निशान (nishaan)

noun Mainly a physical mark or trace left on a surface or the body (nishaan as in a scar, stain, or footprint), extending to an abstract trace or sign of something, and to a target/mark you aim at.

Sense 1 : mark, scar, stain, trace left on a surface or body

noun, masculine

Synonyms: दाग (daag, stain specifically), चिह्न (chihn, formal), छाप (chhaap, imprint)

Frequency: high

Cultural Note: This is the word you'll hear at home when someone points to a childhood scar and says गिरने का निशान है (girne kaa nishaan hai, 'it's a mark from falling') -- Hindi loves to name a mark by the event that caused it, tracing the story right back through the postposition का (kaa).

Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes reach for दाग (daag) for any mark, but दाग (daag) leans toward a stain (like on clothes), while निशान (nishaan) covers scars, scratches, footprints, and marks of all kinds -- it's the more general word. 2) चोट का निशान (chot kaa nishaan, 'mark of an injury') is the natural phrase for a scar, not a literal one-word translation of 'scar'.

Sample Sentences:

उसके हाथ पर जलने का निशान है। There's a burn mark on his hand.

(uske haath par jalne kaa nishaan hai।)

यह गिरने का निशान है, बचपन का। This is a mark from falling, from childhood.

(yah girne kaa nishaan hai, bachpan kaa।)

दीवार पर सीलन के निशान पड़ गए हैं। Damp stains have appeared on the wall.

(diivaar par siilan ke nishaan pad gae hain।)

चोट का निशान अभी तक नहीं मिटा। The scar from the injury still hasn't faded.

(chot kaa nishaan abhii tak nahiin mitaa।)

फर्श पर जूतों के निशान साफ दिख रहे थे। Shoe marks were clearly visible on the floor.

(pharsh par jooton ke nishaan saaph dikh rahe the।)

अगर तुम इसे अभी साफ नहीं करोगी, तो निशान पक्का पड़ जाएगा। If you don't clean it now, the stain will set permanently.

(agar tum ise abhii saaph nahiin karogii, to nishaan pakkaa pad jaaegaa।)

काश यह दाग निशान न छोड़ता। I wish this stain hadn't left a mark.

(kaash yah daag nishaan n chhodtaa।)

कृपया इस मेज़ पर गिलास मत रखिए, निशान पड़ जाता है। Please don't put the glass on this table, it leaves a mark.

(kripyaa is mez par gilaas mat rakhie, nishaan pad jaataa hai।)

यह निशान सर्जरी की वजह से बना है। This scar was formed because of the surgery.

(yah nishaan sarjrii kii vajah se banaa hai।)

समय के साथ शायद यह निशान हल्का पड़ जाए। Maybe this mark will fade with time.

(samay ke saath shaayad yah nishaan halkaa pad jaae।)

कपड़े पर स्याही का निशान लग गया था। An ink stain had gotten onto the clothes.

(kapde par syaahii kaa nishaan lag gayaa thaa।)

Sense 2 : trace, sign, evidence of something (abstract)

noun, masculine Common in the negative construction निशान न होना (nishaan n honaa) or निशान मिटना (nishaan mitnaa), meaning 'no trace to be found' or 'the trace to fade away'.

Synonyms: सुराग (suraag, clue, detective-story context), संकेत (sanket, indication), पता (pataa, whereabouts/trace, informal)

Frequency: medium

Cultural Note: You'll hear this in everyday drama, like when someone vanishes and a relative says उसका कोई निशान नहीं मिला (uskaa koii nishaan nahiin milaa, 'no trace of him was found') -- it carries a slight air of mystery or loss, useful for both real conversation and the many missing-person subplots in Hindi cinema.

Common Mistakes: 1) कोई निशान नहीं (koii nishaan nahiin) is the idiomatic way to say 'no trace at all' -- learners sometimes construct something clunkier when this fixed phrase is what a native speaker reaches for.

Sample Sentences:

पुलिस को अभी तक उसका कोई निशान नहीं मिला। The police haven't found any trace of him yet.

(pulis ko abhii tak uskaa koii nishaan nahiin milaa।)

उस सभ्यता का कोई निशान नहीं बचा है। No trace of that civilization remains.

(us sabhytaa kaa koii nishaan nahiin bachaa hai।)

वह ऐसे गायब हुआ जैसे उसका कोई निशान ही न हो। He vanished as if there were no trace of him at all.

(vah aise gaayab huaa jaise uskaa koii nishaan hii n ho।)

अगर वह सच में यहाँ आया होता, तो कोई न कोई निशान ज़रूर मिलता। If he had really come here, some trace or other would definitely have been found.

(agar vah sach men yahaan aayaa hotaa, to koii n koii nishaan zaroor miltaa।)

जाँच अधिकारी अपराधी के निशान ढूँढ रहे हैं। The investigating officers are searching for traces of the criminal.

(jaanch adhikaarii apraadhii ke nishaan dhoondh rahe hain।)

समय के साथ उस दर्द का निशान भी मिट जाता है। With time, even the trace of that pain fades away.

(samay ke saath us dard kaa nishaan bhii mit jaataa hai।)

क्या तुम्हें उसकी बातचीत में झूठ का कोई निशान दिखा? Did you notice any trace of a lie in his conversation?

(kyaa tumhen uskii baatchiit men jhooth kaa koii nishaan dikhaa?)

इतिहासकारों को उस युद्ध का कोई निशान नहीं मिला। Historians did not find any trace of that war.

(itihaaskaaron ko us yuddh kaa koii nishaan nahiin milaa।)

उसकी हँसी में उदासी का हल्का सा निशान था। There was a faint trace of sadness in her laughter.

(uskii hansii men udaasii kaa halkaa saa nishaan thaa।)

यह पत्र इस बात का निशान है कि वह ज़िंदा है। This letter is a sign that he is alive.

(yah patr is baat kaa nishaan hai ki vah zindaa hai।)

Sense 3 : target, mark to aim at

noun, masculine Chiefly seen in the fixed phrase निशाना लगाना (nishaanaa lagaanaa, 'to take aim') -- note this common collocation actually uses the related form निशाना (nishaanaa), not निशान (nishaan) itself; the two are closely linked but distinct words.

Synonyms: लक्ष्य (lakshy, goal/target, more formal and also used figuratively for 'aim in life')

Frequency: low

Cultural Note: This sense survives mostly in its cousin word निशाना (nishaanaa), used for aiming a gun or an arrow; निशान (nishaan) as 'target' itself is a bit dated, so treat this as background context rather than something to actively use.

Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often mix up निशान (nishaan) and निशाना (nishaanaa) -- for 'to aim at a target' you need निशाना (nishaanaa), while निशान (nishaan) itself rarely appears in the archery/shooting sense in everyday speech anymore.

Sample Sentences:

तीरंदाज़ ने निशान पर तीर चलाया। The archer shot an arrow at the target.

(tiirandaaz ne nishaan par tiir chalaayaa।)

दीवार पर एक निशान बनाया गया था, जिस पर सबको तीर मारना था। A target had been made on the wall, at which everyone had to shoot an arrow.

(diivaar par ek nishaan banaayaa gayaa thaa, jis par sabko tiir maarnaa thaa।)

पुराने समय में सैनिक निशान साधने का अभ्यास करते थे। In olden times, soldiers used to practice hitting the mark.

(puraane samay men sainik nishaan saadhne kaa abhyaas karte the।)

क्या तुम इतनी दूर से निशान भेद सकते हो? Can you pierce the target from so far away?

(kyaa tum itnii door se nishaan bhed sakte ho?)

निशान ठीक बीच में लगाओ, इधर-उधर मत भटको। Hit the target right in the middle, don't wander here and there.

(nishaan thiik biich men lagaao, idhar-udhar mat bhatko।)

अगर वह निशान चूक भी जाए, तो भी उसकी वीरता कम नहीं होगी। Even if he misses the target, his valor will not diminish.

(agar vah nishaan chook bhii jaae, to bhii uskii viirtaa kam nahiin hogii।)

कवि ने लिखा कि योद्धा का बाण कभी निशान से नहीं चूकता था। The poet wrote that the warrior's arrow never missed the target.

(kavi ne likhaa ki yoddhaa kaa baan kabhii nishaan se nahiin chooktaa thaa।)

यदि निशान सही ढंग से लगाया होता, तो प्रतियोगिता जीत जाते। If the target had been hit properly, they would have won the competition.

(yadi nishaan sahii dhang se lagaayaa hotaa, to pratiyogitaa jiit jaate।)

Morphology

Noun

(sg.m.direct): निशान (nishaan)

(sg.m.oblique): निशान (nishaan)

(pl.m.direct): निशान (nishaan)

(pl.m.oblique): निशानों (nishaanon)