मेहनत (mehnat)
noun
A single core sense: hard work, effort, or labor. It functions as a feminine noun and pairs constantly with the verb करना (karnaa) to mean 'to work hard.'
Sense
1
:
hard work, effort, labor
noun, feminine
Synonyms: श्रम (shram, formal), परिश्रम (parishram, formal), जद्दोजहद (jaddojahad, struggle/effort, slightly more about persistence than sweat)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: मेहनत (mehnat) carries real moral weight in Hindi -- मेहनती (mehantii, 'hardworking') is one of the highest compliments for a student or employee, and parents love the phrase मेहनत का फल (mehnat kaa phal, 'the fruit of one's labor') to teach that effort eventually pays off. You will hear मेहनत मत करो, मेहनत से करो (mehnat mat karo, mehnat se karo, 'don't just work hard, work smart') as a bit of common wisdom pushing back against toil for its own sake.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often say मेहनत करना (mehnat karnaa) but forget it takes की (kii) when specifying what the effort was for, as in इस काम की मेहनत (is kaam kii mehnat, 'the effort for this work') -- the feminine agreement follows मेहनत (mehnat), not the object of the work. 2) Do not confuse with काम (kaam, 'work/task') -- काम (kaam) is the job itself, मेहनत (mehnat) is the effort or toil put into it; you can do काम (kaam) without much मेहनत (mehnat), and vice versa in complaints like इतनी मेहनत की और काम ही नहीं बना (itnii mehnat kii aur kaam hii nahiin banaa, 'I worked so hard and yet the task didn't come together').
Sample Sentences:
वह बहुत मेहनत करता है।
He works very hard.
(vah bahut mehnat kartaa hai।)
इस इम्तिहान के लिए मैंने बहुत मेहनत की थी।
I had worked really hard for this exam.
(is imtihaan ke lie mainne bahut mehnat kii thii।)
अगर तुम मेहनत करोगे तो जरूर कामयाब होगे।
If you work hard, you will definitely succeed.
(agar tum mehnat karoge to jaroor kaamyaab hoge।)
मेहनत करो, फल जरूर मिलेगा।
Work hard, you will surely get the fruit of your labor.
(mehnat karo, phal jaroor milegaa।)
यह उसकी मेहनत का फल है।
This is the fruit of his hard work.
(yah uskii mehnat kaa phal hai।)
अगर उसने मेहनत की होती, तो आज इतना पछताना नहीं पड़ता।
If he had worked hard, he wouldn't have had to regret so much today.
(agar usne mehnat kii hotii, to aaj itnaa pachhtaanaa nahiin padtaa।)
मेहनत मत करो, मेहनत से करो, तभी काम जल्दी होगा।
Don't just work hard, work smart -- only then will the work get done quickly.
(mehnat mat karo, mehnat se karo, tabhii kaam jaldii hogaa।)
टीम की मेहनत रंग लाई और प्रोजेक्ट समय पर पूरा हुआ।
The team's hard work paid off, and the project was finished on time.
(tiim kii mehnat rang laaii aur projekt samay par pooraa huaa।)
शायद उसकी मेहनत ही इस सफलता की वजह हो।
Perhaps his hard work is the reason for this success.
(shaayad uskii mehnat hii is saphaltaa kii vajah ho।)
सफलता के लिए निरंतर मेहनत आवश्यक है।
Constant hard work is essential for success.
(saphaltaa ke lie nirantar mehnat aavashyak hai।)
उसकी मेहनत से सारा दफ्तर प्रभावित है।
The whole office is impressed by his hard work.
(uskii mehnat se saaraa daphtar prabhaavit hai।)
Morphology
Noun
(sg.f.direct):
मेहनत
(mehnat)
(sg.f.oblique):
मेहनत
(mehnat)
(pl.f.direct):
मेहनतें
(mehanten)
(pl.f.oblique):
मेहनतों
(mehanton)