Ways to say it
| Hindi | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| शैतान | śaitān | /ʃɛː.t̪ɑːn/ (Hindi, Standard) | masculine |
| दानव | dānav | masculine | |
| राक्षस | rākṣas | /ɾɑːk.ʂəs/ (Hindi, Standard) | masculine |
| देव | dev | /d̪eːʋ/ (Hindi, Standard) | masculine |
| इबलीस | iblīs | masculine |
The term शैतान refers to an evil creature or a personified evil. In a colloquial sense, it is often used to describe a person, particularly a child, who is being very mischievous or naughty. It can also serve as a name for the chief devil.
Which one should you use?
While शैतान often refers to personified evil or the devil, दानव refers to a mythological demon or a giant-like creature. For demons or ogres in Hindu mythology, specifically those implying a physical, monstrous form, use राक्षस. In Islamic contexts within Hindi-speaking regions, the specific name for the devil is इबलीस.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
All provided forms are masculine nouns.
How do you pronounce it?
शैतान is pronounced /ʃɛː.t̪ɑːn/ (śaitān). It has 2 syllables.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Do not use देव to mean 'devil'. It actually means 'god' or 'deity' and is the opposite of the intended meaning.
Did you know?
- While देव means 'god' in Hindi, its distant cousin in Old Persian, daiva, referred to a divine being that later evolved into the word for 'demon' in some Iranian languages.
- In many Hindi-speaking households, calling a child a शैतान is an affectionate way of saying they are spirited or playful rather than truly evil.
Examples in context
- शैतान का नाम लिया और शैतान हाज़िर।Speak of the devil and he is sure to appear.This sentence illustrates the idiom about speaking of the devil using शैतान.Tatoeba #2075241 by sabretou, translation #28533 by Zifre
- कल मैं देवता बना, लेकिन इसमें मुझे मज़ा नहीं आया। इसलिए आज मैं शैतान बन गया।Yesterday I became a god, but found that a bit boring, so today I became a devil.Tatoeba #3212865 by anubhav93, translation #794499 by BraveSentry
- वह एक शैतान है।He is a devil.
- वह आदमी किसी शैतान जैसा लगता है।vah aadmi kisi shaitaan jaisa lagta hai.That man looks like some kind of devil.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about a scary horror movie.
- नेहा Nehaअमित, क्या तुमने वह डरावनी फिल्म देखी?Amit, kya tumne vah darawni film dekhi?Amit, did you watch that scary movie?
- अमित Amitहाँ, उसमें वह शैतान बहुत भयानक था।Haan, usmein vah shaitan bahut bhayanak tha.Yes, the devil in it was very terrifying.
- नेहा Nehaमुझे उस शैतान से बहुत डर लगा।Mujhe us shaitan se bahut dar laga.I was very scared of that devil.
- अमित Amitसच में, वह फिल्म बहुत डरावनी थी।Sach mein, vah film bahut darawni thi.Really, that movie was very scary.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “devil” translations and entries शैतान, दानव, राक्षस, देव, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries दानव, देव, राक्षस, शैतान, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
