# Hindi, Punjabi, Urdu: Lukewarm, warm



## Qureshpor

*In Punjabi, "warm" is "kosaa". What is the equivalent word in Urdu/Hindi? And is Lukewarm the same as warm? I know "Morris Dancing" does n't mean someone called Morris dancing away but who is Luke anyway!?*


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## panjabigator

And here I thought "kosaa" also worked in Urdu! Lukewarm is just slightly warm or tepid.


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## BP.

_niim garm_ or _kunkunaa_.


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## Qureshpor

BelligerentPacifist said:


> _niim garm_ or _kunkunaa_.



*BG SaaHib! I was hoping that no one was going to come up with "kunkunaa" and then I was going to "surprise" everyone with "kunkunaa". But, alas, you have stolen my show!*


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## BP.

You can always do a redux. I'm sure you still have a lot of questions left.


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## Faylasoof

We use both *niim garm* and *kunkunaa*. 

In fact, in my family I've heard _*gungunaa*_ a lot too! ... and we use _*kunkunaa / gungunaa*_ much more than _*niim garm*_. The latter we tend to reserve for more literary usage.


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## BP.

Faylasoof said:


> ...
> In fact, in my family I've heard _*gungunaa*_ a lot too! ...



If I ever heard that I'd think you were requesting some زیرِ لب غناء


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## Faylasoof

BelligerentPacifist said:


> If I ever heard that I'd think you were requesting some زیرِ لب غناء


 
I knew someone would come up with this! Yes. we do have _gungunaanaa_ from which the _imperative (informal)_ would be _gungunaa_! The context would tell you what was meant. Tepid water or a request / command to start humming!
I remember you mentioning a while back that you’ve never been to Lucknow!  There you would hear both. Not sure if it is still true. Amongst the older generation one might still find both forms being used.


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## greatbear

In my home we use "gungunaa" for lukewarm. In many Hindi health magazines as well, one finds it.


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## BP.

Faylasoof said:


> I knew someone would come up with this!...


BP...faithfully fulfilling the taqdiir.



Faylasoof said:


> ...The context would tell you what was meant. Tepid water or a request / command to start humming!
> ...


Of course. A joke's tashriiH is never as funny. 



Faylasoof said:


> ...
> I remember you mentioning a while back that you’ve never been to Lucknow!   There you would hear both. Not sure if it is still true. Amongst the  older generation one might still find both forms being used.


India is still on my list of tourist destinations. Maybe someday I will be able to say I've been to Lakhnauu.


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## amiramir

I just thought I would ask any of the Hindi speakers to chime in on this old thread. Greatbearji said, in Hindi, lukewarm is 'gungunaa' (which I always thought meant the buzzing of a mosquito!)

What would urban Hindi speakers say in the following cases:

- In Goldilocks, there's hot porridge, cold porridge, and warm porridge. (Is gungunii daliya the right word?)
- The rice is soaking in warm water. Chaaval gungune paani mein bheeg rahaa hai (Ok, I made up bheegna. I don't know that the 'non-causative' of bhigona is)
- The weather is warm outside-- not too hot, not too cold. Mausum gungunaa hai? That sounds very unidiomatic...
- Her forehead is feeling warm. She must have a temperature. Uska maatha gungunaa lag rahaa hai. Usko zukaam hoga.

Thank you for your help.


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## amiramir

PS. If gungunaa is lukewarm, is there a better word for warm in Hindi? Do we use kosa, as per the above?


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## littlepond

"garm" (or "garam") means "warm" in Hindi (also "hot", but in that case, usually intensified with "bahut" or some other word). Some Hindi users might be using "kosaa", but I have never heard it.


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## amiramir

I still struggle with 'warm,' despite @littlepond ji's kind response. 

For example: This hat will keep you warm. You should wear it. 

Yeh topii tumheN garam kar degii (not even sure that's the right verb, but besides the point...) -- that's almost a counter argument for wearing the hat (i.e. take it off because you'll get hot.). 

Any thoughts? 

Many thanks again.


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## littlepond

amiramir said:


> For example: This hat will keep you warm. You should wear it.



"yeh Topii tum ko garm rakhegii, tumheN ise paihan lenaa chaahiye"

Which verb you use is actually important! "kar denaa" would imply here something you shouldn't do (esp. intensified by "denaa"), whereas "rakhnaa" is neutral and just saying that's what will happen (retaining, keeping). ("karnaa" would also be neutral, but then you are asking for retaining warmth, which is "rakhnaa".)


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## amiramir

Thank you. In particular for the notes on the verb usage. Most helpful.

Not to belabor the point, but what's the idiomatic way of saying 'my hands are hot/cold (at this moment in time)?'

Mere haath thande haiN doesn't sound right, I don't think.

Mere haath thande lagte haiN is what I think I would say, but wanted to check.

I suppose if I were to generally talk about my feet always being cold, I think it's more likely to be 'mere haath thande rehte haiN' 

Is that all vaguely correct?


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## Alfaaz

amiramir said:
			
		

> Mere haath thande haiN doesn't sound right, I don't think.


 It actually is correct.

_mere haath ThanDe/sard/yax haiN._
_mere haath garm/tatte haiN._



			
				amiramir said:
			
		

> I suppose if I were to generally talk about my feet always being cold, I think it's more likely to be 'mere haath thande rehte haiN'


That is correct.


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## Alfaaz

Qureshpor said:
			
		

> In Punjabi, "warm" is "kosaa". What is the equivalent word in Urdu/Hindi?


Platts, Farhang-e-Asifiyyah, and Urdu Lughat list سسم सुसुम. It might be more common/familiar in Hindi?

There is also سہتا سہتا - _sahtaa sahtaa_.


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## littlepond

"mere haath ThanDe haiN" is fine; "mere haath ThanDe paR gaye haiN" is also fine. "mere haath ThanDe raihte haiN" is fine.

If one is describing numb and cold, or lifeless, then one could use "shithil".

I have never heard "susum" used by any Hindi speaker.

For hot, "garm"/"garam" is fine. If too hot, "mere haath jal rahe haiN".


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## desi4life

There are Hindi search matches (including dictionary entries) for सुसुम online. However, it seems to be used more in Bhojpuri.


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## bakshink

Halka garam or thoda garam are also used and well understood. Tez garam for very hot and for boiling hot Khaulata hua are used. In spoken Hindi very few people use words exclusively of Hindi/Sanskrit origin. Ushna is another word that comes to my mind. 
उष्ण जल स्त्रोत- Hot water spring and उष्णकटिबंध- Tropical, but I doubt if one can use 'Ushna for Porridge or tea.


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## Frau Moore

When I just looked up "shīr"  in Platt´s dictionary I also found "_shīr-garm_, adj. 'Milk-warm,' lukewarm" .

Is _shīr-garm_ ever used in everyday language? And if yes in which context? Only for liquids? Or also for food? Or maybe even for other objects?


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## littlepond

^ I personally haven't heard "shiir-garm" so far.


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## Alfaaz

littlepond said:
			
		

> I have never heard "susum" used by any Hindi speaker.





			
				desi4life said:
			
		

> There are Hindi search matches (including dictionary entries) for सुसुम online. However, it seems to be used more in Bhojpuri.


Thanks for the information about _susum_.


			
				Frau Moore said:
			
		

> When I just looked up "shīr" in Platt´s dictionary I also found "_shīr-garm_, adj. 'Milk-warm,' lukewarm" .
> 
> Is _shīr-garm_ ever used in everyday language? And if yes in which context? Only for liquids? Or also for food? Or maybe even for other objects?


It is less common, especially in comparison to _niim-garm_. The two literary examples here in Urdu Lughat are of _shiir-garm paanii_. Here is an example of _shiir-garm roTii_:


> اصل ذائقہ اس سنہری، سوندھی، سانولی، *شیر گرم روٹی* میں ہوتا ہے جو چنگیر میں رکھی ہو تو یوں دمکتی ہے جیسے سونے کی تھالی۔
> 
> آمنہ مفتی از کالم "اڑیں گے پرزے"


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## Frau Moore

Thanks, Littlepond and Alfaaz!


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## MonsieurGonzalito

In A.R.Rahman's "Barso Re" song (from the 2007 movie "Guru"), the singer says repeatedly (celebrating rain)

_miiThaa hai *kosaa* hai
baarish kaa bosaa hai_

and I am struggling to find any Hindi/Urdu headword. 
But in Punjabi, it seems to exist:


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## littlepond

MonsieurGonzalito said:


> In A.R.Rahman's "Barso Re" song (from the 2007 movie "Guru"), the singer says repeatedly (celebrating rain)
> 
> _miiThaa hai *kosaa* hai
> baarish kaa bosaa hai_



And that's why it is a poorly written song for the film: suddenly a rural Gujarat girl is singing with words such as "kosaa" and "bosaa", both words utterly unfamiliar in Gujarat.


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## MonsieurGonzalito

littlepond said:


> utterly unfamiliar in Gujarat.


to top it off, the scenes accompanying it were shot in Kerala, for extra humidity
Barso Re - Wikipedia


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