हीरा
hīrā/ɦiː.ɾɑː/masculine
In Hindi, diamond is expressed as हीरा (hīrā). Wiktionary also lists अलमास (almās) and वज्र (vajra).
Meaning: gemstone (noun)
Ways to say it
| Hindi | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| हीरा | hīrā | /ɦiː.ɾɑː/ (Hindi, Standard) | masculine |
| अलमास | almās | masculine | |
| वज्र | vajra | /ʋəd͡ʒ.ɾᵊ/ (Hindi, Standard) | masculine |
| डायमंड | ḍāymaṇḍ | masculine |
The term refers to the gemstone.
Which one should you use?
हीरा is the most common and standard word for diamond used in everyday Hindi. अलमास is a more formal or literary term often found in poetry or older texts. डायमंड is the transliterated English word 'diamond' and is frequently used in modern, urban conversational Hindi. वज्र refers to a diamond in a mythological context.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form changes to हीरे when followed by a postposition like का (of) or में (in).
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation of हीरा is hīrā (/ɦiː.ɾɑː/).
When do people say it?
वज्र refers to a diamond in a mythological context, specifically representing the indestructible thunderbolt weapon of the god Indra.
Did you know?
- The word वज्र is used to describe both a diamond and a thunderbolt, as both are seen as indestructible forces in Indian mythology.
- In Hindi, हीरा is used as a metaphor for a person of exceptional character or talent, similar to calling someone a 'diamond in the rough' in English.
- The term हीरा is a cognate shared across many regional languages of India, including Punjabi, Gujarati, Marathi and Bengali.
Examples in context
- कल, हीरे का मूल्य बहुत कम हो गया।Yesterday, the value of diamond decreased greatly.This sentence shows how to use the oblique form हीरे after a postposition.
- यह असली हीरा होगा।This must be a real diamond.Tatoeba #484110 by minshirui, translation #55391 by CK
- क्या यह हीरा असली है?Is this diamond real?Tatoeba #3849173 by sabretou, translation #60914 by CK
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Vikas and Pooja are looking at a ring in a shop window.
- विकास Vikasइस अंगूठी में एक चमकता हुआ हीरा है।Is anguthee mein ek chamakta hua heera hai.There is a sparkling diamond in this ring.
- पूजा Poojaक्या वह हीरा बहुत महंगा है?Kya vah heera bahut mahanga hai?Is that diamond very expensive?
- विकास Vikasहाँ, वह हीरा वाकई बहुत कीमती है।Haan, vah heera vaakai bahut keemti hai.Yes, that diamond is truly very precious.
- पूजा Poojaयह हीरा बहुत सुंदर लग रहा है।Yeh heera bahut sundar lag raha hai.This diamond looks very beautiful.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “diamond” translations and entries हीरा, वज्र, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries वज्र, हीरा, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0, Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
