সুন্দর
śundor/ʃund̪ɔɾ/
The Bengali word for pretty is সুন্দর (śundor).
সুন্দর is an adjective used to describe something or someone as pleasant or attractive, especially when referring to women and children. If you wish to say someone is "very pretty", you can add the adverb খুব (khub) before the adjective to form খুব সুন্দর.
Meaning: especially of women and children: pleasant, attractive (adj)
Which one should you use?
সুন্দর is the adjective form used to describe someone as pretty. In contrast, সুন্দরী is a noun used specifically to refer to a beautiful woman.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Bangladesh, the term shundor is used universally to convey the meaning of "pretty."
How does it change in a sentence?
As an adjective, সুন্দর does not change its form based on the gender of the person you are describing.
How do you pronounce it?
śundor
Did you know?
- The word সুন্দর has a linguistic 'cousin' in the word বাঁদর, which means 'monkey'.
- The Sundarbans, the world's largest mangrove forest, derives its name from সুন্দর to describe the 'beautiful' forests of the region.
- The word সুন্দর can be used as a proper name for men in Bengali culture, reflecting a wish for the child to possess grace or beauty.
Examples in context
- মেয়েটা খুব সুন্দর দেখতে।That girl looks so pretty.This sentence is useful for seeing how to use সুন্দর to describe appearance.
- তুমি খুব সুন্দর। (Tumi khub shundor.)You are very pretty.
- এই গানটি বেশ সুন্দর। (Ei gaan-ti besh shundor.)This song is quite beautiful.
- ছোট্ট মেয়েটি খুব সুন্দর।Chotto meyeti khub shundor.The little girl is very pretty.
- তোমার হাসিটা খুব সুন্দর।Tomar hashita khub shundor.Your smile is very pretty.
Example conversation
Anirban and Moumita are walking through a garden.
- মৌমিতা Moumitaএই ফুলগুলো দেখতে খুব সুন্দর।Ei fulgulo dekhte khub shundor.These flowers look very pretty.
- অনির্বাণ Anirbanহ্যাঁ, মৌমিতা, তুমিও খুব সুন্দর।Hae, Moumita, tumio khub shundor.Yes, Moumita, you are also very pretty.
- মৌমিতা Moumitaধন্যবাদ, অনির্বাণ!Dhonnobad, Anirban!Thank you, Anirban!
- অনির্বাণ Anirbanতুমি হাসলে আরও সুন্দর লাগে।Tumi hashle aro shundor lage.You look even prettier when you smile.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry সুন্দর, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries সুন্দর, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
