مردہ
murda/mʊɾ.d̪ɑ(ː)/
The Urdu word for dead is مردہ (murda).
The word مردہ is used to describe something that is no longer alive.
Meaning: no longer alive (adj)
Which one should you use?
While مردہ is used in a clinical, biological or formal sense to describe a corpse or a dead organism, the phrase mara hua is more common in everyday speech to describe a person who has died.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective مردہ is invariant in gender and number, so it does not change whether you are referring to a male, a female or multiple subjects.
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced murda. It has two syllables.
Did you know?
- The word مردہ shares an ancient root with the English word 'murder'.
- In Urdu culture, describing a person as مردہ can sound overly clinical or cold. To be polite, speakers often use euphemisms like انتقال کر گیا, which literally means 'has transferred'.
- The word مردہ is a direct loan from Classical Persian, meaning it has been part of the high literary vocabulary of the region for centuries.
Examples in context
- وہ ایک مردہ جسم تھا۔Woh ek murda jism tha.It was a dead body.
Example conversation
Ali and Aisha are discussing a biological discovery in a lab.
- علی Aliکیا یہ پودا مردہ ہے؟Kya yeh pauda murda hai?Is this plant dead?
- عائشہ Ayeshaہاں، یہ مکمل طور پر مردہ ہے۔Haan, yeh mukammal tor par murda hai.Yes, it is completely dead.
- علی Aliعائشہ، کیا آپ نے اسے پانی دیا تھا؟Aisha, kya aap ne isay pani diya tha?Aisha, did you give it water?
- عائشہ Ayeshaمیں نے اسے روز پانی دیا تھا۔Maine isay roz pani diya tha.I gave it water every day.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “dead” translations and entries مردہ, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries مردہ, CC BY-SA 4.0.
