कोई (koii)
pronoun/adjective/adverb
कोई (koii) covers 'someone/anyone' as a pronoun and 'some/any' as an adjective before a noun; it also has a fixed idiomatic use meaning 'not particularly/not really' in casual replies.
Sense
1
:
someone, anyone
pronoun
Synonyms: कोई भी (koii bhii, anyone at all)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: This is the word you shout into an empty house or office when you want to know if anyone's around: कोई है? (koii hai?, 'anyone there?'). It's also the polite, vague way to refer to an unnamed person, similar to how English uses 'someone' to avoid naming names.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often try to make कोई (koii) agree in gender or number when it stands alone as a pronoun -- it doesn't change form here regardless of who is meant. 2) In questions like कोई है? (koii hai?, 'is anyone there?') learners sometimes add a plural verb, but the verb stays singular even though the person referred to is unspecified.
Sample Sentences:
क्या कोई मेरी मदद कर सकता है?
Can someone help me?
(kyaa koii merii madad kar saktaa hai?)
Listen: F85
अगर कोई फोन करे तो मुझे बता देना।
If someone calls, let me know.
(agar koii phon kare to mujhe bataa denaa।)
Listen: M85
अगर उस वक्त कोई वहाँ होता, तो हादसा टल जाता।
If someone had been there at that moment, the accident would have been averted.
(agar us vakt koii vahaan hotaa, to haadsaa tal jaataa।)
Listen: F85
इस बारे में किसी को मत बताना।
Don't tell anyone about this.
(is baare men kisii ko mat bataanaa।)
Listen: M85
मुझे नहीं लगता कोई इतनी जल्दी आएगा।
I don't think anyone will come this soon.
(mujhe nahiin lagtaa koii itnii jaldii aaegaa।)
Listen: F85
यह पत्र किसी अज्ञात व्यक्ति द्वारा भेजा गया था।
This letter was sent by someone unknown.
(yah patr kisii agyaat vyakti dvaaraa bhejaa gayaa thaa।)
Listen: M85
महोदय, क्या कोई आपकी सहायता के लिए उपलब्ध होगा?
Sir, will someone be available to assist you?
(mahoday, kyaa koii aapkii sahaaytaa ke lie uplabdh hogaa?)
Listen: F85
कभी-कभी लगता है कि कोई हमें दूर से देख रहा है।
Sometimes it feels like someone is watching us from a distance.
(kabhii-kabhii lagtaa hai ki koii hamen door se dekh rahaa hai।)
Listen: M85
Sense
2
:
some, any (before a noun)
adjective Placed directly before a singular countable noun: कोई किताब (koii kitaab, 'some book/any book'), कोई आदमी (koii aadmii, 'some man').
Synonyms: कुछ (kuchh, used with non-count/plural nouns)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: Think of कोई (koii) as Hindi's 'a certain' or 'some' for one thing at a time -- कोई बात नहीं (koii baat nahiin, 'no problem/never mind') literally uses it this way, treating 'the matter' as an unspecified single thing not worth worrying about.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners reach for कुछ (kuchh) with singular countable nouns out of habit from English 'some', but कोई (koii) is the correct choice there -- कुछ (kuchh) belongs with uncountables or plurals instead.
Sample Sentences:
क्या कोई किताब मेज़ पर रखी है?
Is there some book kept on the table?
(kyaa koii kitaab mez par rakhii hai?)
Listen: M85
मुझे कोई अच्छी फ़िल्म देखनी है।
I want to watch some good movie.
(mujhe koii achchhii film dekhnii hai।)
Listen: F85
अगर कोई समस्या हो तो मुझे बताना।
If there's some problem, let me know.
(agar koii samasyaa ho to mujhe bataanaa।)
Listen: M85
कोई बात नहीं, ऐसा फिर से हो सकता है।
No problem, this can happen again.
(koii baat nahiin, aisaa phir se ho saktaa hai।)
Listen: F85
किसी कोने में कोई दुकान ज़रूर होगी।
There must be some shop in some corner.
(kisii kone men koii dukaan zaroor hogii।)
Listen: M85
अगर मेरे पास कोई और रास्ता होता, तो मैं वो चुनता।
If I had had some other way, I would have chosen it.
(agar mere paas koii aur raastaa hotaa, to main vo chuntaa।)
Listen: M85
क्या आपने कोई सुझाव लिखा था?
Had you written some suggestion?
(kyaa aapne koii sujhaav likhaa thaa?)
Listen: F85
कोई फ़ैसला लेने से पहले ठीक से सोच लो।
Think properly before making any decision.
(koii faislaa lene se pahle thiik se soch lo।)
Listen: M85
उसने कोई नई नौकरी ढूँढ़ ली है।
He has found some new job.
(usne koii naii naukrii dhoondh lii hai।)
Listen: F85
कृपया कोई पहचान पत्र साथ लाएँ।
Please bring some identification document with you.
(kripyaa koii pahchaan patr saath laaen।)
Listen: M85
Sense
3
:
not particularly, not really (in dismissive/downplaying replies)
adverb Occurs before an adjective in a negative frame: कोई खास बात नहीं (koii khaas baat nahiin, 'nothing special'), कोई ज़रूरी नहीं (koii zaroorii nahiin, 'not really necessary').
Synonyms: ज़्यादा नहीं (zyaadaa nahiin, not much, longer phrase)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: You'll hear this constantly in casual downplaying: कोई खास बात नहीं (koii khaas baat nahiin, 'nothing much/no big deal'). It's the verbal shrug Hindi speakers give when brushing something off as unimportant.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners translate this construction word-for-word and miss that कोई (koii) here isn't asking 'is there someone' -- it's softening or downplaying the adjective that follows, closer to 'not all that.'
Sample Sentences:
कोई खास बात नहीं है, बस थोड़ा थक गया हूँ।
It's nothing much, I'm just a bit tired.
(koii khaas baat nahiin hai, bas thodaa thak gayaa hoon।)
Listen: F85
उसने कोई खास तवज्जो नहीं दी मेरी बात पर।
She didn't pay any particular attention to what I said.
(usne koii khaas tavajjo nahiin dii merii baat par।)
Listen: M85
मुझे कोई खास फर्क नहीं पड़ता कि लोग क्या सोचते हैं।
It doesn't really matter to me what people think.
(mujhe koii khaas phark nahiin padtaa ki log kyaa sochte hain।)
Listen: F85
"क्या हुआ था पार्टी में?" "कुछ नहीं, कोई खास बात नहीं थी।"
"What happened at the party?" "Nothing, it wasn't really anything."
("kyaa huaa thaa paartii men?" "kuchh nahiin, koii khaas baat nahiin thii।")
Listen: F85
इस मामले में कोई खास दिलचस्पी मत दिखाओ, वरना वो और सिर पर चढ़ेगा।
Don't show any particular interest in this matter, or he'll get even more full of himself.
(is maamle men koii khaas dilchaspii mat dikhaao, varnaa vo aur sir par chadhegaa।)
Listen: F85
अगर वो कोई खास बात होती, तो वो जरूर बताता।
If it had been something important, he definitely would have mentioned it.
(agar vo koii khaas baat hotii, to vo jaroor bataataa।)
Listen: F85
शायद उसे कोई खास परेशानी न हो इस बारे में।
Maybe he doesn't have any particular problem with this.
(shaayad use koii khaas pareshaanii n ho is baare men।)
Listen: F85
इस स्कीम से आम आदमी को कोई खास फायदा नहीं होगा।
The common man won't really benefit much from this scheme.
(is skiim se aam aadmii ko koii khaas phaaydaa nahiin hogaa।)
Listen: F85
समिति ने इस प्रस्ताव पर कोई खास चर्चा नहीं की।
The committee didn't really discuss this proposal in any detail.
(samiti ne is prastaav par koii khaas charchaa nahiin kii।)
Listen: F85
नौकरी छूटने की खबर सुनकर भी उसने कोई खास प्रतिक्रिया नहीं दी।
Even after hearing the news of losing his job, he didn't really react much.
(naukrii chhootne kii khabar sunkar bhii usne koii khaas pratikriyaa nahiin dii।)
Listen: F85
Morphology
Adjective (invariant)
invariant:
कोई
(koii)