গাধা
gadha
The English word donkey is translated into Bengali as গাধা (gadha).
গাধা refers to the domestic animal known as a donkey or an ass. In an informal context, it is also used as a colloquial insult to call someone a fool or an idiot.
Meaning: a domestic animal (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is gadha.
Did you know?
- While গাধা is the common word for the animal, there is a formal version, গর্দভ, which sounds much more sophisticated. Interestingly, গর্দভ is also used as a way to call someone a fool, just like the common version.
- In Bengali culture, calling someone a গাধা focuses specifically on a lack of intelligence or stubbornness rather than a lack of morality.
- The word গাধা has a 'twin' in the language, the word গর্দভ, which stems from the same Sanskrit root. This is a linguistic phenomenon known as a doublet, where two words in a language evolve from the same source but follow different paths.
Examples in context
- একটি গাধা মাঠের মধ্যে ঘাস খাচ্ছে।Ekti gadha mather moddhe ghash khachhe.A donkey is eating grass in the field.
- সে একটি গাধা নিয়ে যাচ্ছে।Se ekti gadha niye jachhe.He is taking a donkey.
- গাধাটি খুব ধীরগতিতে হাঁটছে।Gadhati khub dhirgotite hat-chhe.The donkey is walking very slowly.
Example conversation
Tania and Rahul are visiting a village farm.
- তানিয়া Taniaরাহুল, ওই গাধাটি কত সুন্দর!Rahul, oi gadhāṭi koto sundar!Rahul, that donkey is so beautiful!
- রাহুল Rahulহ্যাঁ, গাধাগুলো খুব শান্ত হয়।Hyan, gadhāgulo khub śānto hoy.Yes, donkeys are usually very calm.
- তানিয়া Taniaআমরা কি ওকে খাওয়াতে পারি?Amra ki okē khāōtē pāri?Can we feed it?
- রাহুল Rahulচলো দেখি মালিক কী বলে।Cholo dekhi mālik ki bolē.Let's see what the owner says.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “donkey” translations and entries গাধা, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries গাধা, CC BY-SA 4.0.
