शुरू
shurū
/ʃʊˈruː/
Definition
To begin or start something; also used as an adjective meaning "started" or "begun." One of the most common and versatile words in everyday Hindi.
Example
क्लास कल सुबह नौ बजे शुरू होगी।
Show translation
The class will start tomorrow morning at nine o'clock.
Etymology
From Arabic **شُرُوع** (shurūʿ), meaning "beginning" or "commencement," which entered Hindi via Persian during the Mughal era. The Arabic root is شَرَعَ (sharaʿa), "to set out, to begin." Today शुरू is so deeply embedded in Hindi that most speakers don't perceive it as a loanword at all.
Cultural note
शुरू is nearly universal across all registers of Hindi — from formal announcements ("कार्यक्रम शुरू होगा") to casual conversation ("चलो, शुरू करते हैं!"). Its Sanskrit-rooted near-synonym **आरंभ** (ārambh) exists but sounds more formal or literary. You'll also hear the compound **शुरुआत** (shurūʾāt) as a noun meaning "a beginning" or "a start" — great for expressing "in the beginning" (शुरुआत में).