दुःख
duḥkhá/duh.kʰɐ́/
The Sanskrit word for suffering is दुःख (duḥkhá).
दुःख is an adjective used to describe the state of experiencing pain.
Meaning: experiencing pain (adj)
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /duh.kʰɐ́/. It has 2 syllables.
Did you know?
- The word दुःख is central to the 'Four Noble Truths', the foundational teachings of Buddhism that analyze the nature of suffering.
- The word दुःख is the direct linguistic opposite of the word सुख, which means 'ease' or 'pleasure'.
- Unlike the English word 'suffering', which often implies an external cause, दुःख is frequently used to describe an inherent quality of existence.
Examples in context
- निरापेक्षता तु दुःखहानिनीEquanimity is the destroyer of suffering.
- अविद्या दुःखस्य मूलम्Ignorance is the root of suffering.
- सुखं च क्लेशोपरमो वाWhether it be happiness or freedom from suffering.
Example conversation
Two friends talking about a sick relative.
- आदित्य Adityaपश्य, मम पिता दुःखितः अस्ति।paśya, mama pitā duḥkhitaḥ asti.Look, my father is suffering.
- अनन्या Ananyaकिं अभवत्, आदित्य?kim abhavat, āditya?What happened, Aditya?
- आदित्य Adityaतस्य स्वास्थ्यं सम्यक् नास्ति।tasya svāsthyaṃ samyak nāsti.His health is not good.
- अनन्या Ananyaअहं तस्य कृते प्रार्थयामि।ahaṃ tasya kṛte prārthayāmi.I pray for him.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry दुःख, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries दुःख, CC BY-SA 4.0.
