झूठा
jhūṭhā/d͡ʒʱuː.ʈʰɑː/masculine
The Hindi word for liar is झूठा (jhūṭhā). It describes a person who tells lies and is used both as a noun and as an adjective.
Use झूठा when you call someone a liar or say that a person is lying by habit. It is a strong word, so calling someone this to their face is an insult.
Meaning: one who tells lies (noun)
Which one should you use?
बेईमान describes someone who lacks honesty and integrity in general, for example a cheat, while झूठा focuses on telling lies.
How does it change in a sentence?
झूठा comes from the noun झूठ, meaning a lie. Its ending changes with the person described. झूठा is for a man, झूठी (jhūṭhī) is for a woman and झूठे (jhūṭhē) is for a group of men or for polite address.
How do you pronounce it?
Say it as jhūṭhā, IPA /dʒʱuː.ʈʰɑː/. Both consonants are breathy. The jh is a j followed by a puff of air, and the ṭh is made with the tongue curled back toward the roof of the mouth.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Do not keep the masculine ending for every person. When talking about a woman, use झूठी.
Did you know?
- In Hindi culture, the concept of being झूठा extends beyond speech to physical touch, as the word is used to describe water or food that has been contaminated by another person's mouth.
- The root of झूठा can be traced back to the Proto-Indo-European root *ǵews-, linking this Hindi term to a prehistoric language spoken thousands of years ago.
- The word झूठा is a close relative of the Punjabi word ਝੂਠਾ and the Gujarati word જૂઠું, both of which share the same linguistic roots.
Examples in context
- आज झूठा, कल चोर।Liar today, thief tomorrow.This saying warns that a small liar today becomes a thief tomorrow.Tatoeba #3621628 by sabretou, translation #416535 by Scott
- तुम झूठे हो।You are a liar.झूठे is used here because it agrees with the polite or plural you.
- मैं मेरे जीवन में हमेशा से झूठा था। इसी लिए लोग मुझे पसंद करते थे।For all my life, I was a liar. That's why people liked me.The speaker is male, so the form stays झूठा.Tatoeba #2075224 by sabretou, translation #1522788 by marcelostockle
Example conversation
Vikas is caught in a small lie by Pooja.
- पूजा Poojaक्या तुम सच में वहाँ थे?kyā tum sac mēṃ vahāṃ thē?Were you really there?
- विकास Vikasहाँ पूजा, मैं वहीं था।hāṃ pūjā, maiṃ vahīṃ thā.Yes Pooja, I was there.
- पूजा Poojaतुम तो बहुत झूठा निकले।tum tō bahut jūṭhā nikalē.You turned out to be a big liar.
- विकास Vikasमुझे माफ़ कर दो।mujhe māf kar dō.Please forgive me.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “liar” translations and entries झूठा, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries झूठा, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR, Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
