नहीं (nahiin)

adverb/particle The basic Hindi negator, meaning 'no' or 'not'; also used at the end of a statement to turn it into a question, like English 'isn't it?'

Sense 1 : negation ('not')

adverb Placed before the verb (or before the element being negated) to negate a statement; in the future tense and with चाहिए (chaahie) it commonly appears before the verb, while in habitual/continuous past constructions it often precedes the auxiliary.

Synonyms: न (n, more formal/literary in this use)

Frequency: high

Cultural Note: This is one of the first words every learner absorbs, and Hindi speakers use it constantly as a standalone reply to a yes/no question, much like English 'no.' Notice that Hindi has no single word for 'yes' either -- हाँ (haan) fills that role -- so नहीं (nahiin) and हाँ (haan) form the basic yes/no pair a learner should master together.

Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often put नहीं (nahiin) right after the subject instead of right before the verb phrase, e.g. saying मैं नहीं जाता हूँ (main nahiin jaataa hoon, 'I do not go') is fine, but placement shifts meaning/emphasis depending on what is being negated -- नहीं (nahiin) sits immediately before whatever it negates. 2) With the future tense, learners sometimes forget that नहीं (nahiin) still precedes the verb rather than the subject: वह नहीं जाएगा (vah nahiin jaaegaa, 'he will not go'), not वह जाएगा नहीं for a neutral negative statement (that order shifts emphasis to 'he will NOT go').

Sample Sentences:

मुझे यह किताब नहीं चाहिए। I do not want this book.

(mujhe yah kitaab nahiin chaahie।)

वह कल स्कूल नहीं गया। He did not go to school yesterday.

(vah kal skool nahiin gayaa।)

मैं रोज़ सुबह चाय नहीं पीता। I do not drink tea every morning.

(main roz subah chaay nahiin piitaa।)

वह अभी काम नहीं कर रही है। She is not working right now.

(vah abhii kaam nahiin kar rahii hai।)

हम अगले हफ्ते वहाँ नहीं जाएँगे। We will not go there next week.

(ham agle haphte vahaan nahiin jaaenge।)

यहाँ शोर मत करो, यह सही नहीं है। Don't make noise here, it's not right.

(yahaan shor mat karo, yah sahii nahiin hai।)

अगर वह मेहनत करता, तो नाकाम नहीं होता। If he had worked hard, he would not have failed.

(agar vah mehnat kartaa, to naakaam nahiin hotaa।)

हो सकता है कि वह आज नहीं आए। It's possible that he may not come today.

(ho saktaa hai ki vah aaj nahiin aae।)

यह काम समय पर पूरा नहीं किया गया। This work was not completed on time.

(yah kaam samay par pooraa nahiin kiyaa gayaa।)

निवेदन है कि इस मामले में कोई ढिलाई नहीं बरती जाए। It is requested that no negligence be shown in this matter.

(nivedan hai ki is maamle men koii dhilaaii nahiin bartii jaae।)

समय रहते चेत नहीं गया तो पछताना पड़ेगा। If one does not wake up in time, one will have to regret it.

(samay rahte chet nahiin gayaa to pachhtaanaa padegaa।)

Sense 2 : standalone 'no' (answer to a question)

particle Used alone as a complete utterance in answer to a question, without attaching to a verb.

Frequency: high

Cultural Note: As a one-word answer, नहीं (nahiin) can sound a little blunt on its own in polite conversation, so speakers often soften it with जी (jii) -- जी नहीं (jii nahiin, 'no, sir/madam') -- especially when talking to elders or strangers, or repeat it as नहीं नहीं (nahiin nahiin, 'no, no') to sound more emphatic and conversational rather than curt.

Sample Sentences:

क्या तुम आ रहे हो? नहीं। Are you coming? No.

(kyaa tum aa rahe ho? nahiin।)

क्या आपने खाना खा लिया? जी नहीं। Have you eaten? No, sir.

(kyaa aapne khaanaa khaa liyaa? jii nahiin।)

तुम्हें गुस्सा तो नहीं आया? नहीं नहीं, बिल्कुल नहीं। You're not angry, are you? No, no, not at all.

(tumhen gussaa to nahiin aayaa? nahiin nahiin, bilkul nahiin।)

क्या यह सामान आपका है? नहीं, यह मेरा नहीं है। Is this luggage yours? No, it's not mine.

(kyaa yah saamaan aapkaa hai? nahiin, yah meraa nahiin hai।)

तुमने उससे बात की क्या? नहीं, अभी नहीं की। Did you talk to him? No, not yet.

(tumne usse baat kii kyaa? nahiin, abhii nahiin kii।)

क्या आप चाय लेंगे? जी नहीं, धन्यवाद। Will you have some tea? No, thank you.

(kyaa aap chaay lenge? jii nahiin, dhanyvaad।)

क्या तुम्हें डर लग रहा था? नहीं। Were you scared? No.

(kyaa tumhen dar lag rahaa thaa? nahiin।)

क्या वह सच में इतना बुरा आदमी था? नहीं नहीं, ऐसा मत कहो। Was he really that bad a man? No, no, don't say that.

(kyaa vah sach men itnaa buraa aadmii thaa? nahiin nahiin, aisaa mat kaho।)

अगर मैं वहाँ होता, तो क्या तुम मुझसे यह पूछते? नहीं। If I had been there, would you have asked me this? No.

(agar main vahaan hotaa, to kyaa tum mujhse yah poochhte? nahiin।)

क्या यह प्रस्ताव स्वीकार किया जाएगा? नहीं, इसे अस्वीकार कर दिया जाएगा। Will this proposal be accepted? No, it will be rejected.

(kyaa yah prastaav sviikaar kiyaa jaaegaa? nahiin, ise asviikaar kar diyaa jaaegaa।)

Sense 3 : tag-question marker ('isn't it?', 'right?')

particle Attached to the end of a statement to invite agreement or confirmation, functioning like an English tag question.

Synonyms: क्या (kyaa, different construction, sentence-initial), न (n, lighter/softer tag)

Frequency: high

Cultural Note: This tag-question use is extremely common in spoken Hindi -- tacking on ...है ना? (hai naa) or ...है नहीं? (hai nahiin) at the end of a sentence is the everyday equivalent of English 'right?' or 'isn't it?', and you will hear it constantly in casual Delhi conversation.

Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes treat this नहीं (nahiin) as negating the sentence it follows, but in this use it does not change the statement's truth value at all -- वह अच्छा है, नहीं? (vah achchhaa hai, nahiin?, 'he is good, isn't he?') remains a positive statement, just seeking confirmation.

Sample Sentences:

तुम कल आ रहे हो, नहीं? You're coming tomorrow, right?

(tum kal aa rahe ho, nahiin?)

यह किताब अच्छी है, नहीं? This book is good, isn't it?

(yah kitaab achchhii hai, nahiin?)

तुमने उसे बता दिया, नहीं? You told him, didn't you?

(tumne use bataa diyaa, nahiin?)

आप वहाँ पहले भी गए हैं, नहीं? You've been there before, haven't you?

(aap vahaan pahle bhii gae hain, nahiin?)

मौसम अच्छा है ना? The weather's nice, isn't it?

(mausam achchhaa hai naa?)

हम कल साथ में खाना खाएँगे, नहीं? We'll eat together tomorrow, won't we?

(ham kal saath men khaanaa khaaenge, nahiin?)

यह काम इतना मुश्किल नहीं होगा, नहीं? This work won't be that difficult, will it?

(yah kaam itnaa mushkil nahiin hogaa, nahiin?)

यह फैसला सबकी सहमति से लिया गया था, नहीं? This decision was made with everyone's agreement, wasn't it?

(yah phaislaa sabkii sahamti se liyaa gayaa thaa, nahiin?)

तू रोज़ सुबह दौड़ने जाता है, नहीं? You go running every morning, don't you?

(too roz subah daudne jaataa hai, nahiin?)

अगर पैसे होते तो तुम भी घर खरीद लेते, नहीं? If you had the money, you'd buy a house too, wouldn't you?

(agar paise hote to tum bhii ghar khariid lete, nahiin?)

आप मेरी बात समझ गए, है ना? You understood what I meant, right?

(aap merii baat samajh gae, hai naa?)