ख़रगोश (khargosh)

noun A simple, single-sense noun meaning 'rabbit' or 'hare'; commonly met in children's stories and animal vocabulary.
Sense 1 : rabbit, hare
noun, masculine
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: ख़रगोश (khargosh) is a Persian loanword, and you'll meet it constantly in children's books and the fable of the ख़रगोश और कछुआ (khargosh aur kachhuaa, 'the rabbit and the tortoise') -- the Hindi retelling of the classic tortoise-and-hare story that most Indian kids grow up with.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes drop the nuqta and say/write खरगोश (khargosh) -- this is heard colloquially, but the ख़ (kh) sound (a harder, more guttural 'kh', close to Persian/Arabic 'kh') is the standard pronunciation, especially in careful or written Hindi.
Sample Sentences:
मेरी बेटी को ख़रगोश बहुत पसंद हैं। My daughter likes rabbits a lot.
(merii betii ko khargosh bahut pasand hain।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
बगीचे में एक सफ़ेद ख़रगोश बैठा है। There's a white rabbit sitting in the garden.
(bagiiche men ek safed khargosh baithaa hai।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
क्या तुमने कभी ख़रगोश और कछुआ की कहानी सुनी है? Have you ever heard the story of the rabbit and the tortoise?
(kyaa tumne kabhii khargosh aur kachhuaa kii kahaanii sunii hai?)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
ख़रगोश घास खाते हैं। Rabbits eat grass.
(khargosh ghaas khaate hain।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
कल हमने पार्क में एक ख़रगोश को दौड़ते हुए देखा। Yesterday we saw a rabbit running in the park.
(kal hamne paark men ek khargosh ko daudte hue dekhaa।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
अगर तुम शोर नहीं करोगे, तो ख़रगोश भाग नहीं जाएगा। If you don't make noise, the rabbit won't run away.
(agar tum shor nahiin karoge, to khargosh bhaag nahiin jaaegaa।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Future -- Voice: Active
ख़रगोश को धीरे से पकड़ो, वरना वह डर जाएगा। Hold the rabbit gently, or else it will get scared.
(khargosh ko dhiire se pakdo, varnaa vah dar jaaegaa।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Imperative -- Voice: Active
अगर मेरे पास बड़ा घर होता, तो मैं एक ख़रगोश पालता। If I had a big house, I would keep a rabbit.
(agar mere paas badaa ghar hotaa, to main ek khargosh paaltaa।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Counterfactual -- Aspect: Habitual -- Voice: Active
इस जंगल में ख़रगोशों का शिकार बहुत होता है। Rabbits are hunted a lot in this forest.
(is jangal men khargoshon kaa shikaar bahut hotaa hai।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Passive
बच्चों की किताब में एक प्यारा-सा ख़रगोश बना हुआ था। There was a cute little rabbit drawn in the children's book.
(bachchon kii kitaab men ek pyaaraa-saa khargosh banaa huaa thaa।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
शायद यह पैरों के निशान किसी ख़रगोश के हों। Maybe these footprints belong to some rabbit.
(shaayad yah pairon ke nishaan kisii khargosh ke hon।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Subjunctive -- Voice: Active
Morphology
Noun
(sg.m.direct): ख़रगोश (khargosh)
(sg.m.oblique): ख़रगोश (khargosh)
(pl.m.direct): ख़रगोश (khargosh)
(pl.m.oblique): ख़रगोशों (khargoshon)