হাতি
hati/hat̪i/
The Bengali word for elephant is হাতি (hati).
হাতি is a noun used to refer to the mammal known as an elephant.
Meaning: mammal (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
The word is romanized as hati. In the International Phonetic Alphabet, it is written as /hat̪i/.
Did you know?
- The Sanskrit root of হাতি comes from the word for 'hand', because the elephant's trunk is viewed as a hand.
- The word হাতি is shared across several Indo-Aryan languages, meaning a speaker of Hindi or Marathi would likely recognize it.
- In Bengali literature and folk songs, the elephant is often personified as a symbol of majesty and power, much like the 'king' of animals in Western contexts.
Examples in context
- হাতি অনেক বড় প্রাণী।Hati onek boro prani.The elephant is a very large animal.
- জঙ্গলে একটি হাতি আছে।Jongole ekti hati ache.There is an elephant in the jungle.
- হাতি খুব বুদ্ধিমান।Hati khub buddhiman.The elephant is very intelligent.
Example conversation
Two friends are watching a nature documentary on television.
- সৌরভ Souravদেখো, ওই হাতিটি কত সুন্দর!Dekho, oi hatiti koto sundor!Look, how beautiful that elephant is!
- অনন্যা Ananyaহ্যাঁ, হাতি দেখতে খুব চমৎকার।He, hati dekhte khub chomokkar.Yes, the elephant looks wonderful.
- সৌরভ Souravওরা কি খুব বড়?Ora ki khub boro?Are they very large?
- অনন্যা Ananyaহ্যাঁ, হাতি অনেক বড় হয়।He, hati onek boro hoy.Yes, elephants are very large.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “elephant” translations and entries হাতি, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries হাতি, CC BY-SA 4.0.
