ख़राब (kharaab)

adjective A single core meaning of 'bad, spoiled, out of order' that stretches across food, machines, health, mood, and morals -- one adjective doing a lot of everyday work.

Sense 1 : spoiled, rotten (of food)

adjective

Synonyms: सड़ा हुआ (sadaa huaa, specifically rotten/decayed), बासी (baasii, stale rather than spoiled)

Frequency: high

Cultural Note: This is the phrase every Indian household uses about milk in the summer heat: दूध ख़राब हो गया (doodh kharaab ho gayaa, 'the milk went bad') -- said with real regret, because nobody wants to waste दूध (doodh).

Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes reach for सड़ा हुआ (sadaa huaa) by default, but ख़राब (kharaab) is the everyday word you'll actually hear when someone opens the fridge and says 'this has gone bad' -- सड़ा हुआ (sadaa huaa) is stronger and more visibly rotten.

Sample Sentences:

गरमी में दूध जल्दी ख़राब हो जाता है। In summer, milk goes bad quickly.

(garmii men doodh jaldii kharaab ho jaataa hai।)

अरे, दूध ख़राब हो गया! Oh no, the milk went bad!

(are, doodh kharaab ho gayaa!)

फ्रिज खुला रह गया था, इसलिए सारी सब्ज़ियाँ ख़राब हो गई थीं। The fridge had been left open, so all the vegetables had spoiled.

(phrij khulaa rah gayaa thaa, islie saarii sabziyaan kharaab ho gaii thiin।)

यह रोटी कल की रखी है, कहीं ख़राब न हो गई हो। This bread has been sitting since yesterday, hopefully it hasn't gone bad.

(yah rotii kal kii rakhii hai, kahiin kharaab n ho gaii ho।)

अगर तुमने दही बाहर रखा तो वह ख़राब हो जाएगा। If you leave the yogurt outside, it will go bad.

(agar tumne dahii baahar rakhaa to vah kharaab ho jaaegaa।)

अगर दूध ठीक से उबाला जाता तो वह इतनी जल्दी ख़राब न होता। If the milk had been boiled properly, it wouldn't have spoiled so quickly.

(agar doodh thiik se ubaalaa jaataa to vah itnii jaldii kharaab n hotaa।)

यह पनीर तो ख़राब लग रहा है, इसे मत खाओ। This paneer looks spoiled, don't eat it.

(yah paniir to kharaab lag rahaa hai, ise mat khaao।)

बचा हुआ खाना फ्रिज में रख दो, वरना ख़राब हो जाएगा। Put the leftover food in the fridge, otherwise it will go bad.

(bachaa huaa khaanaa phrij men rakh do, varnaa kharaab ho jaaegaa।)

बाज़ार से लाए फल ख़राब निकले। The fruit brought from the market turned out to be spoiled.

(baazaar se laae phal kharaab nikle।)

इतनी गरमी में मीट रखा रहेगा तो पक्का ख़राब हो जाएगा। If meat is left out in this heat, it will definitely spoil.

(itnii garmii men miit rakhaa rahegaa to pakkaa kharaab ho jaaegaa।)

अन्न को ख़राब होने से बचाना हमारी संस्कृति में पाप से बचना माना जाता है। Saving grain from spoiling is considered, in our culture, akin to avoiding sin.

(ann ko kharaab hone se bachaanaa hamaarii sanskriti men paap se bachnaa maanaa jaataa hai।)

Sense 2 : broken, out of order (of machines/devices)

adjective

Synonyms: बिगड़ा हुआ (bigdaa huaa)

Frequency: high

Cultural Note: You'll hear this constantly about appliances and vehicles: मेरी गाड़ी ख़राब हो गई (merii gaadii kharaab ho gaii, 'my car broke down') or टीवी ख़राब है (tiivii kharaab hai, 'the TV is not working'). It's the default word for 'malfunctioning' in daily complaints, far more common than a technical term.

Sample Sentences:

मेरी गाड़ी ख़राब हो गई है। My car has broken down.

(merii gaadii kharaab ho gaii hai।)

टीवी ख़राब है, आज रात का मैच नहीं देख पाएँगे। The TV is not working, we won't be able to watch tonight's match.

(tiivii kharaab hai, aaj raat kaa maich nahiin dekh paaenge।)

पिछले हफ़्ते फ्रिज ख़राब हो गया था। The fridge broke down last week.

(pichhle hafte phrij kharaab ho gayaa thaa।)

अगर तुमने मशीन ठीक से नहीं चलाई, तो वह ख़राब हो जाएगी। If you don't operate the machine properly, it will break down.

(agar tumne mashiin thiik se nahiin chalaaii, to vah kharaab ho jaaegii।)

पंखा ख़राब पड़ा है, कोई मिस्त्री बुलाओ। The fan is broken, call some repairman.

(pankhaa kharaab padaa hai, koii mistrii bulaao।)

अगर एसी ख़राब न होता, तो हम इतना नहीं तपते। If the AC weren't broken, we wouldn't be roasting this much.

(agar esii kharaab n hotaa, to ham itnaa nahiin tapte।)

लगता है इंजन में कुछ ख़राब है। It seems something is wrong with the engine.

(lagtaa hai injan men kuchh kharaab hai।)

शायद वाशिंग मशीन का मोटर ख़राब हो। The washing machine's motor might be faulty.

(shaayad vaashing mashiin kaa motar kharaab ho।)

कल तक मशीन ख़राब की जा चुकी थी, किसी ने ध्यान नहीं दिया। By yesterday the machine had already been broken, but no one had noticed.

(kal tak mashiin kharaab kii jaa chukii thii, kisii ne dhyaan nahiin diyaa।)

यह प्रिंटर बार-बार ख़राब हो जाता है, ऑफ़िस में सबको परेशानी होती है। This printer keeps breaking down again and again, it troubles everyone in the office.

(yah printar baar-baar kharaab ho jaataa hai, ofis men sabko pareshaanii hotii hai।)

मोबाइल का स्पीकर ख़राब हो चुका है। The phone's speaker has already gone bad.

(mobaail kaa spiikar kharaab ho chukaa hai।)

Sense 3 : unwell, out of sorts (of health)

adjective

Synonyms: बीमार (biimaar, more specifically 'ill')

Frequency: high

Cultural Note: तबीयत ख़राब होना (tabiiyat kharaab honaa) is the go-to phrase for 'feeling off' -- useful for skipping work or college without committing to a specific ailment, much like English 'I'm not feeling great' as a soft, deniable excuse.

Common Mistakes: 1) मेरी तबीयत ख़राब है (merii tabiiyat kharaab hai, 'I'm not feeling well') is milder than saying you are बीमार (biimaar, 'sick') -- it covers everything from a mild headache to genuine illness, so don't over-translate it as a diagnosis.

Sample Sentences:

आज मेरी तबीयत ख़राब है, इसलिए मैं ऑफिस नहीं जा रहा। My health is not well today, so I'm not going to the office.

(aaj merii tabiiyat kharaab hai, islie main ophis nahiin jaa rahaa।)

कल रात से उसकी तबीयत ख़राब चल रही है। She's been feeling unwell since last night.

(kal raat se uskii tabiiyat kharaab chal rahii hai।)

मम्मी की तबीयत ख़राब हो गई थी, इसलिए हमें डॉक्टर को बुलाना पड़ा। Mom had fallen ill, so we had to call the doctor.

(mammii kii tabiiyat kharaab ho gaii thii, islie hamen doktar ko bulaanaa padaa।)

अगर तुम्हारी तबीयत ख़राब हो तो घर पर ही आराम करो। If you're not feeling well, just rest at home.

(agar tumhaarii tabiiyat kharaab ho to ghar par hii aaraam karo।)

अगर मेरी तबीयत ख़राब न होती तो मैं पार्टी में ज़रूर आता। If I hadn't been unwell, I would definitely have come to the party.

(agar merii tabiiyat kharaab n hotii to main paartii men zaroor aataa।)

सर, माफ़ कीजिए, मेरी तबीयत थोड़ी ख़राब है, क्या मैं जल्दी निकल सकता हूँ? Sir, excuse me, I'm feeling a bit unwell -- may I leave early?

(sar, maaf kiijie, merii tabiiyat thodii kharaab hai, kyaa main jaldii nikal saktaa hoon?)

बचपन में उसकी तबीयत अक्सर ख़राब रहती थी। In childhood, he used to often be unwell.

(bachpan men uskii tabiiyat aksar kharaab rahtii thii।)

प्रिय महोदय, चूँकि मेरी तबीयत ख़राब है, अतः मैं कल बैठक में उपस्थित नहीं हो पाऊँगा। Dear Sir, since I am unwell, I will not be able to attend tomorrow's meeting.

(priy mahoday, choonki merii tabiiyat kharaab hai, atah main kal baithak men upasthit nahiin ho paaoongaa।)

उसकी तबीयत इतनी ख़राब हो गई कि उसे अस्पताल ले जाना पड़ा। He became so unwell that they had to take him to the hospital.

(uskii tabiiyat itnii kharaab ho gaii ki use asptaal le jaanaa padaa।)

यार, आज तबीयत कुछ ख़राब सी लग रही है, बंक मार लेते हैं। Dude, I'm feeling a bit off today, let's just skip it.

(yaar, aaj tabiiyat kuchh kharaab sii lag rahii hai, bank maar lete hain।)

क्या तुम्हारी तबीयत अब भी ख़राब है या ठीक हो गई? Are you still unwell, or have you recovered now?

(kyaa tumhaarii tabiiyat ab bhii kharaab hai yaa thiik ho gaii?)

Sense 4 : bad, unpleasant, of poor quality (general/moral)

adjective

Synonyms: बुरा (buraa), घटिया (ghatiyaa, low-quality, harsher)

Frequency: high

Cultural Note: This is the catch-all sense: मौसम ख़राब है (mausam kharaab hai, 'the weather is bad'), मेरा मूड ख़राब है (meraa mood kharaab hai, 'my mood is bad'), उसकी आदत ख़राब है (uskii aadat kharaab hai, 'his habit is bad'). It's remarkably flexible -- almost any noun that can be 'good' in Hindi can also be ख़राब (kharaab).

Common Mistakes: 1) बुरा (buraa) and ख़राब (kharaab) overlap heavily, but ख़राब (kharaab) leans toward describing a state or condition (bad weather, bad mood, bad quality) while बुरा (buraa) leans toward moral or emotional judgment (a bad person, feeling bad) -- native speakers feel the difference even though dictionaries often just say 'bad' for both.

Sample Sentences:

आज मौसम बहुत ख़राब है। The weather is very bad today.

(aaj mausam bahut kharaab hai।)

मेरा मूड आज सुबह से ही ख़राब है। My mood has been bad since this morning.

(meraa mood aaj subah se hii kharaab hai।)

उसकी आदतें बचपन से ही ख़राब थीं। His habits were bad since childhood.

(uskii aadten bachpan se hii kharaab thiin।)

बुरी संगत में रहने से लड़के की सोच ख़राब हो गई। By staying in bad company, the boy's thinking became corrupted.

(burii sangat men rahne se ladke kii soch kharaab ho gaii।)

अगर तुम उसके साथ रहोगे तो तुम्हारी संगत ख़राब हो जाएगी। If you stay with him, your company will turn bad.

(agar tum uske saath rahoge to tumhaarii sangat kharaab ho jaaegii।)

इतनी ख़राब फ़िल्म मैंने आज तक नहीं देखी। I have never seen such a bad movie until today.

(itnii kharaab film mainne aaj tak nahiin dekhii।)

काश उसका व्यवहार इतना ख़राब न होता। I wish his behavior weren't so bad.

(kaash uskaa vyavahaar itnaa kharaab n hotaa।)

इस काम को ख़राब मत करो, वरना सब नाराज़ हो जाएँगे। Don't ruin this work, or everyone will get angry.

(is kaam ko kharaab mat karo, varnaa sab naaraaz ho jaaenge।)

शायद उसकी नीयत इतनी ख़राब न हो जितनी लोग कहते हैं। Perhaps his intentions aren't as bad as people say.

(shaayad uskii niiyat itnii kharaab n ho jitnii log kahte hain।)

उनकी छवि विवाद के बाद बहुत ख़राब हुई। His image became very bad after the controversy.

(unkii chhavi vivaad ke baad bahut kharaab huii।)

समाज में जिस तरह की भाषा का इस्तेमाल हो रहा है, वह बेहद ख़राब मानी जाती है। The kind of language being used in society is considered extremely bad.

(samaaj men jis tarah kii bhaashaa kaa istemaal ho rahaa hai, vah behad kharaab maanii jaatii hai।)

उसकी क़िस्मत ही ख़राब थी, वरना वह ज़रूर कामयाब होता। His luck itself was bad, otherwise he surely would have succeeded.

(uskii qismat hii kharaab thii, varnaa vah zaroor kaamyaab hotaa।)

Morphology

Adjective (invariant)

invariant: ख़राब (kharaab)