मेंढक (mendhak)

noun A concrete noun meaning 'frog'; it has essentially one everyday meaning, with a minor figurative use in a common idiom.
Sense 1 : the amphibian animal
noun, masculine
Synonyms: दादुर (daadur, literary)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: Frogs show up constantly in Indian monsoon imagery -- their croaking (टर्राना, tarraanaa) after the first rains is a classic sound of the season in both cities and villages. There's also a well-known idiom, कुएँ का मेंढक (kuen kaa mendhak, 'a frog of the well'), used for someone narrow-minded or unaware of the wider world -- similar in spirit to 'a big fish in a small pond,' though the connotation is more about ignorance than status.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes assume this is feminine by default because many animal names vary, but मेंढक (mendhak) is grammatically masculine regardless of the actual sex of the frog; a female frog is still referred to with मेंढक (mendhak) or the distinct form मेंढकी (mendhkii) only when the distinction genuinely matters.
Sample Sentences:
बारिश के बाद तालाब में मेंढक टर्राने लगे। After the rain, the frogs in the pond started croaking.
(baarish ke baad taalaab men mendhak tarraane lage।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
बच्चे बगीचे में एक हरे मेंढक को पकड़ने की कोशिश कर रहे थे। The kids were trying to catch a green frog in the garden.
(bachche bagiiche men ek hare mendhak ko pakadne kii koshish kar rahe the।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Continuous -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
मानसून में हर रात मेंढक टर्राते हैं। During the monsoon, frogs croak every night.
(maansoon men har raat mendhak tarraate hain।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
उस कुएँ के पास एक बड़ा मेंढक बैठा है। A big frog is sitting near that well.
(us kuen ke paas ek badaa mendhak baithaa hai।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
मेंढक को मत छेड़ो, वह कूदकर पानी में चला जाएगा। Don't poke the frog, it'll jump away into the water.
(mendhak ko mat chhedo, vah koodkar paanii men chalaa jaaegaa।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Imperative -- Voice: Active
अगर तुम बाहर की दुनिया कभी नहीं देखोगे तो कुएँ के मेंढक ही बने रहोगे। If you never see the outside world, you'll just remain a frog of the well.
(agar tum baahar kii duniyaa kabhii nahiin dekhoge to kuen ke mendhak hii bane rahoge।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Future -- Voice: Active
वैज्ञानिक ने प्रयोगशाला में मेंढक का विच्छेदन किया। The scientist dissected a frog in the laboratory.
(vaigyaanik ne prayogshaalaa men mendhak kaa vichchhedan kiyaa।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
काश मैं भी उस मेंढक की तरह इतनी ऊँची छलांग लगा पाता। I wish I could jump as high as that frog.
(kaash main bhii us mendhak kii tarah itnii oonchii chhalaang lagaa paataa।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Counterfactual -- Aspect: Habitual -- Voice: Active
उसे मत समझाओ, वह तो कुएँ का मेंढक है, उसे कुछ और पता ही नहीं। Don't bother explaining to him, he's a frog of the well and knows nothing else.
(use mat samjhaao, vah to kuen kaa mendhak hai, use kuchh aur pataa hii nahiin।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Imperative -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
पोखर के किनारे कई मेंढक धूप सेंक रहे थे। Several frogs were basking in the sun by the edge of the pond.
(pokhar ke kinaare kaii mendhak dhoop senk rahe the।)
Register: Literary -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Continuous -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
Morphology
Noun
(sg.m.direct): मेंढक (mendhak)
(sg.m.oblique): मेंढक (mendhak)
(pl.m.direct): मेंढक (mendhak)
(pl.m.oblique): मेंढकों (mendhkon)