ज़लज़ला

Hindi

Alternative forms

• ज़ल्ज़ला (zalzalā)

Etymology

Etymology tree

Arabic زَلْزَلَة (zalzala)bor.

Classical Persian زَلْزَلَه (zalzala)bor.

Hindi ज़लज़ला

Borrowed from Classical Persian زَلْزَلَه (zalzala), from Arabic زَلْزَلَة (zalzala). First attested in c. 1739 as Middle Hindi زلزلہ (zlzlh /⁠zalzala⁠/).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Hindi) IPA^(key): /zəl.zə.lɑː/, [zɐl.zɐ.läː], /d͡ʒəl.d͡ʒə.lɑː/, [d͡ʒɐl.d͡ʒɐ.läː]
• Rhymes: -ɑː
• Hyphenation: ज़ल‧ज़‧ला

Noun

ज़लज़ला • (zalzalā) m (formal plural ज़लाज़िल, Urdu spelling زَلْزَلَہ)

1. (rare) earthquake, seism

   Synonyms: भूकंप (bhūkamp), भूचाल (bhūcāl)

Declension

Declension of ज़लज़ला (masc ā-stem)

	singular	plural
direct	ज़लज़ला zalzalā	ज़लज़ले, ज़लाज़िल zalzale, zalāzil
oblique	ज़लज़ले zalzale	ज़लज़लों, ज़लाज़िलों zalzalõ, zalāzilõ
vocative	ज़लज़ले zalzale	ज़लज़लो, ज़लाज़िलो zalzalo, zalāzilo

Further reading

• “ज़लज़ला”, in ریخْتَہ لُغَت (rexta luġat) - Rekhta Dictionary [Urdu dictionary with meanings in Hindi & English], Noida, India: Rekhta Foundation, 2026.
• McGregor, Ronald Stuart (1993), “ज़लज़ला”, in The Oxford Hindi-English Dictionary, London: Oxford University Press, page 362
• Kuczkiewicz-Fraś, Agnieszka (2008), “zalzalā”, in Perso-Arabic Loanwords in Hindustani, Part 1 Dictionary, Kraków: Księgarnia Akademicka, →ISBN, page 925.