आश्चर्य (aashchary)

noun/interjection A somewhat formal/literary word for surprise or astonishment, used as a noun and in the common exclamation आश्चर्य! (aashchary) 'How astonishing!'. In everyday speech, हैरानी (hairaanii) is more common; this word leans a bit bookish but is still widely understood and used.

Sense 1 : surprise, astonishment, wonder

noun, masculine Commonly used with होना (honaa) in the dative-subject frame: मुझे आश्चर्य हुआ (mujhe aashchary huaa, 'I was surprised'), literally 'surprise happened to me.'

Synonyms: हैरानी (hairaanii), अचरज (achraj, everyday, slightly colloquial), विस्मय (vismay, literary)

Frequency: medium

Cultural Note: You'll often hear आश्चर्य की बात है (aashchary kii baat hai, 'it's a matter of surprise/it's surprising') as a slightly formal way to comment on something unexpected -- a notch more bookish than the everyday हैरानी की बात है (hairaanii kii baat hai).

Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often say मैं आश्चर्य हुआ (main aashchary huaa) by analogy with English 'I was surprised,' but Hindi requires the dative-subject frame: मुझे आश्चर्य हुआ (mujhe aashchary huaa). 2) आश्चर्य (aashchary) is grammatically masculine even though it names an emotion/state -- learners sometimes wrongly feminize agreement with it.

Sample Sentences:

मुझे बहुत आश्चर्य हुआ जब उसने अचानक इस्तीफा दे दिया। I was very surprised when he suddenly resigned.

(mujhe bahut aashchary huaa jab usne achaanak istiiphaa de diyaa।)

यह आश्चर्य की बात है कि वह परीक्षा में फेल हो गया। It is a matter of surprise that he failed the exam.

(yah aashchary kii baat hai ki vah pariikshaa men phel ho gayaa।)

उसकी सफलता पर सबको आश्चर्य होता है। Everyone feels surprise at his success.

(uskii saphaltaa par sabko aashchary hotaa hai।)

मुझे आश्चर्य हो रहा है कि तुमने यह अकेले कैसे किया। I am feeling surprised at how you did this alone.

(mujhe aashchary ho rahaa hai ki tumne yah akele kaise kiyaa।)

अगर वह समय पर आ जाता, तो मुझे इतना आश्चर्य न होता। If he had come on time, I would not have felt so much surprise.

(agar vah samay par aa jaataa, to mujhe itnaa aashchary n hotaa।)

वैज्ञानिकों को इस खोज पर गहरा आश्चर्य हुआ। The scientists were deeply astonished by this discovery.

(vaigyaanikon ko is khoj par gahraa aashchary huaa।)

उसके व्यवहार में ऐसा कुछ नहीं था जिससे आश्चर्य हो। There was nothing in his behavior that would cause surprise.

(uske vyavahaar men aisaa kuchh nahiin thaa jisse aashchary ho।)

प्रकृति के रहस्यों को देखकर मन आश्चर्य से भर जाता है। Seeing the mysteries of nature, the mind fills with wonder.

(prakriti ke rahasyon ko dekhkar man aashchary se bhar jaataa hai।)

क्या तुम्हें इस खबर से कोई आश्चर्य नहीं हुआ? Weren't you at all surprised by this news?

(kyaa tumhen is khabar se koii aashchary nahiin huaa?)

समिति ने आश्चर्य व्यक्त किया कि प्रस्ताव इतनी जल्दी पास हो गया। The committee expressed surprise that the proposal was passed so quickly.

(samiti ne aashchary vyakt kiyaa ki prastaav itnii jaldii paas ho gayaa।)

Sense 2 : expression of astonishment

interjection

Synonyms: अरे वाह (are vaah, everyday), हैरानी की बात है (hairaanii kii baat hai, everyday)

Frequency: low

Cultural Note: Said alone as आश्चर्य! (aashchary) it has a slightly theatrical, almost storybook or old-fashioned flavor -- more at home in narration or a teacher's dramatic aside than in casual chat among friends, where अरे वाह (are vaah) or हैरानी की बात है (hairaanii kii baat hai) would feel more natural.

Sample Sentences:

आश्चर्य! यह तो मैंने सोचा भी नहीं था। How astonishing! I hadn't even thought of this.

(aashchary! yah to mainne sochaa bhii nahiin thaa।)

आश्चर्य! राजा का महल एक ही रात में गायब हो गया। How astonishing! The king's palace vanished in a single night.

(aashchary! raajaa kaa mahal ek hii raat men gaayab ho gayaa।)

आश्चर्य! क्या यह सच में संभव है? What a surprise! Is this really possible?

(aashchary! kyaa yah sach men sambhav hai?)

आश्चर्य! बच्चा बिना किसी सहारे के चल पड़ा। How astonishing! The child started walking without any support.

(aashchary! bachchaa binaa kisii sahaare ke chal padaa।)

आश्चर्य! वह इतनी दूर से पैदल चलकर आया है। How astonishing! He has walked all this way on foot.

(aashchary! vah itnii door se paidal chalkar aayaa hai।)

आश्चर्य! यहाँ तो कोई भी नहीं रहता था, फिर यह घर किसने बनाया? How astonishing! No one used to live here, so who built this house?

(aashchary! yahaan to koii bhii nahiin rahtaa thaa, phir yah ghar kisne banaayaa?)

आश्चर्य! अगर वह समय पर पहुँच जाता, तो कहानी कुछ और होती। How astonishing -- if he had arrived on time, the story would have been quite different.

(aashchary! agar vah samay par pahunch jaataa, to kahaanii kuchh aur hotii।)

आश्चर्य! ऐसी घटना पहले कभी नहीं घटी होगी। How astonishing! Such an event may never have happened before.

(aashchary! aisii ghatnaa pahle kabhii nahiin ghatii hogii।)

Morphology

Noun

(sg.m.direct): आश्चर्य (aashchary)

(sg.m.oblique): आश्चर्य (aashchary)

(pl.m.direct): आश्चर्य (aashchary)

(pl.m.oblique): आश्चर्यों (aashcharyon)