ज़ेब्रा
zebrāmasculine
The English word zebra is ज़ेब्रा (zebrā) in Hindi. Wiktionary also lists ज़ीब्रा (zībrā) and जेबरा (jebrā).
Meaning: African animal (noun)
Ways to say it
| Hindi | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| ज़ेब्रा | zebrā | masculine | |
| ज़ीब्रा | zībrā | /ziːb.ɾɑː/ (Hindi, Standard) /d͡ʒiːb.ɾɑː/ (Hindi, Standard) |
masculine |
| जेबरा | jebrā | masculine | |
| जबरा | jabrā | masculine | |
| जेब्रा | jebrā | masculine | |
| गोरखर | gorkhar | masculine |
The word refers to the African animal known as a zebra.
Which one should you use?
While several variations of the word exist in the language, such as ज़ीब्रा, जेबरा, जेब्रा or जबरा, another form, गोरखर, is also present in the language.
How does it change in a sentence?
All forms of this word are masculine nouns.
How do you pronounce it?
zebrā
Did you know?
- The use of the dot under the ज to make ज़ is essential because a plain ज would change the sound from a 'z' to a 'j', making it sound like jebra.
- The term ज़ेब्रा is a 'modern' loanword, meaning it lacks the ancient Sanskrit roots that characterize much of the rest of the Hindi vocabulary.
- The Hindi word ज़ेब्रा is a cognate with the Bengali word জেব্রা, meaning they share a common origin through English. This demonstrates how English terminology for exotic wildlife spread across different Indian languages.
Examples in context
- देखो, जंगल में एक ज़ेब्रा है!Look, there is a zebra in the jungle!
- ज़ेब्रा सफेद और काले रंग का होता है।zebra safed aur kaale rang ka hota hai.A zebra is white and black in color.
- क्या आपने चिड़ियाघर में ज़ेब्रा देखा?Kya aapne chidiyaghar mein zebra dekha?Did you see a zebra in the zoo?
- ज़ेब्रा घास खा रहा है।zebra ghaas kha raha hai.The zebra is eating grass.
Example conversation
Rahul and Pooja are looking at a picture book about animals.
- राहुल Rahulपूजा, देखो यह ज़ेब्रा है।Pooja, dekho yeh zebra hai.Pooja, look, this is a zebra.
- पूजा Poojaहाँ राहुल, यह बहुत सुंदर है।Haan Rahul, yeh bahut sundar hai.Yes Rahul, it is very beautiful.
- राहुल Rahulक्या ज़ेब्रा तेज़ दौड़ता है?Kya zebra tez daudta hai?Does a zebra run fast?
- पूजा Poojaमुझे लगता है कि वह तेज़ दौड़ता है।Mujhe lagta hai ki vah tez daudta hai.I think it runs fast.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “zebra” translations and entries ज़ीब्रा, गोरखर, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ज़ीब्रा, CC BY-SA 4.0.
