होश (hosh)
noun
Primarily means 'consciousness/senses' (as in being awake and aware, or in one's right mind) and by extension appears in common idioms about awareness, composure, and sanity.
Sense
1
:
consciousness, senses (physical awareness)
noun, masculine/feminine Almost always used with verbs like आना (aanaa, 'to come [back]') or खोना (khonaa, 'to lose') to describe gaining or losing consciousness -- होश आना (hosh aanaa, 'to regain consciousness'), होश खोना (hosh khonaa, 'to lose consciousness').
Synonyms: चेतना (chetnaa, more formal/clinical), सुध (sudh)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: Picture someone fainting in the Delhi heat during summer and their friends splashing water on their face saying होश में आओ (hosh men aao, 'come back to consciousness') -- this is the everyday physical sense, distinct from the more figurative 'sanity/composure' sense below.
Common Mistakes: 1) होश (hosh) is grammatically plural-only in this sense (it has no singular form in use) -- learners sometimes try to treat it as a regular singular noun and get the agreement wrong. 2) Don't confuse with साँस (saans, 'breath') -- होश (hosh) is about mental awareness, not breathing, even though both appear in 'fainting' contexts.
Sample Sentences:
एक्सीडेंट के बाद वह कई घंटों तक होश में नहीं आया।
After the accident, he didn't regain consciousness for several hours.
(eksiident ke baad vah kaii ghanton tak hosh men nahiin aayaa।)
गर्मी में बेहोश हुई लड़की को होश में लाने के लिए लोग उसके चेहरे पर पानी छिड़क रहे थे।
To bring the girl who had fainted from the heat back to consciousness, people were sprinkling water on her face.
(garmii men behosh huii ladkii ko hosh men laane ke lie log uske chehre par paanii chhidak rahe the।)
होश में आओ, होश में आओ!
Wake up, wake up! Come back to consciousness!
(hosh men aao, hosh men aao!)
डॉक्टर ने कहा कि मरीज़ को होश आने में अभी समय लगेगा।
The doctor said it will still take time for the patient to regain consciousness.
(doktar ne kahaa ki mariiz ko hosh aane men abhii samay lagegaa।)
इतनी शराब पीने के बाद उसके होश उड़ गए थे।
After drinking so much liquor, he lost his senses completely.
(itnii sharaab piine ke baad uske hosh ud gae the।)
अगर डॉक्टर समय पर न पहुँचते तो शायद वह कभी होश में न आता।
If the doctor hadn't arrived on time, he might never have regained consciousness.
(agar doktar samay par n pahunchte to shaayad vah kabhii hosh men n aataa।)
बेहोशी की हालत में उसके होश धीरे-धीरे लौट रहे थे।
In his state of unconsciousness, his senses were slowly returning.
(behoshii kii haalat men uske hosh dhiire-dhiire laut rahe the।)
नशे की गोली से मरीज़ के होश कुछ ही मिनटों में गायब हो गए।
The sedative made the patient's senses disappear within just a few minutes.
(nashe kii golii se mariiz ke hosh kuchh hii minton men gaayab ho gae।)
क्या मरीज़ अब पूरी तरह होश में है?
Is the patient now fully conscious?
(kyaa mariiz ab poorii tarah hosh men hai?)
ऑपरेशन के दौरान मरीज़ को होश में रखा जाता है, बस उस हिस्से को सुन्न किया जाता है।
During the operation, the patient is kept conscious; only that part is numbed.
(opreshan ke dauraan mariiz ko hosh men rakhaa jaataa hai, bas us hisse ko sunn kiyaa jaataa hai।)
सिर पर चोट लगने से वह अपने होश खो बैठा।
From the blow to his head, he lost his senses.
(sir par chot lagne se vah apne hosh kho baithaa।)
Sense
2
:
presence of mind, composure, senses (figurative -- being sane/alert/in control)
noun, masculine/feminine Common in the fixed phrase होश में रहना/आना (hosh men rahnaa, 'to stay/come to one's senses') used scoldingly or warningly, and होश उड़ जाना (hosh ud jaanaa, 'to be shocked out of one's wits').
Synonyms: समझ (samajh, understanding/sense), अकल (akal, practical sense, colloquial)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: You'll hear a Delhi mother snap होश में आओ, क्या कर रहे हो? (hosh men aao, kyaa kar rahe ho, 'come to your senses, what are you doing?') at a child about to do something reckless -- this figurative sense of होश (hosh) is really about mental clarity and self-control, closely tied to the literal consciousness sense above but extended to judgment and composure.
Common Mistakes: 1) होश उड़ जाना (hosh ud jaanaa) literally means 'senses to fly away' but is used for shock or fear, not literal fainting -- learners sometimes take it too literally. 2) होश में आओ (hosh men aao) can be an angry rebuke ('wake up and think straight!') rather than a gentle request, depending on tone -- register matters here.
Sample Sentences:
होश में आओ, क्या कर रहे हो?
Come to your senses, what are you doing?
(hosh men aao, kyaa kar rahe ho?)
गुस्से में उसने अपने होश खो दिए।
In his anger, he lost his composure.
(gusse men usne apne hosh kho die।)
इतनी बड़ी गलती करते वक़्त तुम्हारे होश कहाँ थे?
Where were your senses when you made such a big mistake?
(itnii badii galtii karte vaqt tumhaare hosh kahaan the?)
वह हमेशा मुश्किल हालात में भी होश बनाए रखता है।
He always keeps his composure even in difficult situations.
(vah hameshaa mushkil haalaat men bhii hosh banaae rakhtaa hai।)
अगर तुम अभी होश में नहीं आए, तो बड़ा नुकसान हो जाएगा।
If you don't come to your senses now, there will be a big loss.
(agar tum abhii hosh men nahiin aae, to badaa nuksaan ho jaaegaa।)
काश वह उस वक़्त अपने होश में रहता।
If only he had kept his wits about him at that time.
(kaash vah us vaqt apne hosh men rahtaa।)
प्यार में इंसान के होश उड़ जाते हैं।
In love, a person's senses fly away.
(pyaar men insaan ke hosh ud jaate hain।)
उसकी हरकतों से मेरे तो होश ही उड़ गए।
His antics completely blew my mind out of composure.
(uskii harakton se mere to hosh hii ud gae।)
कृपया शांत रहें और अपने होश बनाए रखें।
Please stay calm and maintain your composure.
(kripyaa shaant rahen aur apne hosh banaae rakhen।)
यह देखकर कि सब कुछ बर्बाद हो गया है, उसके होश उड़ गए।
Seeing that everything had been ruined, his senses left him.
(yah dekhkar ki sab kuchh barbaad ho gayaa hai, uske hosh ud gae।)
नेता जी, थोड़े होश से काम लीजिए, जनता सब देख रही है।
Sir, please act with a bit of sense, the public is watching everything.
(netaa jii, thode hosh se kaam liijie, jantaa sab dekh rahii hai।)
Morphology
Noun
(sg.m/f.direct):
होश
(hosh)
(sg.m/f.oblique):
होश
(hosh)
(pl.m/f.direct):
होशें
(hoshen)
(pl.m/f.oblique):
होशों
(hoshon)