डंका

Hindi

Etymology

Inherited from Ashokan Prakrit *𑀟𑀗𑁆𑀓 (*ḍaṅka) + Middle Indo-Aryan -𑀓- (-ka-).

Pronunciation

• (Delhi) IPA^(key): /ɖəŋ.kɑː/, [ɖɐ̃ŋ.käː]

Noun

डंका • (ḍaṅkā) m (Urdu spelling ڈَنْکا)

1. a drum or kettledrum

   डंका बजाना/पीटना

   ḍaṅkā bajānā/pīṭnā

   To announce or make public.

   (literally, “to beat the drum [as to get attention]”)

   घर आकर रवि ने अपनी जीत का डंका बजा दिया।

   ghar ākar ravi ne apnī jīt kā ḍaṅkā bajā diyā.

   After coming home, Ravi announced his victory.

   डंका बजना

   ḍaṅkā bajnā

   To be made public; to be famous

   (literally, “[for a] drum to be beaten”)

   इस पूरे शहर में हमारे नाम का डंका बजता है।

   is pūre śahar mẽ hamāre nām kā ḍaṅkā bajtā hai.

   In this entire city I am famous [lit. a drum is beaten in my name]

Declension

Declension of डंका (masc ā-stem)

	singular	plural
direct	डंका ḍaṅkā	डंके ḍaṅke
oblique	डंके ḍaṅke	डंकों ḍaṅkõ
vocative	डंके ḍaṅke	डंको ḍaṅko

Synonyms

• ढोल (ḍhol)
• नगाड़ा (nagāṛā)
• ड्रम (ḍram)
• धौंसा (dha͠usā)

Further reading

• Dāsa, Śyāmasundara (1965–1975) “डंका”, in Hindī Śabdasāgara [lit. Sea of Hindi words] (in Hindi), Kashi [Varanasi]: Nagari Pracarini Sabha, page 1930
• Platts, John T. (1884) “डंका”, in A dictionary of Urdu, classical Hindi, and English, London: W. H. Allen & Co., page 567
• McGregor, Ronald Stuart (1993) “डंका”, in The Oxford Hindi-English Dictionary, London: Oxford University Press, page 416
• “डंका”, in ریخْتَہ لُغَت (rexta luġat) - Rekhta Dictionary [Urdu dictionary with meanings in Hindi & English], Noida, India: Rekhta Foundation, 2024.
• Turner, Ralph Lilley (1969–1985) “ḍaṅkā”, in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages, London: Oxford University Press, page 310
• Bahri, Hardev (1989) “डंका”, in Siksarthi Hindi-Angrejhi Sabdakosa, Delhi: Rajpal & Sons, page 265.
• Caturvedi, Mahendra, Bhola Nath Tiwari (1970) “डंका”, in A practical Hindi-English dictionary, Delhi: National Publishing House