# Hindi-Urdu: puddle



## amiramir

Speaking in Hindi/Urdu to my baby daughter points out to me on a daily basis how little H-U I know! The latest word was 'puddle.'

In urban areas, do we just say 'puddle'? How about keechaR (or is the transliteration D?) Is this the most common word rather than the English? (Other suggestions include pokhar, pokhara, talaiya). In my family people will just say 'puddle' but they are particularly anglicized in their H-U.

Thanks.


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## littlepond

No one would use "puddle" in Hindi, and not many would understand it, even including those who use a lot of English in their Hindi; it's not a very well known word in India.

The answer to your question depends a lot on the puddle in question (size, depth, looks, etc.). But, in general, people would use "kiichaR", as you already guessed it, though "kiichaR" literally means mud. In real-life context, though one would simply say "paanii"! For example, a mother and her child are out on a monsoon day: the mother admonishes her careless child: "dhyaan se, vahaan paanii meN pair paRaa to ghar chal ke maar paRegii! kapRe to mujhe hii dhone paRte haiN!"

Hope this helped!

EDIT: Sometimes, especially if the child is wilful, the mother might also say "paanii meN pair rakhaa ..." (as if the child were to do it deliberately ... often a wilful child is accused of that, isn't it?).


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## Sheikh_14

GaRhaa is used for any hollow in the ground whereas puddles find themselves here. Therefore, how about the following gadlaa gaRhaa, paanii ghaRaa, chhak aa chhak (onomatopoeic for the sound made by splashing into a puddle) paani meiN paiR rakhnaa/jaan ke dharnaa?


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## littlepond

I have never heard of a word like "gaRhaa" in Hindi; however, a "gaDDhaa" does exist, though it's often a bit deeper than what a puddle is in my imagination (thought that might be a question of my faulty imagination as well) and in fact is not necessarily a puddle - for example, it can simply be a dry hollow. That's why I anyway said that the answer depends on the kind of "puddle": there are many possibilities, depending on physical features or looks of a puddle. There is also "naalaa", which is usually not a puddle, though it _can_ be used sometimes for a puddle. There is also "bambaa", which can be synonymous to "naalaa" and hence not often used for a puddle.


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## Sheikh_14

H گڙها गड़८हा or गढ़ा gaṛhā [Prk. गड्डअओ८; S. गर्तक+८कः], s.m. A hole, hollow, cavity, pit; a grave; a ravine; an abyss.

GaRhaa is used for any hollow in the ground irregardless of how deep it is. We use it for man holes or pits. KhaDaa is a Punjabi import used as an alternative by many Urdabi speakers. Therefore gadlaa gaRhaa/khaDaa are perfectly alright.


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## mundiya

littlepond said:


> I have never heard of a word like "gaRhaa" in Hindi; however, a "gaDDhaa" does exist,



They mean the same thing.

गढ़ा gaṛḥa: (_nm_) see गड्ढा.

गड्ढा gaḍḍḥa: (_nm_) a pit, ditch; hollow; loss


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## littlepond

^ Thanks, mundiya jii!


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## littlepond

Sheikh_14 said:


> Therefore gadlaa gaRhaa/khaDaa are perfectly alright.



What is "gadlaa", Sheikh jii?


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## mundiya

^ "gadlaa" means muddy/dirty.


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## Englishmypassion

mundiya said:


> ^ "gadlaa" means muddy/dirty.



Isn't there a nasal "n" in that?
Thanks.


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## mundiya

^ "gadlaa" and "gaNdlaa" both exist. They are pronunciation variants.


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## littlepond

I have heard only "gandlaa" (not the nasal N really - i.e., my gandlaa has the same "gan" as in gandharv) for "muddy": often used for people (esp. Maharashtrians) with eyes like Archana Joglekar: "gandlii aaNkheN". Never heard "gadlaa" (or "gaNdlaa").


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## Sheikh_14

Urdu speakers' use gadlaa rather than GaNdlaa or gandlaa (never heard either).


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## littlepond

I am revisiting this thread, as in a particular context I've encountered, none of the suggestions I or others mentioned above fit in.

Let's say a child is returning from school. On the way, because of monsoon rains, water has got filled in some small holes in the road, leading to the formation of puddles. The boy is fascinated, stops, takes out a notebook, tears a sheet out, makes a paper boat, and plays with it (making it float) in the puddle.

Now, how to translate this "puddle" in Hindi or Urdu? (Please transliterate in Roman script, if possible, suggestions for Urdu.) "kiichaR" won't work here, nor would "gaDDhaa" (the latter isn't fitting the poeticity of the occasion). "pokhar" is more of a small pond, rather than this puddle.

Thanks in advance!


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## Qureshpor

Urdu:  چھپری chhaprii


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## littlepond

Thanks, @Qureshpor jii! Is it used fairly commonly in speech and writing?


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