दरियाई घोड़ा
dariyāī ghoṛā/d̪ə.ɾɪ.jɑː.iː ɡʱoː.ɽɑː/masculine
The English word hippopotamus is translated into Hindi as दरियाई घोड़ा (dariyāī ghoṛā). Wiktionary also lists जलीय घोड़ा (jalīya ghoṛā) and जलहस्ती (jalhastī).
Meaning: African mammal (noun)
Ways to say it
| Hindi | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| दरियाई घोड़ा | dariyāī ghoṛā | /d̪ə.ɾɪ.jɑː.iː ɡʱoː.ɽɑː/ (Hindi, Standard) | masculine |
| जलीय घोड़ा | jalīya ghoṛā | masculine | |
| जलहस्ती | jalhastī | masculine |
The term refers to the African mammal.
What does it mean word for word?
दरियाई घोड़ा (dariyāī ghoṛā) literally means "river horse". जलीय घोड़ा (jalīya ghoṛā) literally translates to "aquatic horse" or "water horse". Finally, जलहस्ती (jalhastī) is a compound of jal (water) and hastī (elephant), literally meaning "water elephant".
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is dariyāī ghoṛā (IPA: /d̪ə.ɾɪ.jɑː.iː ɡʱoː.ɽɑː/). It has 5 syllables.
Did you know?
- The Hindi word for horse घोड़ा may have its deepest roots in Proto-Dravidian, a language family native to southern India.
- The word हस्ती in जलहस्ती is an archaic term for elephant, often found in classical poetry and formal texts.
- The term जलहस्ती describes the animal as a 'water elephant', reflecting its physical bulk rather than its horse-like shape.
Examples in context
- दरियाई घोड़ा बहुत बड़ा होता है।dariyāī ghoṛā bahut baṛā hotā hai.A hippopotamus is very big.
- क्या आपने दरियाई घोड़ा देखा है?kyā āpne dariyāī ghoṛā dekhā hai?Have you seen a hippopotamus?
- दरियाई घोड़ा पानी में रहता है।dariyāī ghoṛā pānī meṃ rehtā hai.A hippopotamus lives in the water.
Example conversation
Aditya and Neha are watching a nature documentary on TV.
- आदित्य Adityaदेखो, वह दरियाई घोड़ा है।dekho, vah dariyāī ghoṛā hai.Look, that is a hippopotamus.
- नेहा Nehaवह कितना डरावना लग रहा है!vah kitnā ḍrāvnā lag rahā hai!It looks so scary!
- आदित्य Adityaहाँ, वह बहुत शक्तिशाली है।hāṃ, vah bahut śaktishālī hai.Yes, it is very powerful.
- नेहा Nehaमुझे जंगली जानवर पसंद नहीं हैं।mujhe jaṅglī jānvar pasand nahīṃ haiṃ.I do not like wild animals.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hippopotamus” translations and entries दरियाई घोड़ा, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries घोड़ा, जलीय, दरियाई, दरियाई घोड़ा, CC BY-SA 4.0.
