Ways to say it
| Hindi | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| धूआँ | dhūā̃ | /d̪ʱuː.ɑ̃ː/ (Hindi, Standard) | masculine |
| धूम्र | dhūmra | /d̪ʱuːm.ɾᵊ/ (Hindi, Standard) | masculine |
The term refers to the visible particles and vapour given off by burning material. If you are describing the habit or action of smoking, you may use the verb धूम्रपान करना or the more colloquial phrase सिगरेट पीना.
Which one should you use?
While धूआँ is the common word for smoke, धूम्र is a formal or literary term often used in scientific or poetic contexts.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun धूआँ is a masculine noun, so any adjectives describing it must also be in the masculine form.
How do you pronounce it?
dhūā̃ (IPA: /d̪ʱuː.ɑ̃ː/). It has 2 syllables.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers might use the verb पीना (to drink/consume) to mean 'to smoke' in a literal sense. Note that while सिगरेट पीना is a common way to say 'to smoke a cigarette', using पीना alone for smoke is an ellipsis of the full phrase and can be confusing if the context of a cigarette is not established.
Did you know?
- The formal term धूम्र shares its ancient roots with the Proto-Indo-European word *dʰewh₂-, which is also the distant ancestor of the English word 'fume'.
- In Hindi, the act of smoking a cigarette is described using the verb पीना, which normally means 'to drink'.
- The Sanskrit ancestor of the formal term धूम्र, known as धूम्र, can also be used as an adjective to describe a 'smoky' or 'greyish' color in classical literature.
Example sentences for Hindi are not verified yet.
Example conversation
Neha and Rahul are walking past a fire in the street.
- नेहा Nehaराहुल, देखो वहाँ कितना धूआँ है!Rahul, dekho wahan kitna dhuaan hai!Rahul, look how much smoke is there!
- राहुल Rahulहाँ, शायद कुछ जल रहा है।Haan, shayad kuch jal raha hai.Yes, maybe something is burning.
- नेहा Nehaधूआँ बहुत तेज़ है।Dhuaan bahut tez hai.The smoke is very thick.
- राहुल Rahulहमें यहाँ से जल्दी चलना चाहिए।Hamein yahan se jaldi chalna chahiye.We should leave this place quickly.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “smoke” translations and entries धूआँ, धूम्र, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries धूआँ, धूम्र, CC BY-SA 4.0.
