ਧੁੰਦ

Dhund (ਧੁੰਦ) is the Punjabi word for fog: the thick white blanket that settles over Punjab on winter mornings and makes roads, fields and rooftops disappear. In December and January it can be so dense that a driver cannot see the vehicle ahead, and the day only opens once the sun burns it away.

Meaning

In its plain sense, dhund is fog: tiny water drops hanging in cold air close to the ground, thick enough to hide things that are near. Punjabi word lists give ਧੁੰਦ as the direct equivalent of the English word fog, and the word is feminine, so speakers say dhund pai gayi for the fog came down. A light covering is simply dhund; a really thick one is sanghani dhund, dense fog. Weather science measures the same thing by how far a person can see: the India Meteorological Department calls fog very dense at a visibility of 50 metres or less, a reading Punjab knows well in winter.

How is dhund used in everyday speech?

The everyday phrase is dhund paina, for fog to fall or settle. On a dhund morning the talk is practical: drive slowly, keep the lights on, wait for the sun. Village paths, mustard fields and the gurdwara dome all fade to pale outlines, and morning journeys on the road start late until the fog lifts. The word belongs to the cold months in most minds, spoken of the way people elsewhere speak of snow days: as the weather that rearranges the morning.

What is the difference between dhund and kohra?

Both words are heard for winter fog in Punjab, and Punjabi news speech often pairs them together as kohra dhund. Dhund is the standard Punjabi word for fog, the one the word lists give first, and the safer word to learn. Kohra is also heard in winter weather talk for the same white blanket over the fields. In most homes the two carry one idea: the cold morning when the world turns white and quiet and nothing can be seen clearly.