Dakar In English: Burp, Belch & Eructation Meaning

Last clinically reviewed: May 20, 2026

Dakar in English is called a burp, or more formally a belch. In medical writing the word is eructation. The reason this question gets typed into Google nearly 30,000 times a month from Pakistan is simple: dakar uses a different word in every English register, so patients aren’t sure which one their doctor will recognise. I get asked the question in my Karachi OPD at least once a week, usually by someone trying to read a medicine review online or translate a foreign relative’s prescription.

Dakar (ڈکار) is known in English as a burp (informal) or a belch (slightly more formal). The medical term is eructation. Pronunciation: BURP /bɜːrp/, BELCH /bɛltʃ/, ERUCTATION /ɪˌrʌkˈteɪʃən/. Common Roman-Urdu spelling variants you may see online: dakar, dakaar, dhakar, dikar, dikaar, dakkar, adakar.

Quick 30-word answer: Dakar in English is a burp (informal), a belch (slightly more formal), or eructation (medical). Khatti dakar is sour belching. Gandi dakar is foul-smelling belching. Khane ki dakar is post-meal belching.

Quick takeaways

• Dakar in English is a burp; the medical word is eructation.
• Khatti dakar = sour belching. Gandi dakar = foul-smelling belching. Khane ki dakar = post-meal belching.
• Healthy adults burp up to 30 times a day, mostly after meals.
• Persistent sour or smelly dakar in Karachi patients usually points to H. pylori, GERD, or aerophagia.
• See a doctor if dakar lasts beyond 2 weeks with reflux, pain, vomiting, or weight loss.

Dakar ko English mein kya kehte hain?

Dakar in English is most commonly called a burp. The slightly more formal English word is belch. Both mean the same thing: air or gas coming up from the stomach through the mouth. Doctors and medical textbooks use eructation. All three describe the same physical event.

The choice of word depends on context. A child saying “I burped” at the dinner table is using everyday English. An adult saying “I have been belching a lot since breakfast” sounds slightly more deliberate. A doctor’s note will read “patient reports frequent eructation.” Pakistani patients searching dakar in english on Google almost always want the lay word (burp or belch), not the textbook one.

Variant spellings, including dakaar, dhakar, dikar, dikaar, dakkar, and adakar, all refer to the same symptom. Adakar isn’t a separate condition. It is just an alternative Roman-Urdu transliteration that some older Urdu speakers use. The English answer is the same in every case.

Burp vs belch vs eructation: what is the difference?

There is no clinical difference. The three words describe the same act. The difference is register. Burp is the most informal. Belch sits in the middle. Eructation is the medical word that appears in textbooks and journal papers.

When a Pakistani patient writes “I had khatti dakar last night” on a WhatsApp message to my clinic, I mentally translate this to “sour belching” or “acid eructation” before responding. The translation works in both directions. A UK pharmacist reading “burping” on a symptom list will think of exactly what you mean by dakar.

Belching becomes a disorder when it is frequent, troublesome, and not relieved by simple dietary measures. The Rome IV criteria classify excessive belching as a recognized functional gastroduodenal disorder when symptoms occur on most days for at least three months.

Adapted from the Rome IV Criteria for Functional Gastroduodenal Disorders, Rome Foundation, 2016.

Types of dakar and their English names

The Roman-Urdu vocabulary around dakar is more specific than English. Patients in my OPD describe at least four distinct types, each with its own English equivalent.

Khatti dakar is sour belching, sometimes also called acid reflux belching. The dakar carries up sour or bitter-tasting stomach fluid. In most of my Karachi patients with this pattern, the underlying cause is gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) or H. pylori-related gastritis. The treatment differs from plain dakar, which is why I keep a separate clinic note for it. For the full treatment plan, see Khatti Dakar Ka Ilaj - sour belching treatment.

Gandi dakar or bad dakar is foul-smelling belching. In English clinical writing the usual descriptions are “foul-smelling burps” or “rotten-egg burps”. The sulphurous smell comes from hydrogen sulphide gas, produced by bacteria in the stomach or small intestine. In Karachi patients, this pattern most often turns out to be small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), H. pylori infection, or delayed gastric emptying. It is one of the more reliable signs that something needs investigating.

Khane ki dakar is post-prandial belching, meaning belching that comes specifically after meals. In English clinical writing it is called postprandial eructation. A small amount of post-meal burping is normal. Everyone swallows some air while eating. It becomes a problem when it is loud, frequent, or accompanied by chest discomfort.

Dakar ana or dakar lena describes the act of burping itself. The English of dakar lena is simply “to burp” or “to let out a belch”. You would say “I burped after dinner”, not “I did a dakar after dinner”.

Dakar kyu aati hai? What causes burping?

Most dakar comes from swallowed air. Every time we eat, drink, or even talk, we swallow small amounts of air. The stomach releases this air through the mouth as a burp. This is normal. A healthy adult can burp 25 to 30 times a day without anything being wrong, and most of these go unnoticed.

Burping becomes a medical concern when one of three patterns appears. Dakar is sour (acid reflux, GERD). Dakar smells bad (bacterial overgrowth, H. pylori, or delayed stomach emptying). Or dakar comes with pain, weight loss, or vomiting (peptic ulcer, gastric inflammation, or in rare cases gastric cancer).

In Pakistan the most common driver of pathological belching I see in OPD is H. pylori, a stomach bacterium that is hyperendemic across South Asia. Population prevalence is estimated above 50% in most Pakistani surveys. Late dinners, carbonated drinks, spicy curry on an empty stomach, and lying down within an hour of eating are the four behavioural triggers I see most often in DHA and Clifton patients with chronic dakar.

Kab doctor dikhana hai? When is dakar a warning sign?

Burping itself is not a disease. It becomes a clinical concern when it changes character or comes with other symptoms. I usually recommend booking a gastroenterology appointment when the dakar is sour or bitter and lasts more than 2 weeks, when the burps smell foul or sulphurous for several days, when burping comes with chest pain, difficulty swallowing, or a feeling of food stuck in the throat, when there is unintentional weight loss, persistent vomiting, or blood in vomit or stool, or when the burping wakes you from sleep.

The American College of Gastroenterology groups frequent belching with reflux symptoms under the GERD spectrum and recommends evaluation rather than indefinite over-the-counter antacid use. Most of my OPD patients with chronic dakar have been on antacids for over six months without ever being tested for H. pylori. That is the test I order first.

Seek emergency care now if you have: blood in vomit (which may look like fresh red blood or dark coffee grounds), black tarry stools, severe sudden chest or upper abdominal pain, persistent vomiting that will not stop, or difficulty swallowing solids and liquids. These are not normal companions of dakar and need same-day evaluation in an emergency department.

Aksar puchhe jaane wale sawaalat (FAQs)

What do we call Dakar in English? Dakar in English is called a burp (informal) or a belch (slightly more formal). The medical term is eructation. All three refer to the same act of releasing swallowed air or stomach gas through the mouth.

What does Dakar mean? Dakar (Urdu: ڈکار) means the act of bringing up swallowed air or gas from the stomach through the mouth, usually with a sound. It is the same as a burp in English. The word covers both the sound and the underlying physical event.

How do you say Dakar in British English? The same as in American English: burp or belch. There is no separate British medical term. Both UK and US doctors understand “I have been burping a lot” or “I keep belching” without any translation.

What does dakkar mean? Dakkar is an alternative Roman-Urdu spelling of dakar. It means the same thing: a burp or a belch. The doubled “k” is a variant transliteration and does not change the meaning.

What is gandi dakar called in English? Gandi dakar is foul-smelling belching or bad-smelling burps. When the smell is sulphurous, the medical description is rotten-egg burps. In Pakistani OPDs this pattern often points to H. pylori infection, bacterial overgrowth in the small intestine, or delayed gastric emptying.

What does dakar ana or dakar lena mean in English? Dakar ana or dakar lena is the verb form. The English of dakar lena is “to burp” or “to let out a belch”. In English you would say “I burped after the meal”, not “I did a dakar after the meal”.

Is excessive dakar a sign of any disease? Sometimes. More than 25 to 30 burps a day, sour-tasting burps, or burps with chest pain or weight loss can point to GERD, H. pylori gastritis, peptic ulcer, or in rare cases gastric outlet obstruction. A stool antigen test and, if needed, an endoscopy usually clarify the cause.

This article is for general information only. It is not a substitute for personalised medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you have symptoms that worry you, especially blood in vomit, black stool, severe pain, persistent vomiting, jaundice, unexplained weight loss, or trouble swallowing, see a doctor or visit an emergency department promptly.

Related reading

For deeper coverage of the conditions behind dakar:

• Khatti dakar ka ilaj - sour belching treatment in Karachi
• GERD aur tezabiat ka ilaj in Urdu
• Seene mein jalan - burning chest causes and remedies
• H. pylori ka ilaj in Urdu
• Pait mein gas - gas in stomach causes and treatment
• Badhazmi ka ilaj in Karachi