sukhī

masc nom sg of sukhī (adj); masc nom pl of sukhī (adj); fem nom sg of sukhī (adj); nt nom pl of sukhī (adj); …

at ease; happy; comfortable
happy one; who is at ease; who is happy; who is comfortable

Built from

su — prefix · well, good
The Indo-European su- (Greek eu-, English well-); here intensifying ease as the supreme good. Spatial image: moving easily, without resistance.
kha — root · empty space, void
The hollow space in a chariot wheel's axle (the hub). By metaphor, freedom from impediment, hence ease and comfort. No direct European cognate, but the image of openness and flow underlies pleasure.

Etymology. su- (well, good) + kha (void, hollow space in a wheel's axle). The well-being is grounded in ease of motion, freedom from friction or obstruction — the joy of unimpeded flow. Cognate with Sanskrit sukha and Greek hedone (pleasure), both built on the root for empty space or openness. Related distantly to English "hollow" and "hole".

Meanings from the Digital Pāḷi Dictionary; morphology and etymology by Claude.

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