Ways to say it
| Hindi | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| मच्छर | macchar | /mət̪.t͡ʃʰəɾ/ (Hindi, Standard) | masculine |
| मच्छड़ | macchaṛ | masculine | |
| मशक | maśak | /məʃk/ (Hindi, Standard) /mə.ʃək/ (Hindi, Standard) |
formal, masculine |
The word refers to the small flying insect of the family Culicidae that is known for biting and sucking blood. If you need to talk about a mosquito repellent, you can use the phrase मच्छर भगाने वाली दवा.
Which one should you use?
मच्छर is the most common way to say mosquito in everyday speech. मशक is a highly formal or literary term. मच्छड़ is a common regional variation or dialectal pronunciation of the standard मच्छर.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
मशक is a formal option suitable for literary contexts.
Is it said differently in some regions?
मच्छड़ is a dialectal variation of the standard मच्छर.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word is a masculine noun. When used with a postposition (like 'of' or 'in'), the plural form of mosquito changes from मच्छर to मच्छरों.
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced /mət̪.tʃʰəɾ/ (macchar). It has two syllables.
Did you know?
- The formal term मशक has a surprising ancestor in Middle Persian, where it referred to a 'skin bag' or an inflated cow skin.
- The formal term मशक shares a root with the Punjabi word ਮਸ਼ਕ (maśak), showing how Persian influences spread across different regional languages in South Asia.
Examples in context
- बहुत सारे मच्छरों ने मेरी रात को बर्बाद कर दिया।Many mosquitoes ruined my night.
- मच्छर काट रहा है।machhar kaat raha hai.A mosquito is biting.
- यहाँ बहुत मच्छर हैं।yahan bahut machhar hain.There are many mosquitoes here.
- मच्छर भगाने के लिए क्रीम लगाओ।machhar bhagane ke liye cream lagao.Apply cream to drive away mosquitoes.
Example conversation
Rahul and Priya are sitting in a park at sunset.
- राहुल Rahulप्रिया, क्या तुम्हें मच्छर काट रहे हैं?Priya, kya tumhein machhar kaat rahe hain?Priya, are the mosquitoes biting you?
- प्रिया Priyaहाँ, राहुल, बहुत मच्छर हैं यहाँ।Haan, Rahul, bahut machhar hain yahan.Yes, Rahul, there are many mosquitoes here.
- राहुल Rahulचलो, अंदर चलते हैं।Chalo, andar chalte hain.Let's go inside.
- प्रिया Priyaहाँ, यह अच्छा विचार है।Haan, yeh achha vichaar hai.Yes, that is a good idea.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “mosquito” translations and entries मच्छर, मशक, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries मच्छर, मशक, CC BY-SA 4.0.
