Ways to say it
| Hindi | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| बुरा | burā | /bʊ.ɾɑː/ (Hindi, Standard) |
| ख़राब | xarāb | /xə.ɾɑːb/ (Hindi, Standard) /kʰə.ɾɑːb/ (Hindi, Standard) |
The term बुरा is the most general way to say bad in Hindi. Other terms include Ghatiya to signify low quality or something of poor taste, and Faltu to express that something is unnecessary, worthless or bad in nature. For a colloquial option, Bakwaas can be used to describe something as bad or nonsense.
Which one should you use?
The choice between the two main forms depends on what kind of 'bad' you mean. बुरा is typically used to describe bad character, bad intentions or a bad person. In contrast, ख़राब is used to describe things that are broken, of poor quality or in a bad state, such as food or a machine.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form बुरा is the masculine singular adjective and must change to buri (feminine) or bure (plural/oblique) depending on the noun it modifies. However, ख़राब is an invariant adjective, meaning it does not change its form based on the gender or number of the noun it describes.
How do you pronounce it?
burā is pronounced /bʊ.ɾɑː/.
Did you know?
- In some related languages like Sindhi, a word cognate to बुरा can specifically mean 'noseless' in addition to 'wicked'.
Examples in context
- वह बहुत ख़राब आदमी है।He is a very bad man.This sentence is useful for describing a person using ख़राब.
- यह बुरा नहीं है।This isn't bad.This sentence is useful for a simple negation using बुरा.Tatoeba #13689029 by sabretou, translation #2233748 by CK
- टॉम उतना भी बुरा नहीं है।Tom isn't so bad.Tatoeba #3617218 by sabretou, translation #2648690 by CK
- मैंने एक बहुत बुरा फ़ोन ख़रीदा है।I bought a very bad phone.
- 6 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Vikas and Pooja are discussing a recent movie.
- विकास Vikasफिल्म कैसी थी?Film kaisi thi?How was the movie?
- पूजा Poojaफिल्म का अंत बहुत बुरा था।Film ka ant bahut bura tha.The end of the movie was very bad.
- विकास Vikasक्या सच में ऐसा था?Kya sach mein aisa tha?Was it really like that?
- पूजा Poojaहाँ, वह एक बुरा अनुभव था।Haan, vah ek bura anubhav tha.Yes, it was a bad experience.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “bad” translations and entries बुरा, ख़राब, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ख़राब, बुरा, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0, Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
