शराब
śarāb/ʃə.ɾɑːb/feminine
In Hindi, the English word alcohol is typically expressed as शराब (śarāb). Wiktionary also lists मदिरा (madirā) and मद्य (madya).
Meaning: intoxicating beverage (noun)
Ways to say it
| Hindi | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| शराब | śarāb | /ʃə.ɾɑːb/ (Hindi, Standard) | feminine |
| मदिरा | madirā | /mə.d̪ɪ.ɾɑː/ (Hindi, Standard) | feminine |
| मद्य | madya | /məd̪.jᵊ/ (Hindi, Standard) | masculine |
| दारू | dārū | /d̪ɑː.ɾuː/ (Hindi, Standard) | masculine |
The terms provided are all used to refer to an intoxicating beverage.
Which one should you use?
शराब is the standard neutral term for alcohol. In contrast, दारू is more slangy or street-level. मद्य is a highly formal and literary term for alcohol, rarely used in spoken language.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
दारू is an informal, colloquial term for alcohol often used in casual conversation.
How does it change in a sentence?
शराब and मदिरा are feminine nouns, meaning they require feminine verb agreement and adjectives. दारू and मद्य are masculine nouns, requiring masculine verb agreement and adjectives.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation of शराब is /ʃə.ɾɑːb/. It has 2 syllables.
Did you know?
- The slang term दारू actually originates from a word meaning 'drug' or 'medicine' in Middle Persian.
Examples in context
- शराब की एक बूंद भी मत पियो।Don't drink any alcohol.This sentence is useful for expressing a warning about not drinking any शराब.Tatoeba #511175 by minshirui, translation #67306 by CK
- उसके डाक्टर ने उसे मद्य पीने से मना किया।His doctor told him not to drink alcohol.This sentence shows the use of the formal term मद्य in a medical context.Tatoeba #2075286 by sabretou, translation #285533 by CK
- दारू की दुकानAlcohol storeThis sentence demonstrates how to use the slang term दारू to refer to a store.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Aditya and Anjali are talking about their plans for a party.
- आदित्य Adityaक्या पार्टी में शराब होगी?Kya party mein sharab hogi?Will there be alcohol at the party?
- अंजलि Anjaliहाँ, लेकिन मैं शराब नहीं पीती।Haan, lekin main sharab nahi peeti.Yes, but I don't drink alcohol.
- आदित्य Adityaकोई बात नहीं, वहाँ जूस भी होगा।Koi baat nahi, vahan juice bhi hoga.No problem, there will be juice there too.
- अंजलि Anjaliठीक है, फिर हम जूस पिएंगे।Thik hai, phir hum juice piyenge.Okay, then we will drink juice.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “alcohol” translations and entries शराब, मदिरा, मद्य, दारू, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries दारू, मदिरा, मद्य, शराब, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR, Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
