ਗਰਜ

What does garaj mean in Punjabi? Garaj (ਗਰਜ) is the Punjabi word for thunder, the deep, rolling sound a storm makes after lightning. Punjabi weather lists use garaj for thunderstorm itself, and the word also carries a wider sense of any great roar, from a lion to a loud and powerful human voice.

What does garaj mean in Punjabi?

Garaj is thunder, and by extension the rumble of a thunderstorm. The Ling App weather vocabulary lists thunderstorm in Punjabi as ਗਰਜ, Garaja, and the Learn Entry climate list does the same, giving thunderstorm as ਗਰਜ, garaja. Rekhta Dictionary gives the core of the word as a feminine noun meaning thundering and thunder, along with roaring and rumbling. When Punjabi speakers say baddal garaj rahe han, the clouds are thundering, garaj is the sound filling the sky before or during rain.

What is the difference between garaj and bijli?

Bijli is the lightning itself, the bright flash, and the same word is used for electricity. Garaj is what you hear, not what you see: the sound that rolls after the flash. That is why a storm description in Punjabi naturally pairs the two, bijli chamki, the lightning flashed, and garaj sunai ditti, the thunder was heard. If you remember only one distinction, remember this: bijli is for the eyes, garaj is for the ears.

Can garaj also mean a roar?

Yes. Rekhta lists bellowing, roaring and rumbling among the meanings of garaj, alongside thunder, and gives phrases such as garaj kar bolnaa, to speak in a loud and powerful voice. So sher di garaj is a lion's roar, and a speaker with a thundering voice can be praised or teased with the same word. The verb built on it is garajna (ਗਰਜਣਾ), to thunder or to roar, which Rekhta also lists simply as thunder. Learners should not confuse garaj with the similar looking garaz, which Rekhta keeps as a separate word meaning intention or purpose.