مشکل
muśkil/mʊʃ.kɪl/
The English word 'hard' can be translated into Urdu as مشکل (muśkil). Wiktionary also lists کٹھن (kaṭhin).
Meaning: requiring a lot of effort to do or understand (adj)
Ways to say it
| Urdu | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| مشکل | muśkil | /mʊʃ.kɪl/ (Standard, Urdu) |
| کٹھن | kaṭhin |
Both مشکل and کٹھن are used to describe something that requires a lot of effort to do or understand. You can also use the phrase مشکل سے as an adverbial phrase meaning 'hardly' or 'with difficulty'. If you are referring to a difficult or hard situation, the word پریشانی (Pareeshani) can be used to mean 'worry' or 'trouble'.
Which one should you use?
The word مشکل is the standard, everyday term for 'hard' or 'difficult' and is used in both spoken and written Urdu. In contrast, کٹھن is a more formal and literary synonym.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation of مشکل is /mʊʃ.kɪl/. It has 2 syllables.
Did you know?
- While مشکل has Arabic roots, the more literary synonym کٹھن comes from Sanskrit.
- Because مشکل is of Arabic origin, it is spelled and pronounced almost identically in many other languages across the Muslim world, such as Persian and Turkish.
- The word مشکل is used in Urdu to describe a 'problem' or 'dilemma' as a noun, not just as an adjective meaning 'hard'.
Examples in context
- محنت اور صبر سے ہر مشکل آسان ہو جاتی ہے۔Patience and hard work will conquer all.This sentence shows how patience and hard work can overcome every مشکل.Tatoeba #1445850 by nabeel_tahir, translation #452798 by FeuDRenais
- زندگی مشکل ہے۔Life is hard.This sentence uses مشکل to describe life being hard.Tatoeba #2123969 by nabeel_tahir, translation #630767 by CK
- کافی مشکل ہے بتانا کہ کونسا بندہ کس ملک سے ہے۔It is very hard to tell what country a person comes from.This sentence uses مشکل to describe the difficulty of identifying someone's country of origin.Tatoeba #1564782 by nabeel_tahir, translation #67206 by CK
Example conversation
Aisha and Hamza are discussing a math problem.
- عائشہ Ayeshaحمزہ، کیا یہ ریاضی کا سوال مشکل ہے؟Hamza, kya yeh riyazi ka sawal mushkil hai?Hamza, is this math question hard?
- حمزہ Hamzaہاں عائشہ، یہ بہت مشکل ہے۔Haan Aisha, yeh bohat mushkil hai.Yes Aisha, it is very hard.
- عائشہ Ayeshaمجھے اسے سمجھنے میں مشکل ہو رہی ہے۔Mujhe isay samajhne mein mushkil ho rahi hai.I am having a hard time understanding it.
- حمزہ Hamzaکوئی بات نہیں، میں تمہاری مدد کروں گا۔Koi baat nahi, mein tumhari madad karoon ga.No problem, I will help you.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hard” translations and entries مشکل, کٹھن, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries مشکل, کٹھن, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
