बर्फ़
barf/bə.ɾəf/feminine
In Hindi, ice is expressed as बर्फ़ (barf) or हिम.
Meaning: water in frozen form (noun)
Ways to say it
| Hindi | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| बर्फ़ | barf | /bə.ɾəf/ (Hindi, Standard) /bə.ɾəpʰ/ (Hindi, Standard) |
feminine |
| हिम | him | /ɦɪm/ (Hindi, Standard) | masculine |
Both words refer to water in its frozen state.
Which one should you use?
बर्फ़ is the common, everyday word used for ice in your drinks, snow or general frozen water. In contrast, हिम is a more formal and literary term, frequently appearing in scientific or poetic contexts, such as in the term for an ice age.
How does it change in a sentence?
The gender of the word determines how you describe it. बर्फ़ is a feminine noun, meaning adjectives or verbs describing it must be feminine, such as ठंडी बर्फ़ (cold ice). हिम is a masculine noun, so adjectives or verbs describing it must be masculine, such as ठंडा हिम (cold ice).
How do you pronounce it?
The word बर्फ़ is pronounced as /bə.ɾəf/ (barf). It has 2 syllables.
Did you know?
- The formal word हिम shares an ancient root with the English word 'winter' via the Proto-Indo-European root for 'cold'.
- While बर्फ़ describes the ice in your glass, हिम is used for the massive scales of nature, such as the 'Himalayas' which literally means 'Abode of Snow'.
- The pronunciation of बर्फ़ sounds identical to the English slang word 'barf', which can lead to amusing misunderstandings for new learners.
Examples in context
- बर्फ़ पिघल गया है।The ice has melted.This sentence is useful for describing that the ice has melted using बर्फ़.Tatoeba #4638779 by sabretou, translation #318314 by CK
- नमक का इस्तेमाल बर्फ़ पिघालने में किया जाता है।Salt is used to thaw ice.This sentence shows how salt is used to thaw ice using बर्फ़.Tatoeba #5009689 by eeyinn, translation #5072190 by Vraja108
- अगला हिम युग कब आएगा इसका सटीक आकलन फ़िलहाल नहीं किया जा सका है।Currently, we cannot accurately estimate when the next ice age will arrive.This sentence uses the more formal हिम in the context of an ice age.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Aditya and Pooja are having a drink at home.
- आदित्य Adityaक्या तुम्हारे पास थोड़ी बर्फ़ है?Kya tumhare paas thodi barf hai?Do you have some ice?
- पूजा Poojaहाँ, फ्रिज में बहुत बर्फ़ है।Haan, fridge mein bahut barf hai.Yes, there is plenty of ice in the fridge.
- आदित्य Adityaमेरे लिए भी कुछ बर्फ़ ले आओ।Mere liye bhi kuch barf le aao.Bring some ice for me too.
- पूजा Poojaठीक है, अभी लाती हूँ।Thik hai, abhi laati hoon.Okay, I'll bring it right now.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “ice” translations and entries बर्फ़, हिम, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR, Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
