ओणम
oṇam/oː.ɳəm/
The English phrase 'onam' is translated into Hindi as ओणम (oṇam).
ओणम is the name of the harvest festival.
Meaning: harvest festival (name)
Which one should you use?
While ओणम is the name of the festival, you may encounter more descriptive formal phrases. ओणम का त्योहार translates to 'The festival of Onam', ओणम महोत्सव refers to 'Onam celebration/festival' and ओणम पर्व means 'Onam festival'.
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced /oː.ɳəm/. It has 2 syllables.
Did you know?
- During ओणम, people create पूकलम, which are intricate floral carpets on the ground to welcome the legendary King Mahabali.
- The term ओणम साद्य refers to the festival's traditional feast, which is traditionally served on banana leaves and can feature more than 25 distinct dishes.
- Although ओणम is used by Hindi speakers across India, it is actually a loanword from Malayalam, the language spoken in the state of Kerala where the festival originated.
Examples in context
- ओणम एक बहुत प्रसिद्ध त्योहार है।Onam ek bahut prasiddh tyauhaar hai.Onam is a very famous festival.
- क्या आपने ओणम मनाया?Kya aapne Onam manaya?Did you celebrate Onam?
- ओणम के दिन बहुत मज़ा आता है।Onam ke din bahut mazaa aata hai.Onam is a lot of fun.
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about upcoming holidays.
- पूजा Poojaक्या तुम्हें पता है कि ओणम कब है?Kya tumhe pata hai ki Onam kab hai?Do you know when Onam is?
- अमित Amitहाँ, ओणम अगले हफ्ते शुरू हो रहा है।Haan, Onam agle hafte shuru ho raha hai.Yes, Onam is starting next week.
- पूजा Poojaअमित, क्या हम साथ में मना सकते हैं?Amit, kya hum saath mein mana sakte hain?Amit, can we celebrate it together?
- अमित Amitज़रूर, पूजा, यह बहुत अच्छा विचार है।Zaroor, Pooja, yeh bahut accha vichaar hai.Sure, Pooja, that is a great idea.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “onam” translations and entries ओणम, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ओणम, CC BY-SA 4.0.
