तनाव (tanaav)
noun
Primarily means 'stress' or 'tension' -- both the psychological/emotional sense and the physical/political sense of strain between two things. One core sense with wide application, rather than several unrelated meanings.
Sense
1
:
mental/emotional stress, tension
noun, masculine
Synonyms: तनावग्रस्तता (tanaavagrasttaa, rare), दबाव (dabaav, pressure -- overlaps but not identical), चिंता (chintaa, worry -- related but distinct)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: तनाव मत लो (tanaav mat lo, 'don't take tension') is something you'll hear constantly in Delhi -- from friends, from doctors, from worried mothers. The idea of 'taking' tension, as if it's a burden you pick up, is very much how Hindi frames stress: it's something that comes to you or that you take on, not something you simply 'are'.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often reach for स्ट्रेस (stres) as a borrowed English word in casual speech, which is common, but तनाव (tanaav) is the standard word you'll see in writing, on doctors' forms, and in more careful speech. 2) तनाव लेना (tanaav lenaa, 'to take tension') is the natural collocation for 'to get stressed' -- not तनाव करना (tanaav karnaa).
Sample Sentences:
तनाव मत लो, सब ठीक हो जाएगा।
Don't take stress, everything will be fine.
(tanaav mat lo, sab thiik ho jaaegaa।)
आजकल काम की वजह से मुझे बहुत तनाव रहता है।
These days I have a lot of stress because of work.
(aajkal kaam kii vajah se mujhe bahut tanaav rahtaa hai।)
परीक्षा के बाद उसका तनाव कम हो गया।
His stress reduced after the exam.
(pariikshaa ke baad uskaa tanaav kam ho gayaa।)
डॉक्टर ने कहा कि तनाव सेहत के लिए बुरा होता है।
The doctor said that stress is bad for health.
(doktar ne kahaa ki tanaav sehat ke lie buraa hotaa hai।)
अगर वह इतना तनाव न लेता तो बीमार न पड़ता।
If he hadn't taken so much stress, he wouldn't have fallen sick.
(agar vah itnaa tanaav n letaa to biimaar n padtaa।)
मां हमेशा कहती है कि इतना तनाव मत लिया करो।
Mom always says, don't keep taking so much stress.
(maan hameshaa kahtii hai ki itnaa tanaav mat liyaa karo।)
योग और ध्यान से तनाव दूर किया जा सकता है।
Stress can be removed through yoga and meditation.
(yog aur dhyaan se tanaav door kiyaa jaa saktaa hai।)
काश मैं इतना तनाव न लेता।
I wish I didn't take so much stress.
(kaash main itnaa tanaav n letaa।)
इंटरव्यू से पहले उसे बहुत तनाव हो रहा था।
He was feeling a lot of stress before the interview.
(intravyoo se pahle use bahut tanaav ho rahaa thaa।)
शायद उसे नौकरी को लेकर तनाव हो।
Maybe he has stress about his job.
(shaayad use naukrii ko lekar tanaav ho।)
बच्चों पर पढ़ाई का इतना तनाव नहीं डालना चाहिए।
So much stress about studies shouldn't be put on children.
(bachchon par padhaaii kaa itnaa tanaav nahiin daalnaa chaahie।)
Sense
2
:
physical or political tension/strain
noun, masculine
Synonyms: खिंचाव (khinchaav, physical pulling/strain), तनातनी (tanaatnii, strained relations, informal)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: You'll see this sense in the news constantly -- सीमा पर तनाव (siimaa par tanaav, 'tension at the border') is a stock phrase in Hindi journalism, paralleling how English news uses 'tensions'. It's the same underlying idea as the emotional sense: something stretched taut, whether a nerve, a rope, or a relationship.
Sample Sentences:
सीमा पर तनाव बढ़ रहा है।
Tension is increasing at the border.
(siimaa par tanaav badh rahaa hai।)
दोनों देशों के बीच तनाव कई सालों से बना हुआ है।
Tension between the two countries has persisted for many years.
(donon deshon ke biich tanaav kaii saalon se banaa huaa hai।)
युद्ध के बाद इलाके में तनाव फैल गया।
After the war, tension spread through the region.
(yuddh ke baad ilaake men tanaav phail gayaa।)
अगर बातचीत जारी रहती, तो तनाव इतना नहीं बढ़ता।
If talks had continued, the tension wouldn't have escalated so much.
(agar baatchiit jaarii rahtii, to tanaav itnaa nahiin badhtaa।)
सरकार चाहती है कि तनाव कम हो।
The government wants the tension to decrease.
(sarkaar chaahtii hai ki tanaav kam ho।)
तनाव कम करने के लिए दोनों पक्षों की बैठक बुलाई गई।
A meeting between both sides was called to reduce the tension.
(tanaav kam karne ke lie donon pakshon kii baithak bulaaii gaii।)
अगले हफ्ते तक तनाव और बढ़ सकता है।
The tension could increase further by next week.
(agle haphte tak tanaav aur badh saktaa hai।)
कृपया तनाव को शांति से सुलझाएँ, इससे पहले कि बात बिगड़ जाए।
Please resolve the tension peacefully, before things get worse.
(kripyaa tanaav ko shaanti se suljhaaen, isse pahle ki baat bigad jaae।)
पिछले महीने सीमा पर जो तनाव था, वह अब भी वैसा ही है।
The tension that was at the border last month is still the same now.
(pichhle mahiine siimaa par jo tanaav thaa, vah ab bhii vaisaa hii hai।)
जब से चुनाव का ऐलान हुआ है, राज्य में तनाव रहता है।
Ever since the election was announced, there has been tension in the state.
(jab se chunaav kaa ailaan huaa hai, raajy men tanaav rahtaa hai।)
Morphology
Noun
(sg.m.direct):
तनाव
(tanaav)
(sg.m.oblique):
तनाव
(tanaav)
(pl.m.direct):
तनाव
(tanaav)
(pl.m.oblique):
तनावों
(tanaavon)