Ways to say it
| Hindi | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| हवा | havā | /ɦə.ʋɑː/ (Hindi, Standard) | feminine |
| पवन | pavan | /pə.ʋən/ (Hindi, Standard) | masculine |
The primary way to express the movement of air is with हवा. To describe the action of the wind blowing, Hindi speakers use the idiomatic expression हवा चलना, which literally translates to 'wind is walking'. You can also use the phrase हवा का झोंका to mean 'a gust of wind'.
Which one should you use?
While हवा is the common everyday word for wind, पवन is a more formal or poetic term often found in literature or names. Additionally, वायु is used as a formal term for wind.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In North India, the specific word लू is used to refer to a hot and dry wind.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The word हवा is a feminine noun. This means it requires feminine adjectives and feminine verb agreement in a sentence.
How do you pronounce it?
The word हवा is pronounced as /ɦə.ʋɑː/ (havā).
What mistakes should you avoid?
Because English speakers often view wind as a masculine concept, they may incorrectly use masculine agreement. Remember that हवा is strictly feminine and requires feminine grammatical agreement.
Did you know?
- The word हवा is of Persian origin, having been borrowed from the Classical Persian word هَوَا.
- In Hindi, the word हवा is often used in idioms to describe a person who is flighty or unreliable, similar to the English phrase 'full of hot air'.
- The poetic word पवन is frequently used as a proper name for people in India, whereas हवा is almost never used as a name.
Examples in context
- यहां हवा नहीं है।There's no wind here.This sentence is useful for stating the absence of wind using हवा.Tatoeba #2045634 by sabretou, translation #2030202 by halfb1t
- उस दिन हवा बहुत तेज़ थी।There was a strong wind that day.This sentence describes the intensity of the wind using हवा.Tatoeba #450367 by minshirui, translation #67878 by CK
- हवा बीजों को दूर-दूर तक लेजाती है।The wind carries seeds for great distances.This sentence describes the movement of seeds caused by the wind using हवा.Tatoeba #491782 by minshirui, translation #319707 by CK
- वायु चलती है।The wind blows
- गरम पवनHot wind
- ठंडी हवाCool breeze
- 3 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Anjali and Aditya are standing on a balcony looking at the sky.
- अंजलि Anjaliक्या तुम्हें ठंडी हवा महसूस हो रही है?Kya tumhein thandi hawa mehsoos ho rahi hai?Do you feel the cool wind?
- आदित्य Adityaहाँ, हवा बहुत सुखद है।Haan, hawa bahut sukhad hai.Yes, the wind is very pleasant.
- अंजलि Anjaliआज हवा का रुख बदल गया है।Aaj hawa ka rukh badal gaya hai.The direction of the wind has changed today.
- आदित्य Adityaअंजलि, यह मौसम बहुत अच्छा है।Anjali, yeh mausam bahut achha hai.Anjali, this weather is very nice.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “wind” translations and entries हवा, पवन, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries पवन, हवा, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
