नमकीन (namkiin)
noun/adjective
Basically means 'salty' -- as an adjective it describes taste, and as a noun it refers to the whole category of savory, salty snacks (namkiin) you'd serve with tea or during festivals.
Sense
1
:
savory snacks (collective term)
noun, feminine Used as a mass/collective noun -- you don't usually count individual items with it the way you'd count पकौड़े (pakaude); it refers to the category as a whole, similar to how 'snacks' works in English.
Synonyms: नमकीन चीज़ें (namkiin chiizen, descriptive phrase, not a true synonym)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: Walk into any Indian grocery or sweet shop and you'll see a glass case of नमकीन (namkiin) sold by weight alongside मिठाई (mithaaii, sweets) -- the two categories are the standard pairing for guests, festivals, and tea-time. Families often keep a steel container of नमकीन (namkiin) at home specifically for unexpected visitors.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes treat नमकीन (namkiin) as always referring to one specific item, when it actually covers a whole family of fried, spiced, salty snacks -- sev, chanachur, mixture, and so on -- sold loose by weight in shops. 2) Don't confuse it with नाश्ता (naashtaa) 'breakfast/snack time' -- नमकीन (namkiin) is the food itself, not the occasion of eating.
Sample Sentences:
क्या घर में कुछ नमकीन है? मेहमान आने वाले हैं।
Is there any namkeen at home? Guests are about to come.
(kyaa ghar men kuchh namkiin hai? mehmaan aane vaale hain।)
माँ चाय के साथ नमकीन ले आई।
Mom brought namkeen along with the tea.
(maan chaay ke saath namkiin le aaii।)
हम शाम को अक्सर नमकीन खाते हैं।
We often eat namkeen in the evening.
(ham shaam ko aksar namkiin khaate hain।)
दुकानदार शीशे के जार में नमकीन रख रहा था।
The shopkeeper was putting namkeen in a glass jar.
(dukaandaar shiishe ke jaar men namkiin rakh rahaa thaa।)
त्योहार पर मिठाई और नमकीन दोनों बाँटे जाते हैं।
During festivals, both sweets and savory snacks are distributed.
(tyohaar par mithaaii aur namkiin donon baante jaate hain।)
जरा एक किलो नमकीन तो ले आओ।
Please go get a kilo of namkeen.
(jaraa ek kilo namkiin to le aao।)
अगर मेहमान आते, तो हमें कुछ नमकीन बनवा लेना चाहिए था।
If guests had come, we should have gotten some namkeen made.
(agar mehmaan aate, to hamen kuchh namkiin banvaa lenaa chaahie thaa।)
स्टील के डिब्बे में हमेशा कुछ न कुछ नमकीन रखा रहता है।
There's always some namkeen or another kept in the steel container.
(stiil ke dibbe men hameshaa kuchh n kuchh namkiin rakhaa rahtaa hai।)
इस दुकान की नमकीन बहुत मशहूर है।
This shop's namkeen is very famous.
(is dukaan kii namkiin bahut mashahoor hai।)
हो सकता है दुकान में आज नमकीन खत्म हो गई हो।
It's possible the namkeen has run out at the shop today.
(ho saktaa hai dukaan men aaj namkiin khatm ho gaii ho।)
दिवाली से पहले हर घर में मिठाई और नमकीन बनाई जाती है।
Before Diwali, sweets and namkeen are made in every household.
(divaalii se pahle har ghar men mithaaii aur namkiin banaaii jaatii hai।)
Sense
2
:
salty (taste)
adjective
Synonyms: नमकीला (namkiilaa, less common variant)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: This is the word you'll hear when someone complains कि सब्ज़ी बहुत नमकीन है (sabzii bahut namkiin hai, 'the vegetable dish is too salty') -- it's the everyday opposite of मीठा (miithaa, sweet) when describing food.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes reach for नमक वाला (namak vaalaa) to mean 'salty,' but नमकीन (namkiin) is the natural adjective a native speaker uses for taste, as opposed to describing something as literally 'containing salt.'
Sample Sentences:
यह सब्ज़ी बहुत नमकीन है।
This vegetable dish is very salty.
(yah sabzii bahut namkiin hai।)
मुझे नमकीन खाना पसंद है, मीठा नहीं।
I like salty food, not sweet.
(mujhe namkiin khaanaa pasand hai, miithaa nahiin।)
कल की दाल थोड़ी ज़्यादा नमकीन बन गई थी।
Yesterday's lentils turned out a bit too salty.
(kal kii daal thodii zyaadaa namkiin ban gaii thii।)
अगर तुम और नमक डालोगे तो सब्ज़ी बहुत नमकीन हो जाएगी।
If you add more salt, the vegetable dish will become very salty.
(agar tum aur namak daaloge to sabzii bahut namkiin ho jaaegii।)
इतना नमक मत डालो, नहीं तो खाना नमकीन हो जाएगा।
Don't add so much salt, or the food will become salty.
(itnaa namak mat daalo, nahiin to khaanaa namkiin ho jaaegaa।)
अगर इसमें थोड़ा और नमक होता, तो यह ज़्यादा नमकीन लगता।
If there were a bit more salt in this, it would taste saltier.
(agar ismen thodaa aur namak hotaa, to yah zyaadaa namkiin lagtaa।)
शायद यह अचार बहुत नमकीन हो।
This pickle might be very salty.
(shaayad yah achaar bahut namkiin ho।)
समुद्र का पानी बहुत नमकीन होता है।
Sea water is very salty.
(samudr kaa paanii bahut namkiin hotaa hai।)
रेस्टोरेंट में शिकायत की गई कि खाना बहुत नमकीन परोसा गया था।
A complaint was made at the restaurant that the food had been served too salty.
(restorent men shikaayat kii gaii ki khaanaa bahut namkiin parosaa gayaa thaa।)
मेहमान बोले कि सूप ज़रा नमकीन है, पर स्वादिष्ट बहुत है।
The guest said the soup is a little salty, but very delicious.
(mehmaan bole ki soop zaraa namkiin hai, par svaadisht bahut hai।)
इस डिश को कम नमकीन रखना, बच्चों के लिए बना रहे हैं।
Keep this dish less salty, we are making it for the kids.
(is dish ko kam namkiin rakhnaa, bachchon ke lie banaa rahe hain।)
Morphology
Noun
(sg.f.direct):
नमकीन
(namkiin)
(sg.f.oblique):
नमकीन
(namkiin)
(pl.f.direct):
नमकीनें
(namkiinen)
(pl.f.oblique):
नमकीनों
(namkiinon)
Adjective (variable)
(sg.m):
नमकीन
(namkiin)
(pl.m):
नमकीने
(namkiine)
(sg.f):
नमकीनी
(namkiinii)
(pl.f):
नमकीनी
(namkiinii)