# Hindi: example



## savera

I have heard two words used for "example": misaal and udhaaran. Can someone describe the differences between these two words, in terms of usage, formality, and/or frequency in spoken vs. written language? I also wonder if udhaaran comes from the word udhaar (meaning loan)? Urdu uses udhaar for "loan", but does not use "udhaaran" as far as I'm aware (which would be strange if udhaaran and udhaar were related). thanks


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## Khaanabadosh

Hindi textbooks use 'udahraNR'. In spoken language, I hear misaal more but udahraNR is also heard frequently.

I am not aware of etymology of udhaar but it's not written in the same way as you have described - उधार and उदाहरण


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## savera

I see. I guess it just sounded somewhat similar, so I thought it might be related. Thanks for your insight.


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## amiramir

There's also नमूना (namuuna), which is used when 'example' is to be interpreted as a sample of something.


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## Englishmypassion

I think in Hindi "misaal" is usually used for setting an example (by one's behavior, acts, etc) while "udaaharan" is used for giving an example, for example to explain something.


In legal language, "misaal" is also used to mean precedence.


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## littlepond

"misaal" fits in the Urdu register, whereas "udaahraN" fits in the non-Urdu register of Hindi: otherwise, there is little difference between the two. Both are highly used words, overall: some people use "misaal" much more (or exclusively), others use "udaahraN" much more (or exclusively). In the sense of "setting an example", mentioned by Emp jii, "udaahraN" is also used, so nothing there. I have personally never used "misaal" in my own speech, as people around me have never used it (so the word does not come naturally to me).
As for "namuunaa", which means a "specimen", not "example", really, it might convey a Gujarati/Marathi influence: though legitimate Hindi, I would avoid it.


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## Englishmypassion

Yes, though "udaaharan" is also used for setting an example, I think "misaal" is almost never used for giving an example in written Hindi.


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## mundiya

littlepond said:


> As for "namuunaa", which means a "specimen", not "example", really, it might convey a Gujarati/Marathi influence: though legitimate Hindi, I would avoid it.



"namuunaa" is of Persian origin and not Gujarati/Marathi influence.



Englishmypassion said:


> Yes, though "udaaharan" is also used for setting an example, I think "misaal" is almost never used for giving an example in written Hindi.



No, "misaal" is used for giving an example in written Hindi too.


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## Englishmypassion

Sorry then, but I haven't seen it used that way in Hindi books, mundiya jee.


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## tonyspeed

A quick search using Google news gives back 13000 results for misaal and 14000 for udaaharaN.


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## littlepond

mundiya said:


> "namuunaa" is of Persian origin and not Gujarati/Marathi influence.



I wasn't talking about origin, mundiya jii. I meant the actual usage: "namunaa" is part of the vocabulary of languages like Gujarati, and hence if a Hindi speaker uses it, it is very likely that he or she is showing influence of that region.


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## tonyspeed

Namuunaa isn't the same as example in Hindi.


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## marrish

_namuunaa_ is the same as example in Hindi. 

udaaharaNR ke liye/udaaharaNR-svaruup/misaal ke taur par:
*सरकारी लापरवाही का नमूना*


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## marrish

littlepond said:


> I wasn't talking about origin, mundiya jii. I meant the actual usage: "namunaa" is part of the vocabulary of languages like Gujarati, and hence if a Hindi speaker uses it, it is very likely that he or she is showing influence of that region.


Of course, namuuna is normally used in Urdu, but it is used in slangish Urdu at least in Pakistan, so Gujarati influence is not so likely.

نمونہ [واؤ معروف] ا۔ احمق، بےوقوف۔ ۲۔ عجیب؛ بےسر و پا ۔ بےتکا۔​_*namuunah* [waa'o ma3ruuf (=uu)] 1. aHmaq, be-wuquuf. 2. 3ajiib; be-sar-o-paa, be-tukaa._
نمونہ گِیری کرنا  ا۔ جانتے بوجھتے انجان بننا، لا علمی ظاہر کرنا۔ ۲۔ الٹی سیدھی حرکتیں کرنا، عجیب حرکتیں کرنا؛ بےتکی باتیں یا کام کرنا۔​_*namuunah giirii karnaa* 1. jaante buujhte anjaan bannaa, laa3ilmii zaahir karnaa. 2. ulTii siidhii HarkateN karnaa, 3ajiib HarkateN karnaa; be-tukii baateN yaa kaam karnaa. _


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## tonyspeed

marrish said:


> _namuunaa_ is the same as example in Hindi.


देश में कई जगह पर मैगी का _नमूना_ फेल आने पर ... So you are saying we could replace kaa namuuna with kii misaal and carry the exact same connotation?


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## Khaanabadosh

In India, also, it is used in the same context, or to refer to a sample, which is why it's used in that context in the first place!


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## marrish

tonyspeed said:


> देश में कई जगह पर मैगी का _नमूना_ फेल आने पर ... So you are saying we could replace kaa namuuna with kii misaal and carry the exact same connotation?


No, certainly not. I was just about to use this very quote to point out to the basic meaning of namuunaa which has been already exhausted in the previous posts; I'm saying, joining previous posts, that namuunaa means an example too, besides the usage you quote, which is illustrated by what I quoted.


Khaanabadosh said:


> In India, also, it is used in the same context, or to refer to a sample, which is why it's used in that context in the first place!


Are you referring to post 14 or 15?


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## Khaanabadosh

marrish said:


> Are you referring to post 14 or 15?


Post 14


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## marrish

That's great as I wanted to know about it in India.


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## Khaanabadosh

Off-topic, but there's another word formed with same consonants but different vowels - nimona (निमोना / نِمونا). I think it's mainly used in Eastern UP to refer a to daal made from green peas. Colloquially, people would sometime say it as namona, nimuna.
http://www.banaraskakhana.com/2009/01/matar-ka-nimona.html


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## littlepond

tonyspeed said:


> देश में कई जगह पर मैगी का _नमूना_ फेल आने पर ... So you are saying we could replace kaa namuuna with kii misaal and carry the exact same connotation?



As I said in post 6, "namunaa" means a specimen or a sample; it does not usually mean an example in Hindi. tonyspeed jii's example is very _duruust_.


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## Wolverine9

^ I agree, but there's a typo in your last word: _durust _should have short _u _twice.


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## littlepond

^ You are right!


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