# Hindi: Lalbhai, Harilal, etc.



## Todd The Bod

I see a lot of names that have the word "lal" in them.  I don't rememeber if this is exclusively Gujarati names or not, but my question is in these names does the word mean "red"?  Does the color "red" have a special spiritual significance in the Hindu religion, or does the component "lal" in the names mean something different altogether?


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## tonyspeed

Todd The Bod said:


> I see a lot of names that have the word "lal" in them.  I don't rememeber if this is exclusively Gujarati names or not, but my question is in these names does the word mean "red"?  Does the color "red" have a special spiritual significance in the Hindu religion, or does the component "lal" in the names mean something different altogether?



This thread may interest you: http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=2370731


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## tonyspeed

Based on this, Harilal would mean - Son of Hari.


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## Todd The Bod

Thanks, Tonio Bhai!


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## greatbear

Harilal rather means "the beloved of Hari": the word "lal" is often used for sons. That does not mean that "lal" need mean "son" only.


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## tonyspeed

greatbear said:


> Harilal rather means "the beloved of Hari": the word "lal" is often used for sons. That does not mean that "lal" need mean "son" only.



Shukriya bhai. I was going off of what a website said, but your explanation does make more sense.


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## Todd The Bod

So Lalbhai would mean then "beloved brother" then, hunh?  Deep.  Thanks Greatbear!


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## BP.

greatbear said:


> Harilal rather means "the beloved of Hari": the word "lal" is often used for sons. That does not mean that "lal" need mean "son" only.


Is harii the same as har, which is another name for God (and should go here if you confirmed it were)?


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## greatbear

BelligerentPacifist said:


> Is harii the same as har, which is another name for God (and should go here if you confirmed it were)?



Hari does indeed mean Har, one of the names for God in the Hindu pantheon. However, it should _not_ go to the thread you cite since Todd had asked only for Urdu names for God, whereas Hari/Har are exclusively Hindi words.


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## greatbear

Todd The Bod said:


> So Lalbhai would mean then "beloved brother" then, hunh?  Deep.  Thanks Greatbear!



"Bhaai" is a suffix added to names without really meaning "brother": in Gujarat, for example, women even refer to their husbands using their names + "bhai" construct, which indeed does add to the oddity when one thinks about the literal meaning of "bhaai" (or "bhai", as in Gujarati).


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## Qureshpor

BelligerentPacifist said:


> Is harii the same as har, which is another name for God (and should go here if you confirmed it were)?



BP SaaHib, here are examples of both "Har" and "Hari" used by Urdu poets.

kyaa masjid meN kyaa mandir meN sab jalvah hai vajhu_llaah kaa 
parbat meN, nagar meN, saagar meN, *Har* utraa hai *har*-jaa jogii 

Khushi Muhammad Naazir (Please see post 45 of the link below). I would recommend this poem to all those who know Urdu and Hindi. Post 21 has a partial glossary.

https://groups.google.com/group/alt.../thread/65e59dad5f0e67d3?tvc=1&q=har+har+jogi

Here is Iqbal..

gilah-i-jafaa-i-vafaa numaa, kih Haram ko ahl-i-Haram se hai 
kisii butkade meN bayaaN karuuN, to kahe sanam bhii, “Harii Harii"


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## Qureshpor

Todd The Bod said:


> I see a lot of names that have the word "lal" in them.  I don't rememeber if this is exclusively Gujarati names or not, but my question is in these names does the word mean "red"?  Does the color "red" have a special spiritual significance in the Hindu religion, or does the component "lal" in the names mean something different altogether?



Tod The Bod SaaHib "laal" does mean "red"* as well as multiple other meanings, as provided by Platts. This topic was also discussed in another thread.

http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=2245901&highlight=laal

Here is Platt's entry.

H لال लाल_lāl [Pers. also lāl; prob. S. लाल, fr. caus. of rt. लल्; cf. lāṛ and lāṛlā], adj. Beloved, darling, dear, precious;—dumb;—s.m. An infant boy, a son; a darling, a pet;—a proper name (among Hindūs):—lāl-bujhakkar, s.m. An ignorant (or a stupid) fellow who pretends to knowledge or acuteness, an ignoramus, a jackanapes, wiseacre:—lāl-beg, or lāl-gurū, s.m. The priest of the sweeper caste:—lāl-begiyā, s.m. A follower of Lāl-Beg:—lāloṅ-kā lāl, adj. & s.m. Most dear; very dear;—the dearest of dear ones.

* 
 meraa juutaa hai jaapaanii, yih patluun inglistaanii
 sar pih laal Topii ruusii phir bhii dil hai hindustaanii_


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## jakubisek

Is there any etymological relation between the laal "dear" and laal "red"?

In Russian there's relation between "red" and "beautiful" (And it's a false friend in Czech: The Russian "red one" means in CZ "pretty one").   Could there be some similar "logic" behind?    (Well, as for the Slavic area, I guess the connection lies in red cheeks being considered  beautiful)


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## greatbear

^ I think the relation _might be_ once again "red cheeks", which are considered beautiful in India as well (even if very few have 'em).


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## Wolverine9

jakubisek said:


> Is there any etymological relation between the laal "dear" and laal "red"?



No, there is no connection.  They are homonyms, but _laal _"dear" is Indic while _laal _"red" is Persian (or, perhaps, Arabic).

Also, reference this thread here.


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