# Hindi: Sound effects



## SirFrankieCrisp

I was reading a comic book and thinking about what some of the dialogue would be translated into Hindi. It occurred to me that I've never seen sounds like shouts or gasps transliterated in Hindi. For instance, in English it's typically understood that something spelled, "Ah!" or "Aah!" is a shout; and then there are things like "hmm," and "ugh," and "grr," etc.

My question is, are there standard spellings for certain noises in Hindi the way there are in English? Or can you pretty much just transliterate a noise based on your own judgement? (i.e., conveying the "Ah!" shouting-sound as "आ!")


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## Not.A.Linguist

Most can be transliterated as is. For example - "Ah!", "Hmmm", "Grrrr". However, some are not natural in Indian tongue, e.g. "Ugh". But generally speaking, they care be just transliterated.

Additional info: In India "Ah!" and "Aah!" are different. I mean there is one with and ending H sound.


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## SirFrankieCrisp

Thanks, Not.A.Linguist. So you're saying I can just spell them in Hindi the way I would in English (with the exception of "ugh")?
i.e.:
"hmm" = "ह्म्म"
"ah" = "अह"
"grr" = "ग्र्र" or maybe "गरर"

Do those look correct to you or are there alternate spellings that might be more easily understood by a Hindi-speaker?


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## xjm

I'd say avoid just transliterating these sorts of vocalizations.  For example, I think Hindi speakers will usually say _Are_! (अरे) when anglophones might say "Oh!".  I can't think of other examples in Hindi, but here's an example from another language:  Russian has interjection-sounds _ах_ and _ох_ that sound a lot like English "aah" and "oh," but, unlike English, _ах_ implies that something is good (a beautiful day) and _ох_ implies a bad thing (like a stomach ache).  So even if you get the sound spelled the "right" way, it might not mean quite the same thing as it does in English.

It might be a good idea to post specific ones in context; maybe a native speaker can help translate these non-word words.


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## SirFrankieCrisp

Thank you so much, xjm. That's very helpful. So if I wanted to translate something that included one of those noises, should I just leave it out entirely? Or maybe leave it in English? In the comic I was reading, the dialogue was all in English but there were some sound effects in the background (which looked like they could be things like "pow!") that had been left in Japanese, I'm guessing because they had no English equivalent.


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## xjm

I'd bet leaving the ones you're not sure about in English could work just fine; a lot of Indian comic book readers would probably recognize them.  You could also try looking at some existing Hindi comics to get an idea of what they use.  

I found these:
http://www.masalatalk.com/masalaboard/showthread.php?t=261177

Look at this one:
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_MIWV2EQEy9M/R7Wp7Lvd4LI/AAAAAAAAG8k/-13oUq17VYw/s512/scan0026.jpg

In both the first and last panels he says आह! and the second panel has हा हा हा -- so looks like those two at least are fair game!  And I think I see उफ in the third panel, which apparently translates to "oops."

Edit: I bet you could also translate the names of noises, e.g. substitute growl for "grrrr."


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## Not.A.Linguist

SirFrankieCrisp said:


> Thanks, Not.A.Linguist. So you're saying I can just spell them in Hindi the way I would in English (with the exception of "ugh")?
> i.e.:
> "hmm" = "ह्म्म"
> "ah" = "अह"
> "grr" = "ग्र्र" or maybe "गरर"
> 
> Do those look correct to you or are there alternate spellings that might be more easily understood by a Hindi-speaker?



I do not know how to post something written in Devnaagari here. I'll try to copy-paste from your post making modifications.

"ah" = "अIह" (Thats a long AAAAAAA sound)
"grr" = "गरर" (All but last R will be a half sound, in Devnaagari use 'Halamt')


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## Not.A.Linguist

xjm said:


> Edit: I bet you could also translate the names of noises, e.g. substitute growl for "grrrr."



Are you serious?


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## xjm

Not.A.Linguist said:


> Are you serious?



Why not?  We are talking about a comic book.  One often sees noise names--"bark," "crash," etc., often written in brightly colored 3D fonts and surrounded by little lines or subursts to indicate the explosiveness of the sound.  It's a part of the genre.


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## Not.A.Linguist

Well, since people are getting more and more liberal about accepting other languages with time, it might work, but I believe transliteration will have a better effect and will work on more than two third occassions. Just my opinion. Of course, OP can do a little googling to find out Hindi equivalents for English sounds.

SirFrankieCrisp, I recommend you these keywords for Google. "Exclamatatory phrases" AND Hindi.


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## SirFrankieCrisp

Not.A.Linguist and xjm, thank you so much. You both were really helpful; I'm so glad I decided to ask about this here!


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## Cilquiestsuens

I can't agree with the fact that someone suggests transliterating English sound effects in Hindi ! 
_Hindi / Urdu / Punjabi_ (languages I'm familiar with) have all very specific sounds for everything and they are all different from English... A few examples of these sounds in the Urdu spoken in Lahore (influenced by Punjabi) :

(_A_ _Note about transliteration_ : capital letters stand for a retroflex sound, except for capital N which is a nasal one)

*dhaRaam !* - noise of a heavy thing falling on the ground... (same in Hindi)
*Tii.N Tii.N* *!* - noise of a (car) horn.
*Thaah !* - a general sound describing an action someone / you do quickly and can surprise you / overwhelm you (no idea how you would say that in English, in French we say : *Vlan !*
*Tishoo - *Noise of light gun shot


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## Illuminatus

Cilco is right. Each languages has its own "sound effect" words. 

When somebody gets beaten, we use the sound *Dhishoom Dhishoom!* for the hitting. We normally associate _punching_ with this sound.


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## bakshink

Let me try to help SirFrankie
Most of the sounds can be described and many onomatopoeic words exist. You can put in the text and surely we will be able to give acceptable or existing equivalents. Here are some examples
कुत्ता भौंका भौं भौं, भौं 
गाय बोली भाँ आँ आँ आँ...........
कौआ बोला काँय काँय 
बकरी बोली मैँ ऐँ ऐं ऐं 
snoring "Kharaa.nte" can be written as खर्रा र्रा र्रा र्रा टे खर खर खर to give it a comical effect
then there are expression like
उफ़्फ़!बड़ी गर्मी है
हाय! मेरे पेट में दर्द है। 
आहा! कितना सुहाना दिन है। 
कार का हॉर्न बजा पौं पौं 
नल टपक रहा था टप, टप, टप


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## Cilquiestsuens

bakshink said:


> Let me try to help SirFrankie
> Most of the sounds can be described and many onomatopoeic words exist. You can put in the text and surely we will be able to give acceptable or existing equivalents. Here are some examples
> कुत्ता भौंका भौं भौं, भौं
> गाय बोली भाँ आँ आँ आँ...........
> कौआ बोला काँय काँय
> बकरी बोली मैँ ऐँ ऐं ऐं
> snoring "Kharaa.nte" can be written as खर्रा र्रा र्रा र्रा टे खर खर खर to give it a comical effect
> then there are expression like
> उफ़्फ़!बड़ी गर्मी है
> हाय! मेरे पेट में दर्द है।
> आहा! कितना सुहाना दिन है।
> कार का हॉर्न बजा पौं पौं
> नल टपक रहा था टप, टप, टप


 
Yes it reminded me of few other ones : the noise of a horse trotting on the street : *TapaaTap TapaaTap*

Then sometimes the wind makes this noise : *sar sar*


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## Faylasoof

Some sound effects have become infinitives! 

_guRguRaanaa_

_k-haTk-haTaanaa*_

_dandanaanaa_

_k-haRk-haRaanaa* _  etc. 

 If you have either ever seen a _k-haRk-haRaa_  or sat on one – its a mode of transport in parts of Sitapur, UP - then you’ll know why it is so named. 

 [* the _k-h_ is an _aspirated k_, not fricative]


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## bakshink

Dil dhaRakta hai dhak- dhak
Bharish ho rahi hai- jhamaajham
Payal chhanki- chham-chham
jharne mein pani bah raha tha- kal-kal
gaaRi aayee chhuk-chhuk


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## Faylasoof

wah! wah! bakshi saheb! aur janaab yeh bhii to hai !

woh chalaa _k-haT paT _

us ne _dhan_ se golii chalaa dii.

... and about the heart beating violently, who can forget the song from Rudali / Rudaalii:  _dil bhoom bhoom kare, dar jaa'e
_


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## bakshink

and
buDDaa karataa hai ba.D-ba.D
bivii karatii hai bu.D-bu.D
peT karataa hai gu.D-gu.D
chhaatii karatii hai kha.D-kha.D
la.Dkiyaa.N karatii hai.n khii-khii
naak karataa hai suu.n-suu.n
kaan bhhinnate hai.n
aur
piTaaee hoti hai dhanaa-dhan


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## Faylasoof

Bakshink! You are an expert on this! 

Mind you, _sar bhii bhinnaataa hai_! 

Although I don't know whether _bhinnaanaa_ can really be said to be a sound - even in the ears! More like a feeling. No?


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## bakshink

Don't know about bhinnana but bhin-bhinana surely is if one can hear it. makkhiyaa.n bhin-bhina rahi thhi.n. While we are at it have you heard the expression "Tumhare to kaan bolate hain 'or' usake kaan bajane lage?


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## Faylasoof

Yes, bhin bhinaanaa is fine but we use it always for insects esp. the common fly:

_mak-hiyaan bhinbhinaa rahi hai.n!_
The flies are buzzing!

bhinbhinaanaa = to buzz around / make a buzzing sound. 

I don't actually remember ever hearing this in relation to "ringing in the ears".


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## Cilquiestsuens

I don't know if it is actually connected but the verb bhin-bhinaanaa always reminds me of the expression *bhinak paRnaa* such as in :

*mujhe bhinak paRii ki* (I have heard that...)


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