कोठा (kothaa)
noun
Primarily a noun meaning an upper room/terrace-room or a large room in a traditional house, but the word carries a strong secondary sense referring to a brothel or courtesan's establishment -- context makes clear which is meant.
Sense
1
:
brothel, courtesan's house (historically, a place of music and dance patronized by nobility)
noun, masculine
Synonyms: तवायफ़खाना (tavaayafkhaanaa, rare), चकला (chaklaa, colloquial)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: Historically the कोठा (kothaa) referred to the salons of courtesans (तवायफ़, tavaayaf) who were skilled in classical music and dance and patronized by nobility in cities like Lucknow and old Delhi; over time the word narrowed in popular usage to mean simply 'brothel,' losing much of that artistic association -- a shift you'll notice if you watch older versus newer films that use the word.
Common Mistakes: 1) This is the sense most learners pick up first from Hindi cinema (tawaif films set in old Lucknow or Delhi), but using कोठा (kothaa) casually about someone's house without context can be genuinely offensive -- it is not a neutral synonym for 'room' in modern usage unless context clearly supports that reading.
Sample Sentences:
पुराने लखनऊ में कोठों पर कभी शास्त्रीय संगीत और नृत्य की महफ़िलें सजा करती थीं।
In old Lucknow, courtesans' salons once used to host gatherings of classical music and dance.
(puraane lakhnaoo men kothon par kabhii shaastriiy sangiit aur nrity kii mahfilen sajaa kartii thiin।)
उस गली के आख़िर में एक कोठा हुआ करता था।
At the end of that lane, there used to be a brothel.
(us galii ke aakhir men ek kothaa huaa kartaa thaa।)
फ़िल्म में नायिका को एक कोठे की तवायफ़ की बेटी दिखाया गया है।
In the film, the heroine is shown as the daughter of a courtesan from a kotha.
(film men naayikaa ko ek kothe kii tavaayaf kii betii dikhaayaa gayaa hai।)
अगर उस ज़माने में कोठे न होते, तो शास्त्रीय गायकी की कई परंपराएँ शायद बच ही न पातीं।
If courtesans' salons hadn't existed back then, many traditions of classical singing might not have survived at all.
(agar us zamaane men kothe n hote, to shaastriiy gaaykii kii kaii parampraaen shaayad bach hii n paatiin।)
पुलिस ने शहर के एक कोठे पर छापा मारा।
The police raided a brothel in the city.
(pulis ne shahar ke ek kothe par chhaapaa maaraa।)
क्या तुम्हें पता है कि यह हवेली कभी एक मशहूर कोठा हुआ करती थी?
Do you know that this mansion used to be a famous courtesan's establishment?
(kyaa tumhen pataa hai ki yah havelii kabhii ek mashahoor kothaa huaa kartii thii?)
उस दौर के कोठों पर संगीत सीखना एक तरह की तालीम मानी जाती थी।
Learning music at the salons of that era was considered a form of proper training.
(us daur ke kothon par sangiit siikhnaa ek tarah kii taaliim maanii jaatii thii।)
नवाबों के दरबार से जुड़े कई कोठे इतिहास में दर्ज हैं।
Many salons connected to the nawabs' courts are recorded in history.
(navaabon ke darbaar se jude kaii kothe itihaas men darj hain।)
काश वह पुराना कोठा अब भी वैसा ही खड़ा होता, तो हम उसकी कलाकारी देख पाते।
If only that old establishment still stood just as it was, we could have seen its artistry.
(kaash vah puraanaa kothaa ab bhii vaisaa hii khadaa hotaa, to ham uskii kalaakaarii dekh paate।)
उसकी माँ एक कोठे में गाने-बजाने का काम करती थी।
Her mother used to work as a singer at a courtesan's house.
(uskii maan ek kothe men gaane-bajaane kaa kaam kartii thii।)
Sense
2
:
upper room, large room, or terrace room in a traditional house
noun, masculine
Synonyms: कमरा (kamraa), छत का कमरा (chhat kaa kamraa, descriptive phrase)
Frequency: low
Cultural Note: In old havelis and village houses across the Delhi-NCR belt, the कोठा (kothaa) was traditionally the upper room, often used for storage of grain or as a guest room -- you will still hear older people use it this way without any of the film-world connotation.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often only know the brothel sense from films and are surprised to hear कोठा (kothaa) used innocently for an ordinary upper-floor room in older havelis and village houses -- context (who is speaking, what is being described) is everything here.
Sample Sentences:
गाँव के पुराने घर में एक कोठा होता था जहाँ अनाज रखा जाता था।
In the old village house there used to be an upper room where grain was kept.
(gaanv ke puraane ghar men ek kothaa hotaa thaa jahaan anaaj rakhaa jaataa thaa।)
दादाजी ऊपर के कोठे में सोते हैं।
Grandfather sleeps in the upper room upstairs.
(daadaajii oopar ke kothe men sote hain।)
मेहमानों के लिए कोठा साफ कर दो।
Clean the upper room for the guests.
(mehmaanon ke lie kothaa saaph kar do।)
हवेली का कोठा बरसों से बंद पड़ा है।
The haveli's upper room has been shut for years.
(havelii kaa kothaa barson se band padaa hai।)
अगर छत ठीक होती तो हम कोठे में बैठते।
If the roof were in order, we would sit in the upper room.
(agar chhat thiik hotii to ham kothe men baithte।)
इस मौसम में गेहूँ को कोठे में सुखाया जाता है।
In this season the wheat is dried in the upper room.
(is mausam men gehoon ko kothe men sukhaayaa jaataa hai।)
शायद उसने सामान कोठे में रख दिया हो।
He may have put the belongings in the upper room.
(shaayad usne saamaan kothe men rakh diyaa ho।)
बुजुर्ग लोग आज भी कोठे को अनाज रखने की जगह कहते हैं, फ़िल्मों वाले मतलब से नहीं।
Older people still call the kotha the place for storing grain, not in the film-world sense.
(bujurg log aaj bhii kothe ko anaaj rakhne kii jagah kahte hain, filmon vaale matlab se nahiin।)
उस पुराने मकान का कोठा किसी ज़माने में बड़ी महफ़िलों का गवाह रहा होगा -- मगर सीधे-सादे अर्थ में, यह सिर्फ ऊपर का बड़ा कमरा था।
That old house's upper room must have witnessed grand gatherings once upon a time -- but in the plain sense, it was just the large room upstairs.
(us puraane makaan kaa kothaa kisii zamaane men badii mahfilon kaa gavaah rahaa hogaa -- magar siidhe-saade arth men, yah sirph oopar kaa badaa kamraa thaa।)
Morphology
Noun
(sg.m.direct):
कोठा
(kothaa)
(sg.m.oblique):
कोठे
(kothe)
(pl.m.direct):
कोठे
(kothe)
(pl.m.oblique):
कोठों
(kothon)