Ways to say it
| Hindi | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| मूर्ख | mūrkh | /muːɾkʰ/ (Hindi, Standard) | masculine |
| बुद्धू | buddhū | /bʊd̪.d̪ʱuː/ (Hindi, Standard) | masculine |
| उल्लू | ullū | /ʊl.luː/ (Hindi, Standard) | masculine |
| बेवक़ूफ़ | bevqūf | /beː.ʋə.quːf/ (Hindi, Standard) /beː.ʋə.kuːpʰ/ (Hindi, Standard) |
masculine |
| अहमक़ | ahmaq | /əɦ.məq/ (Hindi, Standard) /əɦ.mək/ (Hindi, Standard) |
masculine |
| अहमक | ahmak | masculine |
All these terms describe a person of low general intelligence. Some words like बेवक़ूफ़ are versatile and can be used to describe both a person and an action.
Which one should you use?
While most terms mean idiot, they vary in tone and literal meaning. बुद्धू is a much softer, more affectionate or playful way to call someone an idiot compared to the other terms. उल्लू literally means 'owl', but is used colloquially to mean 'idiot' or 'fool'. Other terms like गधा, which translates to "donkey," and पागल, which translates to "crazy" or "mad", are used informally to refer to someone as an "idiot."
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
बुद्धू is informal. बेवक़ूफ़, उल्लू, गधा and पागल are informal or colloquial. अहमक़ is a more formal or literary term, often found in Urdu-influenced Hindi literature.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word मूर्ख can function as both a noun (an idiot) and an adjective (foolish).
How do you pronounce it?
mūrkh (/muːɾkʰ/)
Did you know?
- The word बुद्धू is an ironic term because it is derived from the Sanskrit root बुध्, which actually means 'wise' or 'intelligent'.
- While calling someone an उल्लू or 'owl' is an insult in Hindi, it might be a compliment in English-speaking cultures where the owl is a symbol of wisdom.
- Because many of these words like बेवक़ूफ़ are borrowed from Persian, you will find almost identical versions of these insults in languages like Gujarati and Bengali.
Examples in context
- मूर्ख!Idiot!This sentence shows how to use the noun मूर्ख as an exclamation.Tatoeba #6179129 by fastrizwaan, translation #693617 by thedowntowncanon
- आपकी योजना बिल्कुल मूर्खतापूर्ण है।Your plan is completely foolish.
- उसने किताब का मतलब नहीं समझा, वह नासमझ है।He didn't understand the meaning of the book, he is an idiot.
- तू सचमुच बेवकूफ़ है!You really are an idiot!
- मूर्ख मत बनो।mūrkha mat bano.Don't be an idiot.
Example conversation
Anjali and Aditya are discussing a bad decision a friend made.
- अंजलि Anjaliउसने ऐसा क्यों किया? वह मूर्ख है क्या?Usne aisa kyon kiya? Vah moorkh hai kya?Why did he do that? Is he an idiot?
- आदित्य Adityaहाँ, वह हमेशा ऐसी गलतियाँ करता है।Haan, vah hamesha aisi galtiyan karta hai.Yes, he always makes mistakes like this.
- अंजलि Anjaliमुझे विश्वास नहीं होता कि वह इतना मूर्ख है।Mujhe vishvas nahi hota ki vah itna moorkh hai.I can't believe he is such an idiot.
- आदित्य Adityaसच में, यह बहुत अजीब है।Sach mein, yeh bahut ajeeb hai.Really, it is very strange.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “idiot” translations and entries मूर्ख, बुद्धू, उल्लू, बेवक़ूफ़, अहमक़, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries उल्लू, बुद्धू, बेवक़ूफ़, मूर्ख, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
