Ways to say it
| Urdu | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| ٹَھنْڈا | ṭhanḍā |
| سَرْد | sard |
In Urdu, there are different ways to express 'cold' depending on whether you are describing a physical sensation, a state of weather or an illness. For describing things that are physically cold to the touch, such as water or food, use ٹَھنْڈا. If you are referring to the common cold as a medical illness, use the word زکام.
Which one should you use?
The form ٹَھنْڈا is the most common way to describe something that is physically cold to the touch. In contrast, the form سَرْد is more formal or literary and is frequently used to describe the weather or a cold season. Additionally, the noun سردی is used to refer to the state of being cold or the cold weather itself.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
ٹَھنْڈا is the masculine singular form of the adjective. The feminine form is ٹَھنْڈی and the plural form is ٹَھنْڈے. The noun سردی refers to the concept of coldness or cold weather.
How do you pronounce it?
ṭhanḍā
What mistakes should you avoid?
Do not use the adjectives for temperature when you are talking about the common cold as an illness. Instead, use the word زکام.
Did you know?
- In traditional Unani medicine, which influences Urdu terminology, سَرْد is used to categorize foods and temperaments as 'cold' or 'hot' regardless of their actual temperature.
- In Urdu poetry, the formal term سرد is often used to create a mood of melancholy or detachment, moving far beyond simple weather descriptions.
- The term سرد is often used to construct compound phrases to describe social interactions. For instance, a person might give a سرد welcome to signify that they are being distant or unfriendly.
Examples in context
- یہ پانی بہت ٹَھنْڈا ہے۔Yeh pani bohat thanda hai.This water is very cold.
- مجھے ٹَھنْڈا کھانا پسند نہیں۔Mujhe thanda khana pasand nahi.I do not like cold food.
Example conversation
Zainab and Ahmed are deciding what to drink in the kitchen.
- زینب Zainabکیا میں تمہارے لیے ٹَھنْڈا دودھ لاؤں؟Kya mein tumhare liye thanda doodh laoon?Shall I bring cold milk for you?
- احمد Ahmedنہیں، مجھے گرم دودھ چاہیے۔Nahi, mujhe garam doodh chahiye.No, I want hot milk.
- زینب Zainabٹھیک ہے، میں گرم دودھ لاتی ہوں۔Theek hai, mein garam doodh laati hoon.Okay, I will bring hot milk.
- احمد Ahmedشکریہ، زینب۔Shukriya, Zainab.Thank you, Zainab.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “cold” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
