ਨਫ਼ਰਤ

Nafrat (ਨਫ਼ਰਤ) is the Punjabi word for hatred: an intense dislike and ill will toward a person or thing, stronger and colder than ordinary dislike. It is the direct opposite of pyaar and mohabbat, love. Punjabis use it for deep personal hatred, and for hatred aimed at injustice or cruelty.

What does nafrat mean in Punjabi?

Nafrat means hatred, hate, detestation and loathing. Rekhta's dictionary gives it as a feminine noun of Arabic origin, with meanings running from extreme dislike and disgust to abhorrence, and sets it as the opposite of love. Dictionaries of the region list the same word, pronounced nafrat, as the Punjabi word for hatred. It is a heavy word, kept for feelings that go well beyond a passing quarrel.

Unlike gussa, which flares up and then cools down, nafrat settles in. Gussa is a hot moment; nafrat is a settled refusal, a wish to have nothing to do with someone or something. Punjabi speakers mark the steps clearly: na-pasand is simple dislike, gussa is anger of the moment, and nafrat is dislike that has hardened into a lasting stance.

What is the difference between nafrat and gussa?

Gussa is anger: hot, quick, and usually aimed at something just done. Nafrat is hatred: slower, deeper, and aimed at the person or thing itself, not at one act. A mother can be in gussa with her son for an evening and love him throughout; nafrat leaves no room for that warmth. That is why Punjabi advice treats nafrat as the more dangerous guest in the heart.

How do you say hatred in Punjabi?

You say nafrat. The common spoken forms are nafrat karna, to hate, nafrat hona, to feel hatred, and nafrat bhariya, filled with hatred. In advice and verse the word is often answered by its opposite: nafrat should be met with pyaar, not with more nafrat, a line of thought the Rekhta entry also records in its example sentences.