ਮੋਢਾ

Moddha (ਮੋਢਾ) is the Punjabi word for the shoulder: the joint where the arm joins the body, and the broad top of the arm and back beside the neck. It is the body's carrying shelf, the part loads rest on, and the word Punjabis reach for when work is shared.

What does moddha mean in Punjabi?

Moddha means shoulder. Punjabi has a second word for the same part, kandha (ਕੰਧਾ), and speakers use both. A study of Punjabi body words notes one small difference: moddha can name the side of the shoulder as well as the shoulder as a whole, so a bump against someone is moddha marna, hitting with the shoulder, while kandha is not used that way.

For carrying, the two words work the same: a load lifted onto the shoulder is modhe te chukna or kandhe te chukna. In everyday speech moddha is the warmer and more common choice across much of Punjab, and it is the word inside the best known shoulder phrase in the language.

What does modhe naal modha jorna mean?

Modhe naal modha jorna, shoulder joined with shoulder, means to stand together and share a task or a hard time, and Jugti has a full Kosh page for that phrase. The picture behind it is two people side by side, close enough that their shoulders touch. Families use it at weddings and harvests, and a village uses it when everyone turns out to help one house.

How do you say shoulder in Punjabi?

Shoulder in Punjabi is ਮੋਢਾ (moddha). The plural, shoulders, is ਮੋਢੇ (modhe), as in modhe te chukna, to lift onto the shoulders. To say my shoulder hurts, say ਮੇਰੇ ਮੋਢੇ ਵਿੱਚ ਦਰਦ ਹੈ (mere modhe vich darad hai).