# Urdu/Hindi: paRhaakuu construction



## UrduMedium

Just heard this word again today. Means very studious, book-worm type kid/person.

Curious if -_akuu or -kuu _is a suffix here, what significance it carries. Any other words fit this pattern? I can only think of _maTakkuu _(dance-savvy?), but there the _k _is part of the verb _maTak-naa_. Assume _nakkuu _does not count as the verb+suffix pattern does not exist there.


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## greatbear

UrduMedium said:


> Just heard this word again today. Means very studious, book-worm type kid/person.
> 
> Curious if -_akuu or -kuu _is a suffix here, what significance it carries. Any other words fit this pattern? I can only think of _maTakkuu _(dance-savvy?), but there the _k _is part of the verb _maTak-naa_. Assume _nakkuu _does not count as the verb+suffix pattern does not exist there.



Yes, there are similar words like "laRaakuu" (someone having quarrelsome tendencies). The "-aakuu" intensifies the verb and often slightly conveys a pejorative meaning in that the person is doing the activity concerned a bit too much than what is conceived normal (studying, fighting, etc.).


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## UrduMedium

Yes, of course, I should have thought of _laRaakuu_. Good one. Thanks, GB. 

This one has a feminine version _laRaakaa _(perhaps used more). But never heard of _paRhaakaa_.


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## UrduMedium

greatbear said:


> Yes, there are similar words like "laRaakuu" (someone having quarrelsome tendencies). The "-aakuu" intensifies the verb and often slightly conveys a pejorative meaning in that the _*person is doing the activity concerned a bit too much*_ than what is conceived normal (studying, fighting, etc.).



I agree. This mubaaliGhah (exaggeration) angle associated with -_aaku _may be responsible for the Mongol ruler Hulegu, or Hulagu becoming *halaakuu *in Urdu/Hindi. As _halaak karna_ is to kill, and Mr. Hulegu seems to have done that a bit too much, to put it mildly. Hence _halaak + aakuu = halaakuu._


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## greatbear

UrduMedium said:


> Yes, of course, I should have thought of _laRaakuu_. Good one. Thanks, GB.
> 
> This one has a feminine version _laRaakaa _(perhaps used more). But never heard of _paRhaakaa_.



Strange, since "laRaakaa" exists as a masculine noun (e.g., "kis laRaakaa ke palle paR gayaa tu?") or as an invariable adjective (e.g., "yeh baRii laRaakaa aurat hai") in Hindi, at least as far as I've always heard it and used it. It's a fairly commonly used word.


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## greatbear

UrduMedium said:


> I agree. This mubaaliGhah (exaggeration) angle associated with -_aaku _may be responsible for the Mongol ruler Hulegu, or Hulagu becoming *halaakuu *in Urdu/Hindi. As _halaak karna_ is to kill, and Mr. Hulegu seems to have done that a bit too much, to put it mildly. Hence _halaak + aakuu = halaakuu._



Never heard of this word; what does "halaakuu" mean?


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## Qureshpor

UrduMedium said:


> I agree. This mubaaliGhah (exaggeration) angle associated with -_aaku _may be responsible for the Mongol ruler Hulegu, or Hulagu becoming *halaakuu *in Urdu/Hindi. As _halaak karna_ is to kill, and Mr. Hulegu seems to have done that a bit too much, to put it mildly. Hence _halaak + aakuu = halaakuu._



The only problem with this "hypothesis" is that "halaak" is Arabic and prior to the time when a section of Mongols converted to Islam, I can not imagine many of them having Arabic based names.


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## Qureshpor

UrduMedium said:


> Yes, of course, I should have thought of _laRaakuu_. Good one. Thanks, GB.
> 
> This one has a feminine version _laRaakaa _(perhaps used more). But never heard of _paRhaakaa_.



I did n't know that "laRaakaa" was feminine. A "laRaakaaa tayyaarah" is a "fighter plane". paRhaakaa/paRhaakuu are both used in Punjabi.


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## UrduMedium

QURESHPOR said:


> The only problem with this "hypothesis" is that "halaak" is Arabic and prior to the time when a section of Mongols converted to Islam, I can not imagine many of them having Arabic based names.



I did not suggest _halaak _to be etymologically behind Hulegu. Only that Hulegu's linguistic transformation to _halaakuu _may be inspired by the phonetic suffix of -_aaku _and Hulegu's credentials in the _halaak_ area.



greatbear said:


> Never heard of this word; what does "halaakuu" mean?


Halaakuu is the Urdu name of Huleg/Hulegu/Halagu, grandson of Genghis Khan, notorious for destruction of Baghdad and rest of Middle East.


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## UrduMedium

greatbear said:


> Strange, since "laRaakaa" exists as a masculine noun (e.g., "kis laRaakaa ke palle paR gayaa tu?") or as an invariable adjective (e.g., "*yeh baRii laRaakaa aurat hai"*) in Hindi, at least as far as I've always heard it and used it. It's a fairly commonly used word.



I guess you are right. laRaakaa is an adjective that can go with either gender nouns. 



QURESHPOR said:


> I did n't know that "laRaakaa" was feminine. A *"laRaakaaa tayyaarah"* is a "fighter plane". paRhaakaa/paRhaakuu are both used in Punjabi.



A good example of laRaakaa used as adjective for masculine noun. 

Curious if paRhaakaa/paRhaakuu have gender/meaning differences in Punjabi.


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## Qureshpor

UrduMedium said:


> I guess you are right. laRaakaa is an adjective that can go with either gender nouns.
> 
> A good example of laRaakaa used as adjective for masculine noun.
> 
> Curious if paRhaakaa/paRhaakuu have gender/meaning differences in Punjabi.



"josh" tells me that the feminine for "laRaakaa" in Urdu would be "laRaakii" but "hosh" says that I could be wrong!

yih laRkii baRii laRaakaa hai. (?)

yih laRkii baRii laRaakii hai. 

I think a poet might prefer the second option.

For a "kashtii" ( say, an "aab-doz" type"), would we say "laRaakii kashtii"? I would say, perhaps no. "laRaakaa kashtii" sounds correct. Time for views from other friends, may be.

Reference Punjabi, "paRhaakii" would be the feminine for "paRhaakaa". As for "paRhaakuu", I think one could use it for both genders. I am not so sure.


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## greatbear

QURESHPOR said:


> "josh" tells me that the feminine for "laRaakaa" in Urdu would be "laRaakii" but "hosh" says that I could be wrong!
> 
> yih laRkii baRii laRaakaa hai. (?)
> 
> yih laRkii baRii laRaakii hai.
> 
> I think a poet might prefer the second option.
> 
> For a "kashtii" ( say, an "aab-doz" type"), would we say "laRaakii kashtii"? I would say, perhaps no. "laRaakaa kashtii" sounds correct. Time for views from other friends, may be.
> 
> Reference Punjabi, "paRhaakii" would be the feminine for "paRhaakaa". As for "paRhaakuu", I think one could use it for both genders. I am not so sure.



In Hindi at least, it remains "laRaakaa laRkii" and "paRhaakuu laRkii": the adjectives "laRaakaa" and "paRhaakuu" remain invariable.


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## UrduMedium

greatbear said:


> In Hindi at least, it remains "laRaakaa laRkii" and "paRhaakuu laRkii": the adjectives "laRaakaa" and "paRhaakuu" remain invariable.



I second that for Urdu, from my experience. Similar to how _paTaaxaa _is used with feminine nouns.


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## greatbear

UrduMedium said:


> I second that for Urdu, from my experience. Similar to how _paTaaxaa _is used with feminine nouns.



Yes, and "paTaakhaa" is used even as fem. *noun *though otherwise it is a masculine noun; for example, "baRii paTaakhaa hai yeh laRkii".


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## JaiHind

greatbear said:


> In Hindi at least, it remains "laRaakaa laRkii" and "paRhaakuu laRkii": the adjectives "laRaakaa" and "paRhaakuu" remain invariable.



This is correct; I agree...


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## Qureshpor

laRaakii/laRaakaa discussion has taken place in the past in this forum. Here is the link.

http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=1967398&highlight=laRaakaa


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