अछूत
achūt/ə.t͡ʃʰuːt̪/
The Hindi word for "untouchable" is अछूत (achūt).
Meaning: not able to be touched (adj)
How does it change in a sentence?
The word अछूत functions as an adjective and does not change its form based on the gender or number of the noun it modifies.
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced /ə.tʃʰuːt̪/. It has two syllables.
Did you know?
- The word छूत refers to a contagious disease or a 'touch' that spreads infection, meaning the term अछूत literally frames the person as a source of medical contagion.
- In modern Indian social and legal contexts, using the term अछूत to describe a person is considered highly offensive and is often a punishable offense under anti-discrimination laws.
- In many contemporary discussions about social justice in India, people prefer using the term दलित, meaning 'oppressed' or 'broken', instead of अछूत.
Example conversation
Aditya and Priya are cleaning a dusty old storage room.
- आदित्य Adityaप्रिया, इस डिब्बे को मत छूना।Priyā, is dibbe ko mat chhūnā.Priya, do not touch this box.
- प्रिया Priyaक्यों? क्या यह अछूत है?Kyon? Kyā yah achhūt hai?Why? Is it untouchable?
- आदित्य Adityaहाँ, इसमें बहुत ज़हरीले कीड़े हैं।Hān, isme bahut zahīle kīṛe hain.Yes, it has many poisonous insects in it.
- प्रिया Priyaठीक है, मैं इसे नहीं छूऊँगी।Thīk hai, main ise nahīn chhūṅgī.Okay, I will not touch it.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry अछूत, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
