# Hindi/Urdu and Punjabi: laḍākī



## larocky

Hello,

Does anyone here know of this word in Urdu? I've found it in one Urdu dictionary, where it's defined as "bully," but I had the sense that there is a better definition out there for this word. 

Also, how would this word be best spelled in English? Would it be "larockEE" for a girl and "larockAH" for a boy?

Many thanks for any help you can offer.

LR

PS. Could it be a Punjabi word?


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## panjabigator

<laḍakī> means "instigator" or "belligerent," even.  It declines based on gender, so you're correct.

It's used in both Hindi/Urdu and Punjabi.


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## larocky

panjabigator said:


> <laḍakī> means "instigator" or "belligerent," even.  It declines based on gender, so you're correct.
> 
> It's used in both Hindi/Urdu and Punjabi.




Thank you, Punjabigator. Would "laraki" be a reasonable English spelling? The 'd' is really throwing me off. "Instigator," however, is precisely the meaning I was looking for.


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## Faylasoof

If you are asking for the Urdu-Hindi for

 لَڑاکا लड़ाका_ laRaakaa_ = quarrelsome / bully etc. 

 We also say, لڑاکو / लड़ाकू laRaakuu  Where R is retroflex!


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## larocky

Thank you, Faylasoof.


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## Cilquiestsuens

_*laRaakaa jahaaz / tayyaaraa*_ is nowadays the standard translation for = fighter plane in Urdu.

By the way, in my limited knowlege I thought that *laRaakaa* was invariable and remained the same for feminine, plural, etc... 

Such as here. (*laraakaa tayyaare*)

What is your opinion, how do you use it for people?

I've been saying for a while _*yeh laRkii bohot laRaakaa hai.*_... Nobody would bother to correct me...


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## larocky

Thanks, Cilquiestsuens. That's interesting. My only understanding of the word's usage is as a descriptor for a difficult child, or an "instigator," as Punjabigator put it. I had heard it as "laraaki" (for a female child). I thought there was more to it, in the sense of "bad" where it had a deeper meaning for a girl-child than it would have for a male--perhaps even as in a stigma, a mark on the character of the female.

Could be my own misunderstanding, though! 

Thanks!


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## Cilquiestsuens

I don't think so. I think you are right. This adjective must be part of a whole set of adjectives which are common to Urdu and Punjabi, (ending in -aa), but in Urdu they are invariable while in Punjabi they are declined.. Such as....

_*saadaa*_ (simple) ; _*taazaa*_ (fresh) ; *laRaakaa*... etc..


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## panjabigator

We discussed the invariability of nouns before here, in case anyone is interested.
(I thought the consensus was that they are, in fact, variable for many Urdu speakers).


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## Cilquiestsuens

panjabigator said:


> We discussed the invariability of nouns before here, in case anyone is interested.
> (I thought the consensus was that they are, in fact, variable for many Urdu speakers).



You beat me by a second. I was just about to post a link to this thread !!!


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## larocky

This is really helpful. Thank you so much! 

Best to all


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## bakshink

In Punjabi la.Daakii will be quarrelsome girl/woman and la.Daakaa will be quarrelsome boy. BTW Hindi word for fighter jet is 'la.Daakoo vimaan'.


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## Qureshpor

Farhang-i-Asifiyyah certainly gives "laRaakaa" as an invariable adjective and cites examples from literature.

naa-saazii-i-tabii3at kyaa hai javaaN hu'e par
aubaash vuh sitam-gar *laRkaa* hii thaa *laRaakaa*

Miir

Zaal dunyaa ne sulH kii kis din
yih *laRaakaa* sadaa se *laRtii* hai

Zauq 

There is also a "kahaavat", "laRaakaa ke chaar din"..."jis 3aurat ko laRne jhagaRne kaa mazah hotaa hai vuh har taraf  aur har baat par kaan lagaa'e rahtii aur bahaanah DhuuNDtii phirtii hai".

So, all this leads one to the conclusion that "laRaakaa" is used with both masculine and feminine nouns. However, I do remember a children's poem from my school days entitled "paaNch chuuhe" (I think) by Sufi Tabassum which finished with this line.

ek chuuhaa jo rah gayaa baaqii, kar lii us ne shaadii
*biivii *us ko milii *laRaakii*, yuuN hu'ii barbaadii!


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## marrish

The coverage of the subject is indeed impressive, especially the numerous references from the literature and the good dictionary.

In front of such contribution my comment is going to be dull and insignificant, but in the spoken language it is also used this way:

_woh *laRaakaa* qism ke laRke the_ (qism being feminine).


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## UrduMedium

QURESHPOR said:


> However, I do remember a children's poem from my school days entitled "paaNch chuuhe" (I think) by Sufi Tabassum which finished with this line.
> 
> ek chuuhaa jo rah gayaa baaqii, kar lii us ne shaadii
> *biivii *us ko milii *laRaakii*, yuuN hu'ii barbaadii!



Thanks QP saahab for the excellent examples. On the last one, my quick search is finding _biivii us ko milii *laRaakaa *_not _laRaakii_. For example see here. I checked about 4-5 others also, and they all seem to list _laRaakaa_. 

Interestingly, on one of them, in one of the comments, someone questions _laRaakaa _suggesting the right word is _laRaakii_. See here


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## Qureshpor

UrduMedium said:


> Thanks QP saahab for the excellent examples. On the last one, my quick search is finding _biivii us ko milii *laRaakaa *_not _laRaakii_. For example see here. I checked about 4-5 others also, and they all seem to list _laRaakaa_.
> 
> Interestingly, on one of them, in one of the comments, someone questions _laRaakaa _suggesting the right word is _laRaakii_. See here



I have no problem with the dual purpose laRaakaa at all, UM Jii. What I quoted was from memory (in terms of laRaakii biivii) and I assure you, in our Urdu books of the time, the word was "laRaakii". Even on the net, just as you have cited "laRaakaa biivii" examples, there are also examples of "laRaakii biivii" in existence. In fact Ata-ul-Haq Qaasimi (I believe he was a professor of Urdu literature at some stage of his life) has also written "laRaakii". The point I am making is this. We know that the word remains unchanged (even uninflected..ek laRaakaa tayyaarah, do laRaakaa tayyaare) and this is supported by our masters. However, either the language is changing or the likes of Sufi Tabassum and Ata-ul-Haq Qaasimii are simply wrong. Also, I don't know about the ethnicity of Ata-ul-Haq Qaasimii but Sufi Tabassum might have been influenced by his Punjabi background. I don't know.


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## Qureshpor

joruu *laRaakaa *gar buvad
pur xauf-o-Dar aaN ghar buvad
vuh ghar sadaa abtar buvad
us ghar se gaNgaa-paar bih!

Ja3far ZaTallii (1659-1713)

Glossary

buvad = ho(ve)
aaN = vuh
bih= achchhaa


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