डंका

Hindi

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• (Delhi Hindi) 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 [Learners' Hindi-English Dictionary], Delhi: Rajpal & Sons, page 265.
• Caturvedi, Mahendra, Bhola Nath Tiwari (1970) “डंका”, in A practical Hindi-English dictionary, Delhi: National Publishing House, page 267