गुण (gun)
noun
A word with two related everyday senses: a person's inherent quality/virtue (character trait), and a property/attribute of a thing; it also appears in the common idiom गुण-दोष (gun-dosh, 'pros and cons').
Sense
1
:
virtue, good quality (of character)
noun, masculine
Synonyms: खूबी (khoobii), विशेषता (visheshtaa), सद्गुण (sadgun, formal, emphasizes 'good' quality specifically)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: Indian parents and teachers love talking about a child's गुण (gun) and दोष (dosh) together, as if character is a ledger to be balanced -- you'll often hear किसी में गुण भी हैं और दोष भी (kisii men gun bhii hain aur dosh bhii, 'a person has both good and bad qualities') in everyday moral reasoning, not just in formal essays.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes use गुण (gun) where अच्छाई (achchhaaii) or खूबी (khoobii) would sound more natural in casual speech -- गुण (gun) leans slightly more formal/reflective, as in describing someone's character in a considered way rather than just chatting about what's nice about them. 2) The opposite pairing is दोष (dosh, 'fault/flaw'), not किसी और शब्द से -- learners should learn गुण-दोष (gun-dosh) as a set pair.
Sample Sentences:
हर इंसान में कुछ गुण और कुछ दोष होते हैं।
Every person has some virtues and some flaws.
(har insaan men kuchh gun aur kuchh dosh hote hain।)
उसमें ईमानदारी का गुण बचपन से ही था।
He had the virtue of honesty since childhood.
(usmen iimaandaarii kaa gun bachpan se hii thaa।)
किसी में गुण भी हैं और दोष भी, कोई इंसान पूरी तरह अच्छा या बुरा नहीं होता।
A person has both good and bad qualities -- no one is entirely good or bad.
(kisii men gun bhii hain aur dosh bhii, koii insaan poorii tarah achchhaa yaa buraa nahiin hotaa।)
अपने बच्चे में अच्छे गुण भरने की कोशिश करो, न कि सिर्फ नंबर बढ़ाने की।
Try to instill good virtues in your child, not just improve his marks.
(apne bachche men achchhe gun bharne kii koshish karo, n ki sirph nambar badhaane kii।)
काश उसमें थोड़ा सब्र का गुण होता, तो इतना नुकसान न होता।
If only he had the virtue of patience, so much loss wouldn't have happened.
(kaash usmen thodaa sabr kaa gun hotaa, to itnaa nuksaan n hotaa।)
शायद उसके गुण उसके दोषों से ज़्यादा भारी पड़ें।
Perhaps his virtues will outweigh his flaws.
(shaayad uske gun uske doshon se zyaadaa bhaarii paden।)
टीचर हमेशा कहती थीं कि विनम्रता सबसे बड़ा गुण है।
The teacher always used to say that humility is the greatest virtue.
(tiichar hameshaa kahtii thiin ki vinamrtaa sabse badaa gun hai।)
उसके गुणों की चर्चा पूरे मोहल्ले में होती है।
His virtues are talked about all over the neighborhood.
(uske gunon kii charchaa poore mohalle men hotii hai।)
मेहमानों के सामने माँ ने बेटी के सारे गुण गिना दिए।
In front of the guests, the mother listed out all her daughter's virtues.
(mehmaanon ke saamne maan ne betii ke saare gun ginaa die।)
क्षमा और करुणा को हमारे धर्मग्रंथों में सर्वोच्च गुण माना गया है।
Forgiveness and compassion are regarded as the supreme virtues in our scriptures.
(kshamaa aur karunaa ko hamaare dharmagranthon men sarvochch gun maanaa gayaa hai।)
अगर तुममें थोड़ा भी गुण होता, तो लोग तुम्हारी इतनी बुराई न करते।
If you had even a little virtue, people wouldn't speak so ill of you.
(agar tummen thodaa bhii gun hotaa, to log tumhaarii itnii buraaii n karte।)
Sense
2
:
property, attribute, characteristic (of a thing, substance, or concept)
noun, masculine
Synonyms: विशेषता (visheshtaa), खासियत (khaasiyat, colloquial), लक्षण (lakshan, leans toward 'symptom/trait' in medical or descriptive contexts)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: You'll hear this sense constantly around Indian kitchens and in Ayurvedic talk -- अदरक के गुण (adrak ke gun, 'the properties of ginger') is the kind of phrase a grandmother or a health show host uses in the same breath, treating food as something with an inherent nature to be respected, not just a flavor.
Common Mistakes: 1) In science or health contexts (e.g. herbs, foods, medicines), गुण (gun) is the standard word for 'medicinal property' or 'beneficial effect' -- learners coming from English often reach for असर (asar, 'effect') instead, which is not wrong but shifts the emphasis from an inherent property to a resulting effect.
Sample Sentences:
अदरक के गुण बहुत सारे हैं।
Ginger has many properties.
(adrak ke gun bahut saare hain।)
इस पत्ते में औषधीय गुण पाए जाते हैं।
Medicinal properties are found in this leaf.
(is patte men aushdhiiy gun paae jaate hain।)
हल्दी के गुणों के बारे में दादी हमेशा बताती रहती हैं।
Grandma keeps telling us about turmeric's properties.
(haldii ke gunon ke baare men daadii hameshaa bataatii rahtii hain।)
वैज्ञानिकों ने इस पौधे के कई नए गुण खोजे हैं।
Scientists have discovered several new properties of this plant.
(vaigyaanikon ne is paudhe ke kaii nae gun khoje hain।)
अगर तुम्हें अदरक के गुण जानने हैं, तो यह लेख पढ़ो।
If you want to know ginger's properties, read this article.
(agar tumhen adrak ke gun jaanne hain, to yah lekh padho।)
इस धातु का सबसे बड़ा गुण यह है कि यह जंग नहीं लगती।
The biggest property of this metal is that it does not rust.
(is dhaatu kaa sabse badaa gun yah hai ki yah jang nahiin lagtii।)
स्वास्थ्य शो में होस्ट रोज़ किसी न किसी चीज़ के गुण बताता है।
On the health show, the host explains the properties of some item or other every day.
(svaasthy sho men host roz kisii n kisii chiiz ke gun bataataa hai।)
काश हमें हर जड़ी-बूटी के गुण याद रहते।
If only we remembered the properties of every herb.
(kaash hamen har jadii-bootii ke gun yaad rahte।)
आयुर्वेद में हर चीज़ के गुण के अनुसार उसका उपयोग बताया जाता है।
In Ayurveda, the use of everything is prescribed according to its properties.
(aayurved men har chiiz ke gun ke anusaar uskaa upyog bataayaa jaataa hai।)
शायद इस मसाले में कुछ ऐसे गुण हों जो अभी तक पता न चले हों।
Perhaps this spice has some properties that haven't been discovered yet.
(shaayad is masaale men kuchh aise gun hon jo abhii tak pataa n chale hon।)
इस चाय के गुण जानकर तुम हैरान हो जाओगे।
You will be amazed once you know the properties of this tea.
(is chaay ke gun jaankar tum hairaan ho jaaoge।)
Morphology
Noun
(sg.m.direct):
गुण
(gun)
(sg.m.oblique):
गुण
(gun)
(pl.m.direct):
गुण
(gun)
(pl.m.oblique):
गुणों
(gunon)