डॉल्फ़िन
ḍŏlfinmasculine
The English word dolphin is translated into Hindi as डॉल्फ़िन (ḍŏlfin). Wiktionary also lists सूंस (sūns) and सूँस (sū̃s).
Meaning: aquatic mammal (noun)
Ways to say it
| Hindi | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| डॉल्फ़िन | ḍŏlfin | masculine | |
| सूंस | sūns | /sũːs/ (Hindi, Standard) | masculine |
| सूँस | sū̃s | /sũːs/ (Hindi, Standard) | feminine |
| डॉल्फिन | ḍŏlphin | masculine |
The term refers to the aquatic mammal.
Which one should you use?
There are several ways to refer to a dolphin. सूंस (masculine) and सूँस (feminine) are traditional terms. The modern loanwords are डॉल्फ़िन and its common alternative spelling डॉल्फिन.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The transliterated word डॉल्फ़िन is the most common way to refer to a dolphin in modern, formal or scientific Hindi contexts. The spelling डॉल्फिन (without the dot under the 'l') is a common alternative spelling of the loanword.
How does it change in a sentence?
The traditional term सूंस is masculine, while the term सूँस is feminine. The loanwords डॉल्फ़िन and डॉल्फिन are masculine.
How do you pronounce it?
ḍŏlfin
Did you know?
- The classical Sanskrit roots for 'dolphin' like शिशुमार are actually related to the word for 'child', as the Sanskrit 'shishu' means 'infant'.
- In some traditional Indian beliefs, the river dolphin सूँस was seen as a symbol of purity and was protected as a sacred creature of the Ganges.
- While डॉल्फ़िन refers to any dolphin, the traditional term सूँस is often used specifically to describe the endangered Ganges river dolphin.
Examples in context
- समुद्र में एक डॉल्फ़िन तैर रही है।samudra me ek ḍōlphin tair rahī hai.A dolphin is swimming in the sea.
- क्या आपने कभी डॉल्फ़िन देखी है?kyā āpne kabhī ḍōlphin dekhī hai?Have you ever seen a dolphin?
- यह डॉल्फ़िन बहुत बुद्धिमान है।yah ḍōlphin bahut buddhimān hai.This dolphin is very intelligent.
Example conversation
Neha and Aditya are visiting an aquarium.
- नेहा Nehaआदित्य, देखो वह डॉल्फ़िन कितनी सुंदर है!Āditya, dekho vah dolphin kitnī sundar hai!Aditya, look how beautiful that dolphin is!
- आदित्य Adityaहाँ नेहा, वह बहुत तेज़ी से तैर रही है।hān Neha, vah bahut tezī se tair rahī hai.Yes Neha, it is swimming very fast.
- नेहा Nehaमुझे डॉल्फ़िन बहुत पसंद हैं।mujhe dolphin bahut pasand hain.I like dolphins very much.
- आदित्य Adityaमुझे भी, वे बहुत प्यारे होते हैं।mujhe bhī, ve bahut pyāre hote hain.Me too, they are very cute.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “dolphin” translations and entries सूंस, सूँस, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries सूँस, CC BY-SA 4.0.
