कुआँ (kuaan)
noun
A concrete noun meaning 'well' (the water source), with an extended idiomatic use in a well-known fatalistic proverb about being caught between two bad options.
Sense
1
:
well (water source)
noun, masculine
Synonyms: इनारा (inaaraa, rare/rural variant)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: Before piped water became common, the गाँव का कुआँ (gaanv kaa kuaan, 'the village well') was the social hub of a neighborhood, much like a village square -- women gathering water there was a daily ritual full of gossip and news-sharing. Older Hindi literature and films often use the कुआँ (kuaan) as a backdrop for exactly this kind of scene.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes forget the nasalized vowel and write/say कुआ (kuaa) -- the chandrabindu-like nasal ending (आँ) is part of the standard spelling and pronunciation. 2) Do not confuse with कुँआरा (kunaaraa, 'unmarried'), which looks visually similar but is unrelated in meaning.
Sample Sentences:
गाँव के बाहर एक पुराना कुआँ है।
There is an old well outside the village.
(gaanv ke baahar ek puraanaa kuaan hai।)
औरतें रोज़ सुबह कुएँ से पानी भरने जाती थीं।
The women used to go to fetch water from the well every morning.
(aurten roz subah kuen se paanii bharne jaatii thiin।)
गाँव का कुआँ सबकी बातचीत का अड्डा हुआ करता था।
The village well used to be everyone's hangout for chatting.
(gaanv kaa kuaan sabkii baatchiit kaa addaa huaa kartaa thaa।)
कुएँ में गिरा हुआ बच्चा किसी तरह बचा लिया गया।
The child who had fallen into the well was somehow rescued.
(kuen men giraa huaa bachchaa kisii tarah bachaa liyaa gayaa।)
कुएँ का पानी कितना गहरा है, यह रस्सी से पता चलता है।
You can tell how deep the well's water is by using a rope.
(kuen kaa paanii kitnaa gahraa hai, yah rassii se pataa chaltaa hai।)
कुएँ के पास मत जाओ, वहाँ फिसलन बहुत है।
Don't go near the well, it's very slippery there.
(kuen ke paas mat jaao, vahaan phislan bahut hai।)
अगर कुआँ यहाँ न होता, तो पूरे गाँव को पानी लाने कोसों दूर जाना पड़ता।
If there were no well here, the whole village would have to go miles away to fetch water.
(agar kuaan yahaan n hotaa, to poore gaanv ko paanii laane koson door jaanaa padtaa।)
फ़िल्म के उस दृश्य में नायिका कुएँ पर पानी भर रही थी, तभी नायक वहाँ आ पहुँचा।
In that scene of the film, the heroine was filling water at the well when the hero arrived there.
(film ke us drishy men naayikaa kuen par paanii bhar rahii thii, tabhii naayak vahaan aa pahunchaa।)
शायद पुराने ज़माने में हर मोहल्ले में एक साझा कुआँ हुआ करता हो।
Perhaps in olden times every neighborhood used to have a shared well.
(shaayad puraane zamaane men har mohalle men ek saajhaa kuaan huaa kartaa ho।)
इस इलाके में कुआँ खुदवाने की ज़रूरत बहुत पहले से थी।
There has been a need to get a well dug in this area for a long time.
(is ilaake men kuaan khudvaane kii zaroorat bahut pahle se thii।)
Sense
2
:
no-win situation (idiomatic, from 'well vs. ditch')
noun, masculine Occurs almost exclusively inside the fixed proverb न इधर कुआँ न उधर खाई (n idhar kuaan n udhar khaaii, 'a well on this side, a ditch on that side') or the shorter इधर कुआँ उधर खाई (idhar kuaan udhar khaaii), describing being trapped between two equally bad choices.
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: This is the same physical well as the literal sense, just pressed into service as one half of a vivid image: step wrong and you fall into the कुआँ (kuaan), step the other way and you fall into the खाई (khaaii) -- either way, disaster. It's the Hindi equivalent of being caught 'between the devil and the deep blue sea.'
Common Mistakes: 1) This sense barely appears outside the fixed proverb frame -- learners shouldn't try to use कुआँ (kuaan) alone to mean 'dilemma'; it needs the खाई (khaaii, 'ditch') half of the pairing to carry the idiomatic meaning.
Sample Sentences:
एक तरफ कुआँ है, दूसरी तरफ खाई -- मैं क्या करूँ?
On one side is the well, on the other the ditch -- what should I do?
(ek taraph kuaan hai, doosrii taraph khaaii -- main kyaa karoon?)
नौकरी छोड़ूँ या यहीं सड़ता रहूँ, कुआँ और खाई वाली बात हो गई है।
Should I quit the job or keep rotting here -- it has become a rock and a hard place.
(naukrii chhodoon yaa yahiin sadtaa rahoon, kuaan aur khaaii vaalii baat ho gaii hai।)
उसकी हालत कुएँ और खाई के बीच फँसे इंसान जैसी थी।
His situation was like a person trapped between the well and the ditch.
(uskii haalat kuen aur khaaii ke biich phanse insaan jaisii thii।)
अगर मैं सच बोल देता तो नौकरी जाती, और झूठ बोलता तो इज़्ज़त -- यह तो कुआँ और खाई थी।
If I had told the truth, I would have lost my job, and if I had lied, my honor -- that was truly a rock and a hard place.
(agar main sach bol detaa to naukrii jaatii, aur jhooth boltaa to izzat -- yah to kuaan aur khaaii thii।)
इधर कुआँ है, उधर खाई है, समझ नहीं आता किधर जाऊँ।
Here's the well, there's the ditch, I can't figure out which way to go.
(idhar kuaan hai, udhar khaaii hai, samajh nahiin aataa kidhar jaaoon।)
व्यापारी न कर्ज़ चुका सकता था न धंधा बंद कर सकता था, कुआँ और खाई दोनों सामने थे।
The trader could neither pay off the debt nor shut down the business -- both the well and the ditch stood before him.
(vyaapaarii n karz chukaa saktaa thaa n dhandhaa band kar saktaa thaa, kuaan aur khaaii donon saamne the।)
सरकार की नीति ने किसानों को कुएँ और खाई के बीच ला खड़ा किया है।
The government's policy has left farmers standing between the well and the ditch.
(sarkaar kii niiti ne kisaanon ko kuen aur khaaii ke biich laa khadaa kiyaa hai।)
बेटी की शादी तोड़ें या रिश्ता निभाएँ, माँ-बाप कुएँ और खाई में फँस गए।
Break off the daughter's marriage or honor the relationship -- the parents got caught between the well and the ditch.
(betii kii shaadii toden yaa rishtaa nibhaaen, maan-baap kuen aur khaaii men phans gae।)
यह मत सोचो कि रास्ता आसान होगा, हर मोड़ पर कुआँ और खाई मिलेगी।
Don't think the road will be easy -- at every turn you'll find a well on one side and a ditch on the other.
(yah mat socho ki raastaa aasaan hogaa, har mod par kuaan aur khaaii milegii।)
Morphology
Noun
(sg.m.direct):
कुआँ
(kuaan)
(sg.m.oblique):
कुआँ
(kuaan)
(pl.m.direct):
कुआँ
(kuaan)
(pl.m.oblique):
कुआँों
([[कुआँों]])