# Hindi: wimp



## Birdcall

What is a good Hindi word for a wimp, a spineless person, a yes-man? Darpok is more like coward, but it could work. What about kaayar and sankochii (never heard this but saw it in a dictionary)?


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## akak

For "yes man"  you could say "chamcha" - which has the same meaning as sycophant. 

Sankochii connotes shy and withdrawn, I'm not sure it quite works for wimp. 

Kayar is "coward" so that could work. An Urdu word for coward is "buzdil"

A colorful (sexist!) phrase denoting wimp/spineless  is "chuRii pehenna" - "wear bangles" or "chuRii pehenke baithna" as in "Voh to chuRi pehenkar baiTh gaya, hamari koi madad nahin kii"


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## Birdcall

chamchaa as in spoon?

Is kaayar the same as Darpok?

sankochii = lajiilaa/sharmiilaa?


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## Faylasoof

Birdcall said:


> chamchaa as in spoon?
> 
> Is kaayar the same as Darpok?
> 
> sankochii = lajiilaa/sharmiilaa?



Yes, to all!

But _chamchaa_ is used figuratively to mean a sycophant =  چاپلوس चापलूस_ chaaploos_

कायर _kaayar_ = डरपोक Darpok - >  also used in Urdu ڈرپوک  -  same as بُزدل  _buzdil _

 संकोची sankochii = شَرْمِیلا _sharmiilaa


_


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## akak

Faylasoof said:


> Yes, to all!
> 
> But _chamchaa_ is used figuratively to mean a sycophant = چاپلوس चापलूस_ chaaploos_
> 
> कायर _kaayar_ = डरपोक Darpok - > also used in Urdu ڈرپوک - same as بُزدل _buzdil _
> 
> संकोची sankochii = شَرْمِیلا _sharmiilaa_


 
I agree, but I think there is a nuance in the meanings of darpok and kaayar. 
Darpok is more like easily scared, and kaayar is coward? Or am I wrong?


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## Birdcall

Exactly, I thought there was a slight difference between Darpok and kaayar. I would describe a Darpok as a coward or "scaredy cat" and a kaayar as a wimp.


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## panjabigator

Birdcall said:


> Exactly, I thought there was a slight difference between Darpok and kaayar. I would describe a Darpok as a coward or "scaredy cat" and a kaayar as a wimp.



I agree.  I'd go even further with <kaayar>: wuss.


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## Faylasoof

Birdcall said:


> Exactly, I thought there was a slight difference between Darpok and kaayar. I would describe a Darpok as a coward or "scaredy cat" and a kaayar as a wimp.



I see! Most of my Hindi-English dictionaries seem to use _Darpook_ and _kaayar_ virtually synonymously! 
 
In Urdu we don’t use _kaayar_ but both _Darpook_ and _buzdil_ are widely used and almost synonymously. [BTW, _buzdil_ is from Farsi: _buz_ = goat; _dil_ = heart]
 
For _wimp_ we also use _poodnaa_ پودنا पोदना  - has other meanings too.


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## panjabigator

> For wimp we also use poodnaa پودنا पोदना - has other meanings too.



Good word to know.  In Punjabi, <puudnaa> is another word for <padiinaa>.


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## Faylasoof

panjabigator said:


> Good word to know.  In Punjabi, <puudnaa> is another word for <padiinaa>.



Ah! But _puudnaa_ is acute elongated, right? ... and is your _padiinaa_ the same as our  پودينہ , pronounced by us with a short  <u>, i.e. _pudiinah_. 

We also have _bodaa_ بودا = timid, weakling, wimp. But I feel it might be used only in Urdu.


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## panjabigator

Faylasoof said:


> Ah! But _puudnaa_ is acute elongated, right? ... and is your _padiinaa_ the same as our  پودينہ , pronounced by us with a short  <u>, i.e. _pudiinah_.
> 
> We also have _bodaa_ بودا = timid, weakling, wimp. But I feel it might be used only in Urdu.




Yes and yes.


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## panjabigator

Faylasoof said:


> I see! Most of my Hindi-English dictionaries seem to use _Darpook_ and _kaayar_ virtually synonymously!
> 
> In Urdu we don’t use _kaayar_ but both _Darpook_ and _buzdil_ are widely used and almost synonymously. [BTW, _buzdil_ is from Farsi: _buz_ = goat; _dil_ = heart]
> 
> For _wimp_ we also use _poodnaa_ پودنا पोदना  - has other meanings too.



Would Pakistani Urduphones understand کایر?


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## BP.

As a Hindi word, maybe. Depends on their exposure to Hindi media. I myself learnt it pretty recently.

It is quite odd that in Urdu we don't have a 'proper' word for coward and have to make do with 'goat-heart' (maybe no Urdugo was ever a coward, that's why). Imagine if English only had 'chicken-heart'! "They showed chicken-heartedness in the battlefield".


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## Faylasoof

panjabigator said:


> Would Pakistani Urduphones understand کایر?



I would agree with this:


BelligerentPacifist said:


> As a Hindi word, maybe. Depends on their exposure to Hindi media. I  myself learnt it pretty recently.


 Not sure BP what you mean by this.


BelligerentPacifist said:


> It is quite odd that in Urdu we don't have a 'proper' word for coward  and have to make do with 'goat-heart' (maybe no Urdugo was ever a  coward, that's why). Imagine if  English only had 'chicken-heart'! "They showed chicken-heartedness in  the battlefield".


 Urdu with its mixed vocabulary would either opt for an Indic word or an Arabic or Persian word, tradtionally. I mean thhis:


Faylasoof said:


> ...
> ... डरपोक Darpok - >  also used in Urdu ڈرپوک  -  same  as بُزدل  _buzdil _
> ....


 We use ڈرپوک _darpook_ as frequently as بُزدل _buzdil_, but कायर  _kaayar_ I agree we don't.

 In high register Urdu we can also use: جَبان_jabaan_ = coward, timid, wimp; with جُبْن_jubn_ meaning <cowardice>.


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## LordAeneas

Hi All,

It's my first post. I am from Karachi, Pakistan and I have Urdu for my native language.

As far as کایر is concerned, I have heard this word a couple of times in  the media (Indian) but never heard it from a Pakistani. Before reading  this post, I didn't know its exact meaning but I had an idea that it was  a negative word. 

There is another word which is coming to my mind. The word is ہگنڈا 

Verbally, it means the person who sh**s his pants. We use it to mean a  person who is habitually coward, a coward of the utmost order, etc. 

We use it as a hilarious alternative of the words buzdil/darpok etc. We  don't think it as abusive or derogatory but rather funny as we use it  all the time in the family but there is no guarantee that nobody will  take offense. To me it perfectly fits the definition of a wimp. 

I was discussing it with my office colleagues and none out of the five  had a clue about it but in our family (migrated from Sandila, UP) I have heard it  a lot. 

I am curious to know if anybody else has ever heard it (or could it be a regional slang from Sandila or even a new word)


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## Faylasoof

LordAeneas said:


> Hi All,
> 
> It's my first post. I am from Karachi, Pakistan and I have Urdu for my native language.
> 
> As far as کایر is concerned, I have heard this word a couple of times in the media (Indian) but never heard it from a Pakistani. Before reading this post, I didn't know its exact meaning but I had an idea that it was a negative word.
> 
> There is another word which is coming to my mind. The word is ہگنڈا
> 
> Verbally, it means the person who sh**s his pants. We use it to mean a person who is habitually coward, a coward of the utmost order, etc.
> 
> We use it as a hilarious alternative of the words buzdil/darpok etc. We don't think it as abusive or derogatory but rather funny as we use it all the time in the family but there is no guarantee that nobody will take offense. To me it perfectly fits the definition of a wimp.
> 
> I was discussing it with my office colleagues and none out of the five had a clue about it but in our family (migrated from Sandila, UP) I have heard it a lot.
> 
> I am curious to know if anybody else has ever heard it (or could it be a regional slang from Sandila or even a new word)


 
خوش آمدید

No we don't use this and must say I never head it till now! So I guess a local / slang word.

But we have an exact equivalent: ہگوڑا _hagoRaa _= ہگنڈا 

It can be used alone or in combination with بھگوڑا _bhagoRaa_ (one who flees; a coward / wimp) to give -بھگوڑا ہگوڑا _hagoRaa bhagoRaa_ for added insult!

_…. and used together like this they even rhyme!_


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## Birdcall

I have never heard hagoRaa, but it reminds me of an exact equivalent I've heard in Mumbai: hagaasaa (fem. hagaasii)


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## LordAeneas

I have heard all of these alternatives too 

Lemme chip in to add hagaasoo to Birdcalls following comment:



Birdcall said:


> I have never heard hagoRaa, but it reminds me of an exact equivalent I've heard in Mumbai: hagaasaa (fem. hagaasii)


 
so now hagaasaa/hagaasoo (fem. hagaasii)

Two from the animal world:

بھیگی بلی:
ابا میاں بھیگی بلی بنے اماں بی کی ڈانٹ سن رہے تھے

چوہا:
ویسے تو وہ بہت بہادر بنتا تھا مگر دل میں/سے وہ چوہا تھا


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## BP.

LA, khush aamadiid bar WRforums. I'd suggest you transliterate your Urdu text to English / roman script as well, for the interest of people who're unfamiliar with the former script. ba shukriia e kasiir, BP


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## LordAeneas

BelligerentPacifist said:


> LA, khush aamadiid bar WRforums. I'd  suggest you transliterate your Urdu text to English / roman script as  well, for the interest of people who're unfamiliar with the former  script. ba shukriia e kasiir, BP



There you go!

Two from the animal world:

 بھیگی بلی:
 ابا میاں بھیگی بلی بنے اماں بی کی ڈانٹ سن رہے تھے


Bheegi Billi (lit. drenched cat):
abba miyan bheegi billi bannay amma(n) bi ki daant sun rehay thay. 

 چوہا:
 ویسے تو وہ بہت بہادر بنتا تھا مگر دل میں/سے وہ چوہا تھا 		

Chooha (lit. a mouse):
waisay tou wo bohot bahadur banta tha magar dil main (say) wo chooha tha.


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## BP.

I'm sure some of us will be quite appreciative. Interesting idiomatic usage of billii and chuuhaa.


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## Faylasoof

Generally, بھیگی بلی _bhiigii billii_ is used for someone showing outward signs of modesty / shyness and being demure.

However, to continue with our odious theme, there is also پدوڑا _padoRaa_ to mean a coward / wimp. Again goes with  بھگوڑا _bhagoRaa_ etc. Its literal meaning being someone who breaks wind!


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## LordAeneas

I think, روتو (rotu) could also be used to mean a person how is a weakling or a wimp but more generally it is used to point to a person who is never satisfied or always complaining. 

Effectively, the exact English equivalent would be crybaby.


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## Sheikh_14

bhagoRa obviously derives from bhaagnaa but what about hagoRaa? Any ideas as to its origins and what it means in a literal sense?


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## littlepond

Sheikh_14 said:


> bhagoRa obviously derives from bhaagnaa but what about hagoRaa? Any ideas as to its origins and what it means in a literal sense?



I have never heard of a "hagoRaa", but "hagnaa" means "to shit" in Hindi. A "hagoRaa" would mean a person afflicted temporarily with dysentery for me, or someone who habitually shits too much!


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