What does dak mean?
Dak is the word used in Indian English for the country's postal system, and by extension for the mail itself that travels through it. Borrowed from Hindi during the era of British administration, it became embedded in the vocabulary of the subcontinent and survives there today as the ordinary word for post — a letter may be said to arrive 'by dak'. The term is especially associated with the historical infrastructure of mail delivery, including the famous dak runners who carried letters on foot between staging points, and with the dak bungalows that offered travellers lodging along postal routes. Outside South Asia, dak now appears largely in historical or literary contexts describing colonial India, giving it an evocative, period quality. For readers of accounts of the Raj or of modern Indian life, recognising dak is essential to understanding both everyday correspondence and the logistics of communication across a vast country.
nounIn India, the official postal system for carrying mail; also, the mail itself delivered by this system.
- The Indian postal system or service for conveying mail.
- Mail or letters carried by this system.
"The letter travelled to Calcutta by dak, arriving a fortnight after it was posted."
"The dak arrives in the hill station twice a week."
"He spent years as a dak runner, carrying mail across the mountain passes."
Rarely pluralised; when used, 'daks' refers to individual items or batches of mail sent via the system.
"Several daks were delayed by the monsoon floods."
Before email, a letter crossing India moved by dak — relayed on foot by runners who handed it on stage by stage through the night.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of dak
Dak entered English during the period of British rule in India, borrowed from Hindi ḍāk, meaning post or mail. The word reflects the established network for conveying letters across the subcontinent, which predated and was later formalised under British administration. It remains current in Indian English, though elsewhere it is now chiefly historical.
How dak is actually used
'Dak' belongs mainly to South Asian English and colonial-era usage; outside India it appears mostly in historical writing about the Raj. It carries a period flavour and is not used in everyday British or American English.
Easily confused with dak
'Dock' refers to a berth for ships or an area of water, whereas 'dak' is the Indian term for the postal system and its mail.