दहेज (dahej)
noun
A single-sense noun: the dowry given (traditionally by the bride's family) at or around marriage. A socially loaded word in modern Hindi, often paired with the crime it names, दहेज हत्या (dahej hatyaa, 'dowry death').
Sense
1
:
dowry
noun, masculine
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: दहेज (dahej) is one of those words that carries a whole social debate inside it -- India has had a specific law, the Dowry Prohibition Act, since 1961, and words like दहेज उत्पीड़न (dahej utpiidan, 'dowry harassment') and दहेज हत्या (dahej hatyaa, 'dowry death') show up constantly in news and courtroom dramas. In everyday family conversation you will also hear it more neutrally around wedding planning, where families still discuss गहने (gahne, 'jewelry') and सामान (saamaan, 'household goods') given at marriage, even as the practice is legally and socially contested.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes treat दहेज (dahej) as a neutral gift-giving custom; in contemporary usage it is almost always invoked critically or legally, tied to दहेज प्रथा (dahej prathaa, 'the dowry system') and दहेज कानून (dahej kaanoon, 'dowry law'), so context and tone matter more than the dictionary meaning alone. 2) The common verb pairing is दहेज देना (dahej denaa, 'to give dowry') / दहेज लेना (dahej lenaa, 'to take dowry') -- learners sometimes reach for माँगना (maangnaa) alone without realizing लेना (lenaa) is the more standard collocation for the receiving side.
Sample Sentences:
दहेज लेना और देना दोनों कानूनी जुर्म हैं।
Both taking and giving dowry are legal crimes.
(dahej lenaa aur denaa donon kaanoonii jurm hain।)
उसके ससुराल वाले शादी से पहले ही दहेज माँग रहे थे।
Her in-laws were demanding dowry even before the wedding.
(uske sasuraal vaale shaadii se pahle hii dahej maang rahe the।)
पुलिस ने दहेज उत्पीड़न का मामला दर्ज कर लिया है।
The police have filed a case of dowry harassment.
(pulis ne dahej utpiidan kaa maamlaa darj kar liyaa hai।)
पड़ोस वाली लड़की की दहेज हत्या हो गई थी।
The neighbor's daughter died of a dowry killing.
(pados vaalii ladkii kii dahej hatyaa ho gaii thii।)
काश उसके माँ-बाप को दहेज न देना पड़ता।
If only her parents hadn't had to give dowry.
(kaash uske maan-baap ko dahej n denaa padtaa।)
अगर दहेज माँगा जाए तो शादी से इनकार कर देना चाहिए।
If dowry is demanded, one should refuse the marriage.
(agar dahej maangaa jaae to shaadii se inkaar kar denaa chaahie।)
दहेज माँगना और लेना, यह हमारे समाज का सबसे बड़ा अभिशाप है।
Demanding and taking dowry -- this is the greatest curse of our society.
(dahej maangnaa aur lenaa, yah hamaare samaaj kaa sabse badaa abhishaap hai।)
बेटी की शादी में हमने कोई दहेज नहीं दिया।
We didn't give any dowry at our daughter's wedding.
(betii kii shaadii men hamne koii dahej nahiin diyaa।)
दहेज मत माँगो, बस बच्ची को खुश रखना।
Don't ask for dowry, just keep the girl happy.
(dahej mat maango, bas bachchii ko khush rakhnaa।)
अगली सदी तक दहेज की प्रथा पूरी तरह खत्म हो जाएगी, ऐसी उम्मीद है।
There is hope that the practice of dowry will completely end by the next century.
(aglii sadii tak dahej kii prathaa poorii tarah khatm ho jaaegii, aisii ummiid hai।)
कोर्ट में दहेज से जुड़े मामलों की सुनवाई तेज़ी से होनी चाहिए।
Cases related to dowry should be heard quickly in court.
(kort men dahej se jude maamlon kii sunvaaii tezii se honii chaahie।)
Morphology
Noun
(sg.m.direct):
दहेज
(dahej)
(sg.m.oblique):
दहेज
(dahej)
(pl.m.direct):
दहेज
(dahej)
(pl.m.oblique):
दहेजों
(dahejon)