Linguistically, I think of 'dugu' as a small, cozy pocket of folk culture — a word that usually shows up as a nickname or as a clipped form of a musical word. In everyday North Indian speech you'll often hear the related word 'dugdugi' (देवनागरी: दुगडुगी), which is a little handheld percussion instrument whose name is basically onomatopoeic: the word imitates the re
petitive, sharp sound the drum makes. People sometimes shorten that to 'dugu' or 'duggu' in casual talk, especially when referring to the rhythmic beat itself rather than the instrument.
From a cultural-origin angle, the root is very much tied to oral, street and devotional traditions. The tiny drum belongs to a long line of simple instruments used by bards, street performers, temple criers and small-time entertainers across India and parts of South Asia. Because the name imitates the sound, it feels like a naturally evolving local label, not a formal Sanskrit coinage. That onomatopoeic naming tradition is common across Indian languages — you see it with animal sounds, drum sounds and carnival calls.
On
the other side, 'Duggu' (often spelled Duggu, दुग्गू or डुग्गू) is also a cozy pet-name used all over India — kids, close friends, or characters in movies and TV get called that. So when someone asks what 'dugu' means in Hindi, I usually answer: it can mean a cute nickname, or it can be shorthand for the little drum/sound 'dugdugi', rooted in popular, performative folk culture. I love how a single tiny word carries both aural history and affectionate
Everyday Use.