As a foreigner or non-native speaker, one of the most difficult things to understand while learning Hindi is the concept of kaarak (कारक). Loosely speaking, kaaraks are connectors that tell us about the relationship between different nouns of a sentence. Even though the usage is intuitive to a native speaker, it is often difficult to understand why we are arriving upon certain constructions. Today, let us try to break down these connectors.
A Note on Transliteration
- The short vowel ‘अ’ pronounced ‘uh’ is transliterated as a single ‘a’, while the long vowel आ is transliterated with an ‘aa’.
- The retroflex ण sound is denoted by a dot under the n.
- The hard consonants ट and ड are denoted by using a dot under the t and d respectively.
- Any text inside these {} brackets indicate that the text can be omitted without changing the meaning of the sentence.
Description Format
Each sentence is described in 4 ways.
- Hindi sentence, in Roman text.
- Hindi sentence, in Devanagari text.
- Phrasal translation – a phrase by phrase translation that corresponds to Hindi sentence structure, but using words in English.
- Proper English translation.
Phrasal translations are omitted in some descriptions, where they are unnecessary.
Noun Types and Postpositional Relationships
In Hindi, a noun has three qualities – its gender (लिंग), number (वचन), and case (कारक).
So, what is the concept of kaarak (कारक)? It defines how the verb connects with the subject and the object.
The table below is often found in textbooks or study guides.
कारक Kaarak | चिन्ह Chinh (symbol) | अर्थ Arth (meaning) | Case (in English) |
कर्ता Kartaa | ने ne | जो कार्य को कर रहा है Doer of the action | Nominative or Subjective or Ergative |
कर्म Karm | को ko | जिस चीज़ पर कार्य किया जा रहा है Receiver of the action | Objective |
करण Karaṇ | से se, के द्वारा ke dwara | जिस चीज़ का उपयोग करते हुए कार्य किया जा रहा है Using which object or tool the action is performed | Instrumental |
संप्रदान Sampradaan | को ko, के लिए ke liye | कार्य किस के लिए किया जा रहा है For whom the action is done | Dative |
आपादान Aapaadaan | से se (अलग होना alag hona) | कार्य के दौरान कर्ता किस चीज़ से अलग हो रहा है To separate from something | Ablative |
संबंध Sambandh | का ka के ke की ki, रा ra रे re री ri | अन्य nouns के क्या संबंध हैं To show possession | Possessive |
अधिकरण Adhikaraṇ | में men, पर par | क्रिया का आधार (कार्य कहाँ हो रहा है?) To show on, in, or about (basis) | Locative |
सम्बोधन Sambodhan | हे He, हो ho, अरे are, अजी aji, ऐ aye, ओ oh | लोगों को बुलाने का तरीक़ा Ways of addressing | Vocative
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Note: The kaarak chinh can also be called vibhakti (विभक्ति), which means declension, or parsarg (परसर्ग), which means postposition. In Hindi, we add kaarak chinhs or symbols, while in Sanskrit, the noun itself changes form depending on what role it is playing in the sentence.
In Hindi, we usually use the oblique case while using a kaarak of the verb.
The Karta Kaarak कर्ता कारक Nominative or Subjective Case (ने)
The word karta (कर्ता) refers to the noun that performs the action (क्रिया). In other words, it points out who is the doer of the action being talked about. The kaarak chinh for this case is ne ने.
Let us see some simples examples below:
- Mala ne khaana pakaaya.
माला ने खाना पकाया।
Mala cooked food. - Samar ne ber tode.
समर ने बेर तोड़े।
Samar plucked the berries. - Krishna ne bansuri bajaayi.
कृष्ण ने बाँसुरी बजाई।
Krishna played the flute. - Bacchon ne poora school sajaya.
बच्चों ने पूरा स्कूल सजाया।
The children decorated the entire school. - Maine apne doston se bahut baatien ki.
मैंने अपने दोस्तों से बहुत बातें की।
I talked a lot with my friends. - Shreya ne apne iPod par do ghante gaane sune.
श्रेया ने अपने iPod पर दो घंटे गाने सुने।
Shreya listened to music on her iPod for two hours.
Things to keep in mind when using the kaarak chinh ने:
It is used to describe an event or task in the past.
- Ram ne khana khaaya.
राम ने खाना खाया।
Ram ate food. - Ram ne Raavan ko baan se maara.
राम ने रावण को बाण से मारा।
Ram killed Ravan with an arrow.
In other cases, we do not use the ने kaarak chinh. The noun is still the doer of the action, but the kaarak chinh is implicit. These cases involve:
1. Tenses other than those describing a past event.
- Simple present tense:
- Ram khana khata hai.
राम खाना खाता है।
Ram eats food.
- Ram khana khata hai.
- Present continuous tense:
- Ram khana kha raha hai.
राम खाना खा रहा है।
Ram is eating food.
- Ram khana kha raha hai.
- Future tense:
- Ram khana khaane wala hai.
राम खाना खाने वाला है।
Ram is going to/about to eat food.
- Ram khana khaane wala hai.
- Future tense:
- Ram kal bohot khaana khaayega.
राम कल बहुत खाना खाएगा।
Ram will eat a lot of food tomorrow.
- Ram kal bohot khaana khaayega.
2. Description of a recurring action.
- Reeta roz subha suryanamaskar karti hai. (no ne)
रीता रोज़ सुबह सूर्यनमस्कार करती है। (no ने)
Rita does sun salutations every morning.
- Reeta roz subha suryanamaskar karti hai. (no ne)
- Reeta ne suryanamaskar kiya. (ne is used)
रीता ने सूर्यनमस्कार किया। (ने is used)
Rita did a sun salutation.
- Reeta ne suryanamaskar kiya. (ne is used)
3. With the verbs aana (आना, to come) and jaana (जाना, to go):
- Ram ne Mumbai gaya. राम ने मुंबई आया। (INCORRECT)
- Rita ne ghar aaya. राम ने घर गया। (INCORRECT)
In both these sentences, we have to omit the kaarak chinh ने.
4. With intransitive verbs like नाचना, हँसना, चलना, रोना, भागना, गिरना, सोना etc.
- Raja ne Bunty ki shaadi me bahut naacha. राजा ने बंटी की शादी में बहुत नाचा (INCORRECT)
- Maine kal bahut soya. मैंने कल बहुत सोया। (INCORRECT)
Technically, you don’t need the ने in these sentences, but sometimes native speakers, especially from western India, use this construction colloquially.
The Karm Kaarak कर्म कारक Objective Case (को)
The karm kaarak, which is represented by the symbol को, signifies the recipient of the action, or the person or object on which the action is performed. We can roughly translate it to the English preposition ‘to’. This can also be linked to the grammatical concept of a direct object.
Here are some examples:
- Adhyapika ne Ramesh ko daanṭa.
अध्यापिका ने रमेश को डाँटा।
The teacher, to Ramesh, scolded.
The teacher scolded Ramesh.
- Adhyapika roz Ramesh ko daanṭti hai.
अध्यापिका रमेश को रोज डांटती है।
The teacher, to Ramesh, scolds everyday.
The teacher scolds Ramesh every day.
- Kal Adhyapika Ramesh ko daanṭegi.
कल अध्यापिका रमेश को डाँटेगी।
Tomorrow, teacher, to Ramesh, will scold.
The teacher will scold Ramesh tomorrow. - Tum machli ko thodi der aur pakaao.
तुम मछली को थोड़ी देर और पकाओ।
You, to the fish, for a little more time, cook.
Cook the fish a little while longer. - Meena ne kutte ko khaana diya.
मीना ने कुत्ते को खाना दिया।
Meena, to the dog, gave food.
Meena gave food to the dog. - Maine apni dost ko paani diya.
मैंने अपनी दोस्त को पानी दिया।
I, to my friend, gave water.
I gave water to my friend.
Let us see some indianisms now:
- Adhyapika ne Mahesh ko Maths exam me fail kar diya.
अध्यापिका ने महेश को मैथ्स इग्ज़ैम में fail कर दिया।
The teacher, to Mahesh, failed in the test.
The teacher failed Mahesh in the Maths exam. (This means that the teacher did not give a passing grade to Mahesh in the exam). - Maine aaj boss ko impress kar diya!
मैंने आज बॉस को impress कर दिया!
I today, to my boss, impressed.
I made quite a good impression on my boss today!
When talking about people, living things, and other proper nouns, we do not omit the kaarak chinh को.
- Rashmi ne boodhe baba ko kuch paise diye.
रश्मि ने बूढ़े बाबा को कुछ पैसे दिए।
Rashmi, to the old man, gave some money.
Rashmi gave some money to the old man.
- Abdul apne tote ko kavita sikha raha hai.
अब्दुल अपने तोते को कविता सिखा रहा है।
Abdul, to his parrot, is teaching a poem.
Abdul is teaching his parrot a poem.
When referring to generic and inanimate objects, we can use or not use ko (and usually, it depends on the verb), but not using ko is more common.
- Ram ne khaane ko khaya. राम ने खाने को खाया। – grammatically correct but sounds unnatural
- Ram ne khana khaya. राम ने खाना खाया। – grammatically correct, and sounds more natural
Both sentences mean Ram ate food.
In Hindi, we have a saying that goes बिल्ली ने रास्ता काटा (lit. the cat cut the road/path). It is considered an inauspicious omen. We never say बिल्ली ने रास्ते को काटा!
The Karaṇ Kaaran करण कारक Instrumental Case (से, के द्वारा)
We use the karaṇ kaarak with the symbol से or के द्वारा to highlight ‘using what’. We can roughly translate to the English ‘by’/‘using’/‘via’.
Let us see some examples below:
- Ram ne Ravan ko baan se maara.
राम ने रावण को बाण से मारा।
Ram, to Ravan, using arrow, killed.
Ram killed Ravan using an arrow.
- Lata ne aam {ko} chammach se khaya.
लता ने आम {को} चम्मच से खाया।
Lata, to the mango, using spoon, ate.
Lata ate the mango with (using) a spoon.
- Radha ne noodles ko chopsticks se khaya.
Radha, to the noodles, using chopsticks, ate.
राधा ने noodles को chopsticks से खाया।
Radha ate noodles with (using) chopsticks.
- Maine ye sweater apne haathon se banaya hai.
मैंने ये sweater अपने हाथों से बनाया है।
I, to this sweater, with my own hands, made.
I made this sweater with (using) my own hands.
- Usne iss painting ko oil paints se banaya hai.
उसने इस painting को oil paints से बनाया है।
She, to this painting, using oil paints has made.
She has made this painting using oil paints.
- Main kal flight se Dilli ja rahi hoon.
मैं कल flight से दिल्ली जा रही हूँ।
I, tomorrow, via flight, to Delhi am going.
I am going to Delhi via airplane tomorrow.
- Tum Bombay train se aaye ya plane se?
तुम बॉम्बे ट्रेन से आए या प्लेन से?
You, to Bombay, came via train or via plane?
Did you come to Mumbai via train or airplane?
The Sampradaan Kaarak संप्रदान कारक Dative Case (को, के लिए)
The sampradaan kaarak tells us for whom the action is being done. Very often, this is equivalent to the indirect object in English. Let us see some examples:
- Papa ne mummy ke liye chai banayi.
पापा ने मम्मी के लिए चाय बनाई।
Dad, for mom, made tea.
Dad made tea for mom. - Maine apne dost ke liye card banaya.
मैंने अपने दोस्त के लिए card बनाया।
I, for my friend, made a card.
I made a card for my friend. - Sarkar gareeb logon ko/ke liye rashan deti hai.
सरकार ग़रीब लोगों को/के लिए राशन देती है।
The government, for/to poor people, gives groceries.
The government gives groceries/staples to the poor.
(here the ko is signifying both recipient and for whom the action is being done) - Lata apne parcel ke liye saara din intezaar karti rahi.
लता अपने पार्सल के लिए सारा दिन इंतज़ार करती रही।
Lata, for her parcel, all day, kept waiting.
Lata waited for her parcel the entire day.
The Aapaadaan Kaarak आपादान कारक Ablative Case (से)
When you want to show separation, comparison, emergence, distance, or an emotion such as fear, shyness etc. you can use the aapaadaan kaarak with its symbol से. It can roughly be translated to the English postposition ‘from’.
Here are some examples:
- Separation
- Ram gaadi se utar gaya.
राम गाड़ी से उतर गया।
Ram, from the car, got down.
Ram got down from the car.
- Ram gaadi se utar gaya.
- Anna Sewell ghode se gir gayi.
Anna Sewell घोड़े से गिर गयी।
Anna Sewell, from the horse, fell off.
Anna Sewell fell off the horse.
- Anna Sewell ghode se gir gayi.
- Mujhse door mat jaao.
मुझसे दूर मत जाओ।
From me, far, don’t go.
Don’t go away from me! - Tum ne mujhse meri saari jaaydaad cheen li.
तुमने मुझसे मेरी सारी जायदाद छीन ली।
You, from me, all my property, have snatched.
You have snatched all my property from me!
- Mujhse door mat jaao.
- Comparison
- Main tum se lamba hoon.
मैं तुम से लंबा हूँ।
I, from you, am tall.
I am taller than you. - Main umar me tum se bada hoon.
मैं उम्र में तुम से बड़ा हूँ।
I, in age, from you, am big.
I am older than you.
- Main tum se lamba hoon.
- Emergence
- Tum kahan se aaye ho?
तुम कहाँ से आए हो?
You, from where, have come?
Where have you come from?
- Tum kahan se aaye ho?
- Uske baalon se mogre ki khushboo a rahi thhi.
उसके बालों से मोगरे की खुशबू आ रही थी
From her hair, the scent of jasmine, was coming.
Her hair smelled of jasmine.
- Uske baalon se mogre ki khushboo a rahi thhi.
- Chhat se paani tapakne laga.
छत से पानी टपकने लगा।
From the ceiling, water started dripping.
Water started dripping from the ceiling.
- Chhat se paani tapakne laga.
- Distance
- Dilli Mumbai se kitna door hai?
दिल्ली मुंबई से कितना दूर है?
Delhi, from Mumbai, is how much far?
How far is Delhi from Mumbai?
- Dilli Mumbai se kitna door hai?
- Emotion
- Uski aankhen sharm (shyness) se jhuk gayin.
उसकी आँखें शर्म से झुक गयीं।
Her eyes, from shyness, bent down.
She shyly lowered her eyes.
- Uski aankhen sharm (shyness) se jhuk gayin.
- Vo ḍar se kaampne lagi.
वो डर से कांपने लगी।
She, from fear, started shaking.
She started shaking from fear.
- Vo ḍar se kaampne lagi.
The Sambandh Kaarak संबंध कारक Possessive Case (का के की, रा रे री)
This kaarak simply shows which noun belongs to which other noun, or denotes a relationship. It is similar to the English preposition ‘of’, or the “‘s” that comes after a noun.
The का के की forms are used with the third person (he, she, they).
For the pronouns I and you, the forms used are slightly different. We use the following forms:
मैं + का -> मेरा
तू + का -> तेरा
तुम + का -> तुम्हारा
The रा रे री forms are useful to identify belonging in the pronouns I and you.
Here are some examples:
Meri gudiya – मेरी गुड़िया – My doll
Ram ki kitaab – राम की किताब
Tere naina – तेरे नैना
Shahrukh ka ghar – शाहरुख का घर
Kalam ki syahi – कलम की स्याही
Computer ki battery – कंप्युटर की बैटरी
Mere mummy-papa – मेरे मम्मी-पापा – my parents
Kapde ki dukaan – कपड़े की दुकान – clothing shop
The Adhikaraṇ Kaarak अधिकरण कारक Locative Case (में, पर)
Adhikaraṇ means where or on what basis the action is taking place. In addition to में (inside) and पर (on), all the other locational postpositions can also be used here.
These locational postpositions are के अंदर, के बाहर, के ऊपर, के नीचे, के बीच में, के side में, के सामने, के आगे, के पीछे, के पास etc.
Here are some examples:
- Main ghar men hoon.
मैं घर मे हूँ।
I’m in the house. - Bhabiji ghar par hain.
भाभी जी घर पर हैं
Sister-in-law is at home. (VERY popular Indian TV soap!) - Kitab kursi par hai.
किताब कुर्सी पर है।
The book is on the chair. - Tum kaunsi seat par baithe ho?
तुम कौंसि सीट पर बैठी हो?
On which seat are you sitting?
It can also be more abstract. For example:
- Ham aaj kis vishay par baat karenge?
हम आज किस विषय पर बात करेंगे?
We, today, on which topic, are conversing?
What are we talking about today?
Activities
Decode:
Chandu ke chacha ne chandu ki chachi ko chandni chowk men chandni raat men chandi ke chamche se chatni chataai
चंदु के चाचा ने चंदु की चाची को चाँदनी चौक में चाँदनी रात में चांदी के चमचे से चटनी चटाई।
Fill in the blanks:
बड़े बड़े देशों ___________ ऐसी छोटी-छोटी बातें होती रहती हैं
Bade bade deshon __men____ aisi chhoti-chhoti baatien hoti rehti hain (dialogue from DDLJ)
This post is a work in progress and we will keep adding more information. Meanwhile, do let us know in the comments if you’d like a specific kaarak explained in more detail!