# دوزخ
## Persian
### Etymology

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.

### Pronunciation

* (Classical Persian) IPA: [doː.zax]
* (Dari, formal) IPA: [d̪oː.zäx]
* (Dari, formal) IPA: [d̪oː.zäx]
** (Kabuli) IPA: [d̪oː.zäx]
** (Hazaragi) IPA: [d̪ʊː.zäx]
* (Iran, formal) IPA: [d̪uː.zæx]
* (Tajik, formal) IPA: [d̪ɵ.zäχ]

### Noun

دوزَخ • (duzax)
* hell
    Synonym: جَهَنَّم (jahannam)
    Antonym: بِهِشْت (behešt)

#### Derived terms

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

#### Descendants

* → Azerbaijani: duzəx
* → Baluchi: دوزخ (dózux)
* → Bengali: দোজখ (dōjokh)
* → Gurani: دۆزەخ (dōzax)
* → Hindustani:
** → Old Hindi: दोजग (dojaga)
*** → Hindi: दोज़ख़ (dozax)
*** → Urdu: دوزَخ (dozax)
**** → Ushojo: دوزخ
* → Kazakh: дозақ (dozaq)
* → Kurdish:
    Central Kurdish: دۆزەخ (dozex)
    Southern Kurdish: دووزەخ (dûzex)
* → Ottoman Turkish: دوزخ (dûzah)
* → Uyghur: دوزاخ (dozax)
* → Pashto: دوزَخ (dōzax), دوږخ (doẓax)
* → Old Punjabi: ਦੋਜਕੁ (dojaku)
** Punjabi:
    Gurmukhi script: ਦੋਜ਼ਖ਼ (dozax)
    Shahmukhi script: دوزَخ (dozax)
* → Turkmen: dowzah
* → Uzbek: doʻzax

### References

* 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

## Urdu
### Etymology

Borrowed from Classical Persian دوزَخ (dōzax), derived from Middle Persian 𐭣𐭥𐭱𐭧𐭥𐭩 (dušox, “hell”), from Proto-Iranian *dušHahua (“hell”). Cognate with Bengali দোজখ (dōjokh), Old Hindi दोजग (dojaga), Gujarati દોજખ (dojakh) Old Punjabi ਦੋਜਕੁ (dojaku), Punjabi ਦੋਜ਼ਖ਼ (dozax) / دوزَخ (dozax), Pashto دوغښ (doǧaẍ), Baluchi دوجک (dōǰak) / دوږخ (doẓax), Chechen жоьжахати (žöžaxati), Azerbaijani duzəx, Gurani دۆزەخ (dōzax), Ushojo دوزخ (dōzax), Kazakh дозақ (dozaq), Central Kurdish دۆزەخ (dozex), Southern Kurdish دووزەخ (dûzex), Ottoman Turkish دوزخ (dûzah), Uyghur دوزاخ (dozax), Pashto دوزخ (dōzax) / دوږخ (doẓax), Turkmen dowzah, Uzbek doʻzax.

### Pronunciation

* (Standard Urdu) IPA: /d̪oː.zəx/
* Audio (Pakistan):(file)
* Rhymes: -əx
* Hyphenation: دو‧زَخ

### Noun

دوزَخ • (dozax) m (Hindi spelling दोज़ख़)
* (religion) hell, hellfire
* (figurative) the stomach (especially one that is hungry), an empty stomach
* (Islam) Nafs-e-Ammarah (the human inclination or ego towards sin)

#### Derived terms

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

### References

* “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.

## Ushojo
### Etymology

From Urdu دوزخ (dōzax).

### Noun

دوزخ (dōzax)
* hell, hellfire