शहर
śahar/ʃə.ɦəɾ/masculine
The English word "city" is शहर (śahar) in Hindi. Wiktionary also lists नगर (nagar).
Meaning: large settlement (noun)
Ways to say it
| Hindi | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| शहर | śahar | /ʃə.ɦəɾ/ (Hindi, Standard) | masculine |
| नगर | nagar | /nə.ɡəɾ/ (Hindi, Standard) | masculine |
The word refers to a large settlement.
Which one should you use?
While शहर is the common word for city, नगर is a more formal or literary term often used in administrative or poetic contexts to mean town or municipality.
How does it change in a sentence?
When the word शहर is followed by a postposition (like 'in' or 'of'), the form changes to शहरों in the oblique case.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /ʃə.ɦəɾ/.
Did you know?
- The word शहर is an unexpected relative of the English word 'attain', as both trace back to the same Proto-Indo-European root *tek-.
- The formal term नगर is also the root for नागरिक, which is the Hindi word for 'citizen'.
- While शहर is used in daily speech, poets often use नगर to evoke a sense of timelessness or classical beauty in their verses.
Examples in context
- न्यू यॉर्क बड़ा शहर है।New York is a big city.Tatoeba #4907698 by yashtib1995, translation #35894 by CK
- टोक्यो बहुत बड़ा शहर है।Tokyo is a very big city.Tatoeba #4907699 by yashtib1995, translation #279776 by SUZIE
- आप किस शहर में रहते हैं?What city do you live in?
- 33 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Rahul and Priya are talking about moving to a new place.
- राहुल Rahulक्या तुम इस शहर को पसंद करती हो?kya tum is shahar ko pasand karti ho?Do you like this city?
- प्रिया Priyaहाँ, मुझे यह शहर बहुत अच्छा लगता है।haan, mujhe yah shahar bahut achchha lagata hai.Yes, I like this city a lot.
- राहुल Rahulप्रिया, क्या यहाँ बहुत भीड़ होती है?priya, kya yahaan bahut bheed hoti hai?Priya, is it very crowded here?
- प्रिया Priyaहाँ, शहर में हमेशा बहुत भीड़ रहती है।haan, shahar mein hamesha bahut bheed rahti hai.Yes, the city is always very crowded.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “city” translations and entries शहर, नगर, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries नगर, शहर, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR, Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
