शर्म (sharm)
noun
A feminine noun meaning 'shame' or 'shyness/modesty' -- covers both the moral sting of embarrassment and the soft social virtue of bashfulness, depending on context.
Sense
1
:
shame, embarrassment
noun, feminine Very commonly paired with the verb आना (aanaa) in the dative-subject frame: मुझे शर्म आती है (mujhe sharm aatii hai, 'I feel ashamed') -- shame is treated as something that 'comes to' you, not something you actively feel.
Synonyms: लज्जा (lajjaa, literary), शर्मिंदगी (sharmindgii)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: This word carries real social weight in Indian family life -- elders invoke it constantly to enforce behavior, as in शर्म नहीं आती? (sharm nahiin aatii?, 'don't you feel ashamed?'), a classic parental rebuke. The idiom शर्म से डूब जाना (sharm se doob jaanaa, 'to drown in shame') captures how overwhelming this feeling is imagined to be.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often say मैं शर्म हूँ (main sharm hoon) by analogy with English 'I am ashamed' -- but Hindi uses the dative-subject construction शर्म आना (sharm aanaa) or शर्म लगना (sharm lagnaa) instead, with को (ko) marking the person who feels it. 2) शर्म करना (sharm karnaa) does not mean 'to feel shame' -- it means 'to have shame/decency' about doing something, often used as a scolding: कुछ तो शर्म करो (kuchh to sharm karo, 'have some shame').
Sample Sentences:
तुम्हें यह करके शर्म नहीं आती?
Don't you feel ashamed for doing this?
(tumhen yah karke sharm nahiin aatii?)
वह अपनी गलती पर शर्म से डूब गया।
He drowned in shame over his mistake.
(vah apnii galtii par sharm se doob gayaa।)
मुझे उस पल बहुत शर्म आ रही थी।
I was feeling a lot of shame at that moment.
(mujhe us pal bahut sharm aa rahii thii।)
अगर तुम्हें थोड़ी भी शर्म होती, तो तुम माफी माँगते।
If you had even a little shame, you would have apologized.
(agar tumhen thodii bhii sharm hotii, to tum maaphii maangte।)
शर्म करो, इतने बड़े होकर भी झूठ बोलते हो।
Have some shame, even at this age you tell lies.
(sharm karo, itne bade hokar bhii jhooth bolte ho।)
समाज में ऐसी हरकतों को बड़ी शर्म की बात माना जाता है।
Such acts are considered a great shame in society.
(samaaj men aisii harakton ko badii sharm kii baat maanaa jaataa hai।)
बेटी की नाकामी से पिता को शर्म महसूस हुई।
The father felt shame at his daughter's failure.
(betii kii naakaamii se pitaa ko sharm mahsoos huii।)
क्या तुम्हें अपने माता-पिता के सामने झूठ बोलते हुए शर्म नहीं आती?
Don't you feel ashamed lying in front of your parents?
(kyaa tumhen apne maataa-pitaa ke saamne jhooth bolte hue sharm nahiin aatii?)
काश मुझे उस दिन इतनी शर्म न आती।
I wish I hadn't felt so much shame that day.
(kaash mujhe us din itnii sharm n aatii।)
पूरे परिवार को उसकी हरकतों की वजह से शर्म उठानी पड़ी।
The whole family had to bear the shame because of his actions.
(poore parivaar ko uskii harakton kii vajah se sharm uthaanii padii।)
यह सुनकर मुझे बहुत शर्म आएगी, इसलिए बताना मत।
I will feel very ashamed hearing this, so don't tell anyone.
(yah sunkar mujhe bahut sharm aaegii, islie bataanaa mat।)
Sense
2
:
shyness, modesty, bashfulness
noun, feminine In this sense शर्म (sharm) describes a positive social quality, especially expected of women or children in traditional settings, rather than a negative feeling.
Synonyms: हया (hayaa), संकोच (sankoch)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: A new bride's शर्म (sharm) -- her downcast eyes and quiet manner -- is traditionally seen as a mark of good upbringing rather than weakness, though this expectation is increasingly questioned by younger generations.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes miss that शर्मीला (sharmiilaa, 'shy [person]') is the adjective built from this sense, describing a personality trait rather than a momentary feeling.
Sample Sentences:
नई दुल्हन शर्म से चुप बैठी रही।
The new bride sat quietly out of shyness.
(naii dulhan sharm se chup baithii rahii।)
वह इतनी शर्मीली है कि किसी अनजान से बात करते हुए उसे शर्म आती है।
She is so shy that she feels shyness while talking to a stranger.
(vah itnii sharmiilii hai ki kisii anjaan se baat karte hue use sharm aatii hai।)
थोड़ी शर्म तो होनी चाहिए, इतनी बेतकल्लुफी अच्छी नहीं लगती।
One should have a little shyness; being so overly familiar doesn't look nice.
(thodii sharm to honii chaahie, itnii betkalluphii achchhii nahiin lagtii।)
अपनी शर्म मत छोड़ो, धीरे से बात करो।
Don't lose your modesty, speak gently.
(apnii sharm mat chhodo, dhiire se baat karo।)
अगर उसमें थोड़ी भी शर्म होती, तो वह ऐसे खुलेआम बातें न करती।
If she had even a little modesty, she wouldn't talk so openly like that.
(agar usmen thodii bhii sharm hotii, to vah aise khuleaam baaten n kartii।)
पुराने ज़माने में लड़कियों की शर्म को अच्छी परवरिश की निशानी माना जाता था।
In older times, girls' modesty was considered a sign of good upbringing.
(puraane zamaane men ladkiyon kii sharm ko achchhii paravrish kii nishaanii maanaa jaataa thaa।)
आजकल की लड़कियाँ इस पुरानी शर्म को कमज़ोरी नहीं बल्कि रुकावट मानती हैं।
Today's girls consider this old-fashioned modesty not a weakness but an obstacle.
(aajkal kii ladkiyaan is puraanii sharm ko kamzorii nahiin balki rukaavat maantii hain।)
उसकी शर्म देखकर सब उसे बहुत पसंद करते थे।
Seeing her shyness, everyone used to like her a lot.
(uskii sharm dekhkar sab use bahut pasand karte the।)
शायद उसे मंच पर बोलते वक़्त शर्म आ रही हो।
Perhaps she is feeling shy while speaking on stage.
(shaayad use manch par bolte vaqt sharm aa rahii ho।)
उसकी आँखों में झलकती शर्म देखकर माँ मुस्कुरा उठी।
Seeing the shyness glimmering in her eyes, the mother smiled.
(uskii aankhon men jhalaktii sharm dekhkar maan muskuraa uthii।)
शर्म और संकोच में डूबी उस लड़की ने सिर झुका लिया।
Drowned in shyness and reticence, that girl bowed her head.
(sharm aur sankoch men doobii us ladkii ne sir jhukaa liyaa।)
Morphology
Noun
(sg.f.direct):
शर्म
(sharm)
(sg.f.oblique):
शर्म
(sharm)
(pl.f.direct):
शर्में
(sharmen)
(pl.f.oblique):
शर्मों
(sharmon)