शेर
śer/ʃeːɾ/masculine
The English word lion is translated into Hindi as शेर (śer). Wiktionary also lists सिंह (sĩh) and सिंघ (siṅgh).
Meaning: big cat Panthera leo (noun)
Ways to say it
| Hindi | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| शेर | śer | /ʃeːɾ/ (Hindi, Standard) /ʃɪ(ʔ)ɾ/ (Hindi, Standard) |
masculine |
| सिंह | sĩh | /sɪŋɡʱ/ (Hindi, Standard) | masculine |
| सिंघ | siṅgh | /sɪŋɡʱ/ (Hindi, Standard) | masculine |
| बबर | babar | /bə.bəɾ/ (Hindi, Standard) | masculine |
| बबर-शेर | babar-śer | /bə.bəɾ.ʃeːɾ/ (Hindi, Standard) | masculine |
| केहर | kehar | masculine |
All forms listed refer to the big cat Panthera leo.
Which one should you use?
The forms सिंघ, बबर, बबर-शेर and केहर also refer to the animal.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word शेर is a masculine noun and will trigger masculine verb agreements and adjectives in a sentence.
How do you pronounce it?
śer
Did you know?
- While शेर is the most common word for a lion, it is also the exact same word used for 'poetry' in Hindi, borrowed from Arabic.
- In traditional Indian iconography, the lion सिंह is the vahana, or divine vehicle, of the goddess Durga.
- The word सिंह is the formal Sanskrit term for lion and is frequently used as a surname or title among the Sikh community.
Examples in context
- शेर जंगल का राजा है।The lion is the king of the jungle.This sentence uses शेर to illustrate its role as the king of the jungle.Tatoeba #2788643 by Vikas, translation #29846 by CM
- यह शेर बहुत पालतू है।This lion is very tame.This sentence uses शेर to describe a lion as being tame.Tatoeba #491605 by minshirui, translation #60370 by CK
- यह एक अफ़्रीकी सिंह है।This is an African lion.This sentence uses सिंह to specify an African lion.Tatoeba #10055475 by sabretou, translation #7957670 by deniko
- 4 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Priya and Aditya are watching a nature documentary on TV.
- प्रिया Priyaदेखो, टीवी पर शेर है!Dekho, TV par sher hai!Look, there is a lion on the TV!
- आदित्य Adityaहाँ, वह शेर बहुत बड़ा है।Haan, vah sher bahut bada hai.Yes, that lion is very big.
- प्रिया Priyaक्या वह शेर भूखा लग रहा है?Kya vah sher bhookha lag raha hai?Does that lion look hungry?
- आदित्य Adityaनहीं, वह शेर शांत लग रहा है।Nahin, vah sher shaant lag raha hai.No, that lion looks calm.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “lion” translations and entries शेर, सिंह, सिंघ, बबर, बबर-शेर, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries बबर, शेर, सिंघ, सिंह, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
