मेरी जान
meri jaan/meː.ɾiː d͡ʒɑːn/word by word
In Hindi, 'my darling' is expressed as मेरी जान (meri jaan).
मेरी जान is an idiomatic term of endearment used to address someone who is deeply loved, functioning similarly to 'my darling' or 'my sweetheart'. While it is used affectionately, it carries a significantly more intense and profound emotional weight of devotion than the English phrase 'my darling'.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to 'my life'.
Which one should you use?
While मेरी जान is the default form for expressing deep devotion, the informal phrase मेरे लाडले can also be used to mean 'my dear' or 'my darling'.
How does it change in a sentence?
In the phrase मेरी जान, the possessive adjective मेरी (meri) is the feminine form, which matches the feminine gender of the noun जान (jaan).
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is meri jaan. The syllables are 2. The IPA is /meː.ɾiː dʒɑːn/.
Did you know?
- The word जान is actually a loanword from Classical Persian, which later became an integral part of the Hindi emotional vocabulary.
- While मेरी जान is used for deep love, the alternative मेरे लाडले specifically implies a sense of being 'spoiled' or 'pampered' by the speaker.
- In intense emotional contexts, जान can be used in phrases that imply a willingness to sacrifice one's life for another, elevating it above a simple pet name.
Examples in context
- कैसा रहा दिन, मेरे लाडले?How was your day, my dear?
- मेरी जान, तुम कहाँ हो?meri jaan, tum kahan ho?My darling, where are you?
- तुम मेरी जान हो।tum meri jaan ho.You are my darling.
- मेरी जान, मैं तुमसे प्यार करता हूँ।meri jaan, main tumse pyar karta hoon.My darling, I love you.
Example conversation
Neha is talking to Amit over a phone call.
- नेहा Nehaअमित, मेरी जान, तुम बहुत व्यस्त हो क्या?Amit, meri jaan, tum bahut vyast ho kya?Amit, my darling, are you very busy?
- अमित Amitनहीं नेहा, मैं बस काम कर रहा हूँ।nahi Neha, main bas kaam kar raha hoon.No Neha, I am just working.
- नेहा Nehaमुझे तुम्हारी बहुत याद आ रही है।mujhe tumhari bahut yaad aa rahi hai.I am missing you a lot.
- अमित Amitमैं भी तुमसे बहुत प्यार करता हूँ।main bhi tumse bahut pyar karta hoon.I love you very much too.
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (मेरी, जान) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries जान, CC BY-SA 4.0.
