भूकम्प
bhūkampa/bʱúː.kɐm.pɐ/masculine
The Sanskrit word for earthquake is भूकम्प (bhūkampa).
भूकम्प is a masculine noun used to describe the shaking of the surface of a planet. You can modify it to describe the intensity of the event, such as using तीव्रभूकम्पः for an intense earthquake, महाभूकम्पः for a great earthquake or लघुभूकम्पः for a minor earthquake.
Meaning: shaking of the surface of a planet (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word is a compound of bhū, meaning earth and kampa, meaning shaking or trembling.
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced as bhūkampɐ (/bʱúː.kɐm.pɐ/). It has 3 syllables.
Did you know?
- In ancient Sanskrit literature, earthquakes were often attributed to the movement of शेषनाग, a cosmic serpent who supports the earth on his hoods.
- The root of the word bhū in भूकम्प is also the source of the Sanskrit word for 'being' or 'existence', suggesting that an earthquake is a literal 'shaking of existence'.
- The word कम्प (kampa) is so versatile that it can be used to describe the slightest movement of a leaf in the wind or even a tiny shiver from a slight chill.
Examples in context
- भीषणः भूकम्पः अभवत्।bhīṣaṇaḥ bhūkampah abhavat.A terrible earthquake occurred.
- अयं भूकम्पः अतीव शक्तिमान् अस्ति।ayaṃ bhūkampah atīva śaktimān asti.This earthquake is very powerful.
- किं तत्र भूकम्पः जातः?kiṃ tatra bhūkampah jātaḥ?Did an earthquake happen there?
Example conversation
Mira and Aryan are discussing recent news about a natural disaster.
- मीरा Miraआर्यन, किं त्वं भूकम्पस्य विषयं शृतवान्?āryan, kiṃ tvaṃ bhūkampasya viṣayaṃ śrutavān?Aryan, did you hear about the earthquake?
- आर्यन Aryanन मीरा, किं भूकम्पः अभवत्?na mīrā, kiṃ bhūkampaḥ abhavat?No Mira, was there an earthquake?
- मीरा Miraआम्, तत्र बड़ी भूकम्पः अभवत्।ām, tatra baḍī bhūkampaḥ abhavat।Yes, there was a big earthquake there.
- आर्यन Aryanएतत् अतीव दुःखदम् अस्ति।etat atīva duḥkhadam asti।That is very sad.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “earthquake” translations and entries भूकम्प, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
