मेहनत
mehnat/meːɦ.nət̪/feminine
In Hindi, hard work is मेहनत (mehnat).
The term मेहनत refers to something requiring lots of effort to do. You may also encounter परिश्रम, which translates to work or effort. A common idiom is मेहनत का फल, meaning the fruit of hard work, which refers to the rewards or results earned through hard work.
Meaning: something requiring lots of effort to do (noun)
Which one should you use?
While मेहनत means effort or work, adding the adjective कड़ी to create कड़ी मेहनत emphasizes the difficulty or intensity of the labor.
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun मेहनत is feminine. It is frequently paired with the verb करना (to do) to form the verbal phrase मेहनत करना, meaning to work hard or to do hard work. If you wish to describe a person as hardworking, use the adjective मेहनती.
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced /meːɦ.nət̪/ and consists of two syllables. The romanization is mehnat.
When do people say it?
If you want to express respect for someone's efforts, you can say आपकी मेहनत को सलाम, which translates to 'Salute to your hard work.'
Did you know?
- The word मेहनत has roots in Arabic and Persian, tracing back to the term miḥna which originally referred to a trial or a testing hardship.
- The salute सलाम used in आपकी मेहनत को सलाम reflects the lingering influence of Mughal court etiquette on modern Hindi expressions of respect.
- If you want to praise someone's labor in a poetic or very high-register way, you might use the word तपस्या, which literally means 'penance' or 'ascetic devotion'.
Examples in context
- उसे मेहनत करने की आदत है।He is accustomed to hard work.This sentence is useful for showing someone is accustomed to मेहनत.Tatoeba #609431 by minshirui, translation #299367 by CK
- उसको मेहनत करने की आदत है।He is used to hard work.This sentence is useful for showing someone is used to मेहनत.Tatoeba #516816 by minshirui, translation #296656 by CK
- अंग्रेज़ी सीखना कड़ी मेहनत का काम है।Learning English is hard work.This sentence is useful for showing a task is a matter of मेहनत.Tatoeba #2079411 by sabretou, translation #26229 by CK
- धन्यवाद प्रधानमंत्री जी, कठिन परिश्रम से आपने बड़ी प्रगति की है।Thank you, Prime Minister. You have made great progress through hard work.
- बेटा, तुम मेहनती बच्चे हो। हमें तुम पर गर्व होता है।Son, you are a hardworking child. We are proud of you.
Example conversation
Rahul and Pooja are discussing their upcoming exam results.
- पूजा Poojaराहुल, क्या तुमने परीक्षा के लिए मेहनत की?Rāhul, kyā tum nē exam kē liē mehanat kī?Rahul, did you work hard for the exam?
- राहुल Rahulहाँ पूजा, मैंने बहुत मेहनत की है।hā̃ Pujā, mainē bahut mehanat kī hai.Yes Pooja, I have worked very hard.
- पूजा Poojaमुझे उम्मीद है कि तुम्हारी मेहनत सफल होगी।mujhe ummīd hai ki tumhārī mehanat saphal hogī.I hope your hard work will be successful.
- राहुल Rahulशुक्रिया, बस अच्छे परिणाम का इंतज़ार है।shukriyā, bas achhē parinām kā intazār hai.Thanks, I am just waiting for good results.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hard work” translations and entries मेहनत, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries मेहनत, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
