गंध
gandh/ɡənd̪ʱ/feminine
The Hindi word for the sensation of smell is गंध (gandh). Wiktionary also lists बू (bū).
Meaning: sensation (noun)
Ways to say it
| Hindi | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| गंध | gandh | /ɡənd̪ʱ/ (Hindi, Standard) | feminine |
| बू | bū | feminine |
The noun refers to the sensation of smell. If you wish to describe the active process of a person or animal using their nose to detect a scent, use the verb सूँघना. To describe something having a particular smell, whether good or bad, you can use the verbs गँधाना or महँकना.
Which one should you use?
गंध is a neutral or formal term for smell. In contrast, बू is more colloquial and is commonly used in everyday speech to refer to a bad or unpleasant odor.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
Both गंध and बू are feminine nouns.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is gandh.
Did you know?
- The word बू is not native to India but was borrowed from Classical Persian, reflecting the deep influence of Persian on the development of the Hindi language.
- In colloquial Hindi, if someone asks क्या बू आ रही है?, they are usually expressing disgust rather than curiosity about a scent.
Examples in context
- सामान्य रूप से फूलों से अच्छी गंध आती है।Usually flowers give off a nice smell.This sentence shows how to use गंध to describe the scent of flowers.
- मुझे इसोप्रोपिल अल्कोहल की गंध आ रही है।I can smell the isopropyl alcohol.
- इस खाने की गंध बहुत अच्छी है।is khāne kī gandh bahut acchī hai.The smell of this food is very good.
- हवा में एक अजीब गंध है।havā meṃ ek ajīb gandh hai.There is a strange smell in the air.
Example conversation
Anjali and Vikas are in the kitchen.
- अंजलि Anjaliविकास, यह कैसी गंध है?Vikas, yeh kaisi gandh hai?Vikas, what is this smell?
- विकास Vikasशायद कुछ जल गया है।shayad kuch jal gaya hai.Maybe something got burnt.
- अंजलि Anjaliजल्दी देखो, गंध बहुत तेज़ है।jaldi dekho, gandh bahut tez hai.Look quickly, the smell is very strong.
- विकास Vikasहाँ, मैं अभी चेक करता हूँ।haan, main abhi check karta hoon.Yes, I will check right now.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “smell” translations and entries गंध, बू, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries गंध, बू, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
