quickly.
(agar tum mithaaii kam khaate to tumhaare daant itnii jaldii kharaab n hote।)
दंत चिकित्सक ने रोगी के दाँतों की सफाई की।
The dentist cleaned the patient's teeth.
(dant chikitsak ne rogii ke daanton kii saphaaii kii।)
बुढ़ापे में उसके सारे दाँत गिर गए थे।
In old age, all his teeth had fallen out.
(budhaape men uske saare daant gir gae the।)
क्या तुम रोज़ अपने दाँत ब्रश करते हो?
Do you brush your teeth every day?
(kyaa tum roz apne daant brash karte ho?)
उसके दाँत इतने सफेद हैं कि हर कोई पूछता है कि वह कौन सा टूथपेस्ट इस्तेमाल करता है।
His teeth are so white that everyone asks which toothpaste he uses.
(uske daant itne saphed hain ki har koii poochhtaa hai ki vah kaun saa toothpest istemaal kartaa hai।)
मरीज़ के दाँत एक्स-रे में साफ दिखाई दे रहे थे।
The patient's teeth were clearly visible in the X-ray.
(mariiz ke daant eks-re men saaph dikhaaii de rahe the।)
Sense
2
:
figurative: sharpness, aggression, or a 'bite' (as in ambition or threat)
noun, masculine Occurs almost exclusively inside fixed idiomatic phrases rather than as a freestanding noun with this meaning -- for example दाँत दिखाना (daant dikhaanaa, 'to show one's teeth', i.e., to bare aggression or threaten) or दाँत खट्टे करना (daant khatte karnaa, 'to make someone's teeth go sour', i.e., to thoroughly defeat or humble someone).
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: This figurative sense lives almost entirely inside idioms, so a Delhi speaker would rarely say दाँत meaning 'aggression' on its own -- you will hear it packaged in set phrases like दाँत खट्टे कर देना (daant khatte kar denaa) after, say, a cricket team thrashes its rival, or दाँत निकालना (daant nikaalnaa, 'to grin/laugh foolishly') used teasingly among friends.
Common Mistakes: 1) दाँत खट्टे करना (daant khatte karnaa) is not about food or sourness at all -- it means to soundly defeat or teach someone a lesson, so translating it literally will confuse a listener. 2) दाँत दिखाना (daant dikhaanaa) can mean both 'to smile/grin' and 'to bare teeth threateningly' depending on tone and context -- the same phrase carries opposite emotional colors.
Sample Sentences:
भारत ने पाकिस्तान के दाँत खट्टे कर दिए।
India thoroughly defeated Pakistan (lit. made their teeth go sour).
(bhaarat ne paakistaan ke daant khatte kar die।)
अगर वो फिर हरकत करेगा, तो हम उसके दाँत खट्टे कर देंगे।
If he acts up again, we will teach him a lesson he won't forget.
(agar vo phir harkat karegaa, to ham uske daant khatte kar denge।)
उसकी बात सुनकर सब बेवजह दाँत निकाल रहे थे।
Hearing what he said, everyone was grinning foolishly for no reason.
(uskii baat sunkar sab bevjah daant nikaal rahe the।)
यूँ ही मत दाँत निकालते रहो, ठीक से जवाब दो।
Stop grinning like a fool and give a proper answer.
(yoon hii mat daant nikaalte raho, thiik se javaab do।)
पुरानी दुश्मनी थी, इसलिए टीम ने फाइनल में उनके दाँत खट्टे कर दिए।
There was old rivalry, so the team crushed them in the final.
(puraanii dushmnii thii, islie tiim ne phaainal men unke daant khatte kar die।)
काश हम भी उनके दाँत खट्टे कर पाते।
If only we too could have given them a beating like that.
(kaash ham bhii unke daant khatte kar paate।)
उसकी बत्तमीज़ी देखकर मेरे दाँत तेज़ हो गए।
Seeing his rudeness, my hackles went up.
(uskii battmiizii dekhkar mere daant tez ho gae।)
शायद उसके दाँत निकालने का मतलब कुछ और ही था।
Perhaps his foolish grinning meant something else entirely.
(shaayad uske daant nikaalne kaa matlab kuchh aur hii thaa।)
प्रतिद्वंद्वी कंपनी के दाँत खट्टे करने के लिए उन्होंने कीमतें आधी कर दीं।
To crush the rival company, they slashed their prices in half.
(pratidvandvii kampnii ke daant khatte karne ke lie unhonne kiimten aadhii kar diin।)
Morphology
Noun
(sg.m.direct):
दाँत
(daant)
(sg.m.oblique):
दाँत
(daant)
(pl.m.direct):
दाँत
(daant)
(pl.m.oblique):
दाँतों
(daanton)