कमर (kamar)
noun
A body-part noun meaning 'waist' or 'lower back'; almost all its uses are literal, with one common idiomatic extension meaning to gear up for a task.
Sense
1
:
waist / lower back (body part)
noun, feminine
Synonyms: कटि (kati, literary)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: If you ask someone how they're doing after a long day of sitting or physical work, don't be surprised to hear कमर दर्द (kamar dard, 'back pain') come up constantly -- it's the go-to complaint in Delhi-NCR for everything from bad office chairs to overdoing yardwork.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often reach for 'back' as पीठ (piith) even when Hindi speakers would say कमर (kamar) -- कमर (kamar) covers the lower back/waist region and is what people actually say for common complaints like 'my back hurts.' 2) Aches here are usually expressed with दर्द होना (dard honaa) or a को (ko)-marked experiencer (कमर में दर्द होना, kamar men dard honaa, 'to have back pain'), not with a subject-verb structure like English 'my back hurts.'
Sample Sentences:
मेरी कमर में बहुत दर्द हो रहा है।
My back is hurting a lot.
(merii kamar men bahut dard ho rahaa hai।)
पूरे दिन बैठे रहने से उसकी कमर अकड़ गई।
From sitting the whole day, his back became stiff.
(poore din baithe rahne se uskii kamar akad gaii।)
क्या तुम्हारी कमर अब भी दुखती है?
Does your back still ache?
(kyaa tumhaarii kamar ab bhii dukhtii hai?)
डॉक्टर ने कहा कि मुझे कमर सीधी रखनी चाहिए।
The doctor said I should keep my back straight.
(doktar ne kahaa ki mujhe kamar siidhii rakhnii chaahie।)
अगर तुम इतनी देर झुककर काम करोगे तो कमर में दर्द होगा ही।
If you work bent over for so long, your back will definitely hurt.
(agar tum itnii der jhukkar kaam karoge to kamar men dard hogaa hii।)
कमर सीधी करके बैठो, वरना बाद में तकलीफ होगी।
Sit up straight, or you'll be in pain later.
(kamar siidhii karke baitho, varnaa baad men takliiph hogii।)
अगर मेरी कमर इतनी न दुखती, तो मैं आज बगीचे में काम करता।
If my back didn't hurt so much, I would have worked in the garden today.
(agar merii kamar itnii n dukhtii, to main aaj bagiiche men kaam kartaa।)
बुढ़ापे में उसकी कमर झुक गई है।
In old age, his back has become bent.
(budhaape men uskii kamar jhuk gaii hai।)
भारी सामान उठाते वक्त कमर पर ज़्यादा ज़ोर मत डालो।
Don't put too much strain on your back while lifting heavy luggage.
(bhaarii saamaan uthaate vakt kamar par zyaadaa zor mat daalo।)
शायद योगा करने से मेरी कमर का दर्द कम हो जाए।
Maybe doing yoga will reduce my back pain.
(shaayad yogaa karne se merii kamar kaa dard kam ho jaae।)
ऑफिस की कुर्सी इतनी खराब है कि सबकी कमर दर्द करने लगी है।
The office chair is so bad that everyone's back has started aching.
(ophis kii kursii itnii kharaab hai ki sabkii kamar dard karne lagii hai।)
Sense
2
:
to prepare/gear up for a task (idiomatic, in कमर कसना)
noun, feminine Lives almost entirely inside the fixed expression कमर कसना (kamar kasnaa, 'to gird up one's waist' = to prepare resolutely for a task) or कमर बाँधना (kamar baandhnaa); it is not used as a free-standing abstract noun sense outside this idiom.
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: The image is very physical: tightening a loose garment at the waist before hard labor or a journey, so कमर कस लो (kamar kas lo, 'gird up your waist' i.e. 'get ready, buckle down') is said before exams, big projects, or festival preparations -- much like English 'roll up your sleeves.'
Common Mistakes: 1) This sense only surfaces inside set phrases like कमर कसना (kamar kasnaa) or कमर बाँधना (kamar baandhnaa) -- learners sometimes try to use कमर (kamar) alone to mean 'resolve' or 'determination,' which doesn't work outside these idioms.
Sample Sentences:
अब परीक्षा नज़दीक है, कमर कस लो।
The exam is near now, gird up and get ready.
(ab pariikshaa nazdiik hai, kamar kas lo।)
इस बार हमने त्योहार की तैयारी के लिए कमर कस ली है।
This time we have geared up for the festival preparations.
(is baar hamne tyohaar kii taiyaarii ke lie kamar kas lii hai।)
सरकार ने महंगाई से लड़ने के लिए कमर कस ली है।
The government has girded up to fight inflation.
(sarkaar ne mahangaaii se ladne ke lie kamar kas lii hai।)
जब तक तुम कमर नहीं कसोगे, यह प्रोजेक्ट पूरा नहीं होगा।
Until you buckle down, this project won't get finished.
(jab tak tum kamar nahiin kasoge, yah projekt pooraa nahiin hogaa।)
काश हमने पहले ही कमर कस ली होती, तो नतीजा कुछ और होता।
If only we had geared up earlier, the result would have been different.
(kaash hamne pahle hii kamar kas lii hotii, to natiijaa kuchh aur hotaa।)
टीम के हर खिलाड़ी ने फाइनल मैच के लिए कमर कस ली थी।
Every player on the team had geared up for the final match.
(tiim ke har khilaadii ne phaainal maich ke lie kamar kas lii thii।)
अगर तुम अपने सपने को सच करना चाहते हो, तो कमर कस लो।
If you want to make your dream come true, then get ready to buckle down.
(agar tum apne sapne ko sach karnaa chaahte ho, to kamar kas lo।)
व्यापारियों ने नए साल के व्यापार के लिए कमर कस ली है।
The merchants have girded themselves up for the new year's business.
(vyaapaariyon ne nae saal ke vyaapaar ke lie kamar kas lii hai।)
क्या तुमने अगली प्रतियोगिता के लिए कमर कस ली है?
Have you geared up for the next competition?
(kyaa tumne aglii pratiyogitaa ke lie kamar kas lii hai?)
देश की सेना दुश्मन के हर हमले का जवाब देने के लिए कमर कसे खड़ी थी।
The nation's army stood girded and ready to answer every enemy attack.
(desh kii senaa dushman ke har hamle kaa javaab dene ke lie kamar kase khadii thii।)
Morphology
Noun
(sg.f.direct):
कमर
(kamar)
(sg.f.oblique):
कमर
(kamar)
(pl.f.direct):
कमरें
(kamren)
(pl.f.oblique):
कमरों
(kamron)