रुखाई (rukhaaii)
noun
A feminine noun meaning 'dryness' or 'curtness' -- used both for physical dryness of skin/texture and, more commonly in everyday speech, for a cold or brusque manner in someone's behavior or tone. Related to the adjective रूखा (rookhaa, 'dry, curt').
Sense
1
:
coldness or curtness in manner/tone
noun, feminine
Synonyms: रूखापन (rookhaapan), बेरुखी (berukhii, more about indifference/aloofness), कठोरता (kathortaa, harshness, broader sense)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: You'll hear this word when someone describes a person's tone on the phone or in a conversation as having रुखाई (rukhaaii) -- think of a shopkeeper or official who answers questions without any warmth, just flat and businesslike. It often carries a note of hurt: 'usne rukhaai se jawaab diya' implies the speaker felt slighted by the coldness, not just that the reply was brief.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often reach for ठंडापन (thandaapan) to mean 'coldness of manner,' but that word is used almost exclusively for literal temperature; रुखाई (rukhaaii) is the natural word for emotional/tonal coldness. 2) Note the आई (aaii) suffix pattern -- this is an abstract noun formed from the adjective रूखा (rookhaa), similar to how अच्छाई (achchhaaii) comes from अच्छा (achchhaa).
Sample Sentences:
उसने बहुत रुखाई से जवाब दिया।
He replied with a lot of curtness.
(usne bahut rukhaaii se javaab diyaa।)
फोन पर उसकी आवाज़ में रुखाई थी।
There was a coldness in his voice on the phone.
(phon par uskii aavaaz men rukhaaii thii।)
मुझे उसकी रुखाई अच्छी नहीं लगी।
I didn't like his curtness.
(mujhe uskii rukhaaii achchhii nahiin lagii।)
काउंटर वाला हमेशा रुखाई से बात करता है।
The counter clerk always speaks with curtness.
(kaauntar vaalaa hameshaa rukhaaii se baat kartaa hai।)
काश वह इतनी रुखाई से न बोलती।
If only she didn't speak with such coldness.
(kaash vah itnii rukhaaii se n boltii।)
अफ़सर की रुखाई देखकर मैं चुप हो गया।
Seeing the officer's coldness, I fell silent.
(afsar kii rukhaaii dekhkar main chup ho gayaa।)
क्या उसकी रुखाई सच में जानबूझकर थी?
Was his curtness really deliberate?
(kyaa uskii rukhaaii sach men jaanboojhkar thii?)
रुखाई से बात मत करो, वह अभी परेशान है।
Don't speak with such coldness, she's upset right now.
(rukhaaii se baat mat karo, vah abhii pareshaan hai।)
उसकी रुखाई से यह जताया गया कि वह बात करने के मूड में नहीं था।
His coldness made it clear that he wasn't in the mood to talk.
(uskii rukhaaii se yah jataayaa gayaa ki vah baat karne ke mood men nahiin thaa।)
अगर उसने रुखाई न दिखाई होती, तो बात इतनी न बढ़ती।
If he hadn't shown such coldness, things wouldn't have escalated so much.
(agar usne rukhaaii n dikhaaii hotii, to baat itnii n badhtii।)
Sense
2
:
physical dryness (of skin, hair, texture)
noun, feminine
Synonyms: सूखापन (sookhaapan)
Frequency: low
Cultural Note: This sense shows up in everyday contexts like winter skincare talk -- 'sardiyon mein twacha mein rukhaai aa jaati hai' ('skin gets dry in winter'). It is less common in casual speech than the emotional sense above, which tends to dominate in conversation.
Sample Sentences:
सर्दियों में त्वचा में रूखाई आ जाती है।
In winter, the skin gets dry.
(sardiyon men tvachaa men rookhaaii aa jaatii hai।)
इस तेल से बालों की रूखाई कम हो जाएगी।
This oil will reduce the dryness of the hair.
(is tel se baalon kii rookhaaii kam ho jaaegii।)
उसके होंठों की रूखाई देखकर मैंने उसे लिप बाम दिया।
Seeing the dryness of her lips, I gave her some lip balm.
(uske honthon kii rookhaaii dekhkar mainne use lip baam diyaa।)
अगर तुम रोज़ मॉइस्चराइज़र लगाओ तो त्वचा की रूखाई दूर हो सकती है।
If you apply moisturizer daily, the dryness of the skin can go away.
(agar tum roz moischraaizar lagaao to tvachaa kii rookhaaii door ho saktii hai।)
रूखाई से बचने के लिए ज़्यादा पानी पिया करो।
To avoid dryness, make it a habit to drink more water.
(rookhaaii se bachne ke lie zyaadaa paanii piyaa karo।)
डॉक्टर ने कहा कि इस क्रीम से त्वचा की रूखाई ठीक हो जाएगी।
The doctor said that this cream would fix the dryness of the skin.
(doktar ne kahaa ki is kriim se tvachaa kii rookhaaii thiik ho jaaegii।)
अगर वह सही क्रीम लगाती तो उसकी त्वचा में इतनी रूखाई न होती।
If she had applied the right cream, her skin wouldn't have had so much dryness.
(agar vah sahii kriim lagaatii to uskii tvachaa men itnii rookhaaii n hotii।)
इस साबुन के इस्तेमाल से त्वचा में रूखाई पैदा होती है।
Using this soap causes dryness in the skin.
(is saabun ke istemaal se tvachaa men rookhaaii paidaa hotii hai।)
त्वचा विशेषज्ञ के अनुसार, अत्यधिक रूखाई त्वचा की प्राकृतिक परत को नुकसान पहुँचा सकती है।
According to dermatologists, excessive dryness can damage the skin's natural barrier.
(tvachaa visheshagy ke anusaar, atydhik rookhaaii tvachaa kii praakritik parat ko nuksaan pahunchaa saktii hai।)
Morphology
Noun
(sg.f.direct):
रुखाई
(rukhaaii)
(sg.f.oblique):
रुखाई
(rukhaaii)
(pl.f.direct):
रुखाईएँ
(rukhaaiien)
(pl.f.oblique):
रुखाईओं
(rukhaaiion)