دوزخ

Inherited from Middle Persian 𐭣𐭥𐭱𐭧𐭥𐭩 (dušox, “hell”), from Old Iranian *daužaxva, from earlier *duš-ahw-a-, from Proto-Iranian *dušHáhuš (literally “bad existence”), a compound of *duš- (“bad”) +‎ *Háhuš, from Proto-Indo-Iranian *Hásuš (“life, existence, being”).

Cognates include Manichaean Middle Persian [script needed] (dwšx), [script needed] (dwšwx /⁠dušox⁠/), Middle Persian 𐬛𐬋𐬲𐬀𐬑 (dōžax), 𐬛𐬋𐬰𐬀𐬑 (dōzax), 𐬛𐬋𐬘𐬀𐬑 (dōjax), Manichaean Parthian [script needed] (dwjx /⁠dōžax⁠/), Avestan 𐬛𐬀𐬊𐬲𐬀𐬎𐬎𐬀 (daožauua), 𐬛𐬎𐬲𐬀𐬢𐬵𐬎 (dužaŋhu), Pashto دوغښ (doǧaẍ), Northern Kurdish dojeh, Central Kurdish دۆژە (doje), Baluchi دوجک (dōǰak), دوژه (dōžē).

Compare Old Armenian դժոխ (džox, “hell”) and Georgian ჯოჯოხეთი (ǯoǯoxeti), Iranian borrowings.

دوزَخ • (duzax)

1. hell

   Synonym: جَهَنَّم (jahannam)

   Antonym: بِهِشْت (behešt)

• دوزخی (duzaxi)
• اهل دوزخ (ahl-e duzax)
• دوزخبان (duzaxbân)

• Dehkhoda, Ali-Akbar (1931–) “دوزخ”, in Dehkhoda Dictionary Institute, editors, Dehkhoda Dictionary (in Persian), Tehran: University of Tehran Press
• MacKenzie, D. N. (1971) “dušox”, in A concise Pahlavi dictionary, London, New York, Toronto: Oxford University Press

Borrowed from Classical Persian دوزَخ (dōzax). First attested as Old Hindi दोजग (dojaga).

• (Standard Urdu) IPA^(key): /d̪oː.zəx/

• Audio (Pakistan):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -əx
• Hyphenation: دو‧زَخ

دوزَخ • (dozax) m (Hindi spelling दोज़ख़)

1. (religion) hell, hellfire
2. (figurative) the stomach (especially one that is hungry), an empty stomach
3. (Islam) Nafs-e-Ammarah (the human inclination or ego towards sin)

• دوزَخ بَھرْنا (dozax bharnā)
• دوزَخ پالْنا (dozax pālnā)

• “دوزخ”, in اُردُو لُغَت (urdū luġat) (in Urdu), Ministry of Education: Government of Pakistan, 2017.
• “دوزخ”, in ریخْتَہ لُغَت (rexta luġat) - Rekhta Dictionary [Urdu dictionary with meanings in Hindi & English], Noida, India: Rekhta Foundation, 2025.

From Urdu دوزَخ (dozax).

دوزخ (dōzax)

1. hell, hellfire