गुफा

See also: गुफ़ा

Hindi

Alternative forms

• गुफ़ा (gufā)

Etymology

Inherited from Ashokan Prakrit *𑀕𑀼𑀧𑁆𑀨𑀸 (*gupphā). Related to Sanskrit गुहा (gúhā, “cave”).

Pronunciation

• (originally) (Standard Hindi) IPA^(key): /ɡʊ.pʰɑː/, [ɡʊ.pʰäː]
• (colloquial) IPA^(key): /ɡʊ.fɑː/, [ɡʊ.fäː]

Noun

गुफा • (guphā) f (Urdu spelling گُپَھا)

1. cave, cavern

   Synonyms: गुहा (guhā), खोह (khoh), कंदरा (kandarā)

   भालू दौड़ता गुफा में पहुँचा ― bhālū dauṛtā guphā mẽ pahũcā ― The bear ran into the cave.

Declension

Declension of गुफा (fem ā-stem)

	singular	plural
direct	गुफा guphā	गुफाएँ guphāẽ
oblique	गुफा guphā	गुफाओं guphāõ
vocative	गुफा guphā	गुफाओ guphāo

Further reading

• Bahri, Hardev (1989), “गुफा”, in Siksarthi Hindi-Angrejhi Sabdakosa [Learners' Hindi-English Dictionary], Delhi: Rajpal & Sons, page 156.
• Caturvedi, Mahendra; Bhola Nath Tiwari (1970), “गुफा”, in A practical Hindi-English dictionary, Delhi: National Publishing House, page 179
• Dāsa, Śyāmasundara (1965–1975), “गुफा”, in Hindī Śabdasāgara [lit. “Sea of Hindi words”] (in Hindi), Kashi [Varanasi]: Nagari Pracarini Sabha, page 1306
• McGregor, Ronald Stuart (1993), “गुफा”, in The Oxford Hindi-English Dictionary, London: Oxford University Press, page 270
• Platts, John T. (1884), “गुफा”, in A dictionary of Urdu, classical Hindi, and English, London: W. H. Allen & Co., page 895
• “गुफा”, in ریخْتَہ لُغَت (rexta luġat) - Rekhta Dictionary [Urdu dictionary with meanings in Hindi & English], Noida, India: Rekhta Foundation, 2026.
• Turner, Ralph Lilley (1969–1985), “gupphā”, in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages, London: Oxford University Press, page 225

Nepali

Etymology

Inherited from Ashokan Prakrit *𑀕𑀼𑀧𑁆𑀨𑀸 (*gupphā). Related to Sanskrit गुहा (gúhā, “cave”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ɡuɸä]
• Phonetic Devanagari: गुफा

Noun

गुफा • (guphā)

1. cave

   ऋषिहरू गुफामा बस्थे।

   r̥ṣiharū guphāmā basthe.

   The sages used to live in caves.

2. den, lair

References

• “गुफा”, in नेपाली बृहत् शब्दकोश (nepālī br̥hat śabdakoś) [Comprehensive Nepali Dictionary]‎^[1], Kathmandu: Nepal Academy, 2018
• Schmidt, Ruth L. (1993), “गुफा”, in A Practical Dictionary of Modern Nepali, Ratna Sagar

Old Hindi

Etymology

Inherited from Ashokan Prakrit *𑀕𑀼𑀧𑁆𑀨𑀸 (*gupphā). Compare Old Punjabi ਗੁਫਾ (guphā), Old Gujarati गफा (gaphā), गुफ (gupha), Old Marathi 𑘐𑘳𑘽𑘣𑘰 (guṃphā), Middle Bengali গোফা (gōpha).

Noun

गुफा (guphā)

1. cave
   • c. 1420, Kabīr, Kabīr Vāṇī 372.2:

     का जाटा भसम लेपंन कीयें
     कहा गुफा मै बासा

     kā jaṭā bhasama lepãna kīyẽ,
     kahā guphā mai bāsa

     What [is gained] by [displaying] matted hair, by smearing one’s body with ashes?
     What [is gained] by living in a cave?

Descendants

• Hindustani: guphā

  Hindi: गुफा

  Urdu: گُپَھا (guphā)

Further reading

• Jaroslav Strnad (2013), Morphology and Syntax of Old Hindī : Edition and Analysis of One Hundred Kabīr Vānī Poems From Rājasthān (Brill's Indological Library; 45), Leiden, →OCLC, page 530
• Turner, Ralph Lilley (1969–1985), “gupphā”, in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages, London: Oxford University Press, page 225