ख़याल (khayaal)
noun
A word borrowed from Persian/Arabic that lives right at the center of Hindi-Urdu emotional and mental vocabulary: it covers 'thought/idea', 'opinion', and 'care/concern' (as in ख़याल रखना (khayaal rakhnaa)). Also commonly spelled without the nuqta as खयाल (khayaal).
Sense
1
:
thought, idea
noun, masculine
Synonyms: विचार (vichaar), सोच (soch)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: Thoughts in Hindi typically 'come' to you rather than being something you 'have': मुझे एक ख़याल आया (mujhe ek khayaal aayaa, 'a thought came to me') is the natural frame, echoing the same dative-subject logic learners already know from लगना (lagnaa).
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often reach for विचार (vichaar) by default, but ख़याल (khayaal) is the word people actually use in casual speech for a passing thought or notion -- विचार (vichaar) leans slightly more formal/deliberate. 2) The verb पड़ना (padnaa) with ख़याल (khayaal) -- ख़याल पड़ना (khayaal padnaa) -- is far less common than ख़याल आना (khayaal aanaa, 'a thought occurs to me'); learners sometimes force पड़ना (padnaa) by analogy with other words.
Sample Sentences:
मुझे एक ख़याल आया।
A thought came to me.
(mujhe ek khayaal aayaa।)
उसके दिमाग़ में एक अजीब ख़याल घूम रहा था।
A strange thought was circling in his mind.
(uske dimaagh men ek ajiib khayaal ghoom rahaa thaa।)
कभी-कभी रात में अकेले सोते हुए अजीब ख़याल आते हैं।
Sometimes strange thoughts come while sleeping alone at night.
(kabhii-kabhii raat men akele sote hue ajiib khayaal aate hain।)
यह ख़याल कहाँ से आया तुम्हें?
Where did this thought come from for you?
(yah khayaal kahaan se aayaa tumhen?)
मन में यह ख़याल मत ला कि सब खत्म हो गया है।
Don't bring this thought to mind that everything is over.
(man men yah khayaal mat laa ki sab khatm ho gayaa hai।)
अगर मुझे यह ख़याल पहले आता, तो मैं कुछ और करता।
If this thought had occurred to me earlier, I would have done something else.
(agar mujhe yah khayaal pahle aataa, to main kuchh aur kartaa।)
शायद उसके मन में कोई और ख़याल हो।
Perhaps some other thought is on his mind.
(shaayad uske man men koii aur khayaal ho।)
यह विचार, यह ख़याल, दोनों एक साथ मन में उभरे।
This idea, this thought -- both surfaced in the mind together.
(yah vichaar, yah khayaal, donon ek saath man men ubhre।)
मेरे ख़याल से यह किताब बहुत दिलचस्प है।
In my thinking, this book is very interesting.
(mere khayaal se yah kitaab bahut dilchasp hai।)
यह विचार सुनते ही उसके मन में एक नया ख़याल पैदा हो गया।
As soon as he heard this idea, a new thought was born in his mind.
(yah vichaar sunte hii uske man men ek nayaa khayaal paidaa ho gayaa।)
अगर सबकुछ ठीक हो जाए, तो अगला ख़याल क्या होगा?
If everything turns out fine, what will the next thought be?
(agar sabkuchh thiik ho jaae, to aglaa khayaal kyaa hogaa?)
Sense
2
:
opinion, view
noun, masculine
Synonyms: राय (raay), नज़रिया (nazriyaa)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: मेरे ख़याल से (mere khayaal se) is one of the most common openers in everyday Hindi conversation, doing the job of English 'I think' or 'in my view' -- you will hear it constantly in debates, dinner-table chats, and news interviews alike.
Common Mistakes: 1) मेरे ख़याल से (mere khayaal se, 'in my opinion') is the fixed way to preface an opinion -- learners sometimes mistranslate it word-for-word as 'from my thought' instead of recognizing it as the idiomatic equivalent of 'I think that...'.
Sample Sentences:
मेरे ख़याल से यह फ़िल्म बहुत अच्छी है।
In my opinion, this movie is very good.
(mere khayaal se yah film bahut achchhii hai।)
मेरे ख़याल से उसे यह नौकरी छोड़ देनी चाहिए।
In my opinion, he should quit this job.
(mere khayaal se use yah naukrii chhod denii chaahie।)
आपका इस बारे में क्या ख़याल है?
What is your opinion on this matter?
(aapkaa is baare men kyaa khayaal hai?)
मेरे ख़याल से सरकार को यह फ़ैसला वापस लेना चाहिए था।
In my opinion, the government should have taken back this decision.
(mere khayaal se sarkaar ko yah faislaa vaapas lenaa chaahie thaa।)
उसका ख़याल था कि यह योजना कामयाब नहीं होगी।
His view was that this plan would not succeed.
(uskaa khayaal thaa ki yah yojnaa kaamyaab nahiin hogii।)
अगर तुम मेरा ख़याल पूछो, तो मुझे यह ठीक नहीं लगता।
If you ask my opinion, I do not think this is right.
(agar tum meraa khayaal poochho, to mujhe yah thiik nahiin lagtaa।)
पत्रकार ने पूछा कि मंत्री जी का इस मुद्दे पर क्या ख़याल है।
The journalist asked what the minister's view was on this issue.
(patrkaar ne poochhaa ki mantrii jii kaa is mudde par kyaa khayaal hai।)
सबके अपने-अपने ख़याल हैं इस मामले पर।
Everyone has their own opinions on this matter.
(sabke apne-apne khayaal hain is maamle par।)
विद्वानों का ख़याल है कि यह ग्रंथ बहुत प्राचीन है।
Scholars are of the opinion that this text is very ancient.
(vidvaanon kaa khayaal hai ki yah granth bahut praachiin hai।)
अगर उसका ख़याल पहले पता होता, तो हम अलग फ़ैसला लेते।
If we had known his opinion earlier, we would have made a different decision.
(agar uskaa khayaal pahle pataa hotaa, to ham alag faislaa lete।)
Sense
3
:
care, concern, attention (toward someone/something)
noun, masculine Occurs almost exclusively in the compound expression ख़याल रखना (khayaal rakhnaa, 'to take care of') with का (kaa) marking the person or thing cared for.
Synonyms: देखभाल (dekhbhaal), फ़िक्र (fikr)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: अपना ख़याल रखना (apnaa khayaal rakhnaa, 'take care of yourself') is the classic parting line in Hindi -- said at railway platforms, airport goodbyes, and at the end of nearly every phone call home, much like English 'take care'.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often say ख़याल करना (khayaal karnaa) when they mean 'take care of', but the natural verb here is रखना (rakhnaa) -- अपना ख़याल रखना (apnaa khayaal rakhnaa, 'take care of yourself') is the standard phrase, not ख़याल करना (khayaal karnaa). 2) The person/thing being cared for takes का/की/के (kaa), not को (ko): उसका ख़याल रखो (uskaa khayaal rakho, 'take care of him/her'), not उसे (use).
Sample Sentences:
अपना ख़याल रखना।
Take care of yourself.
(apnaa khayaal rakhnaa।)
माँ हमेशा मेरा ख़याल रखती है।
Mom always takes care of me.
(maan hameshaa meraa khayaal rakhtii hai।)
जब मैं बीमार थी, तो उसने मेरा बहुत ख़याल रखा।
When I was sick, he took great care of me.
(jab main biimaar thii, to usne meraa bahut khayaal rakhaa।)
सफ़र में अपना ख़याल रखना, फ़ोन करते रहना।
Take care of yourself on the journey, keep calling.
(safar men apnaa khayaal rakhnaa, fon karte rahnaa।)
इस उम्र में उन्हें अपनी सेहत का ख़याल रखना चाहिए।
At this age, he should take care of his health.
(is umr men unhen apnii sehat kaa khayaal rakhnaa chaahie।)
अगर तुम मेरा इतना ख़याल न रखते, तो मैं यहाँ तक न पहुँच पाता।
If you hadn't taken so much care of me, I wouldn't have made it this far.
(agar tum meraa itnaa khayaal n rakhte, to main yahaan tak n pahunch paataa।)
क्या तुम अपने छोटे भाई का ख़याल रख सकती हो?
Can you take care of your little brother?
(kyaa tum apne chhote bhaaii kaa khayaal rakh saktii ho?)
आप अपना ख़याल रखिएगा, दिल्ली की सर्दी बहुत तेज़ है।
Please take care of yourself, Delhi's winter is very harsh.
(aap apnaa khayaal rakhiegaa, dillii kii sardii bahut tez hai।)
बुज़ुर्गों का ख़याल रखना हमारी ज़िम्मेदारी है।
Taking care of the elderly is our responsibility.
(buzurgon kaa khayaal rakhnaa hamaarii zimmedaarii hai।)
अस्पताल में नर्सों द्वारा मरीज़ों का पूरा ख़याल रखा जाता है।
In the hospital, patients are fully taken care of by the nurses.
(asptaal men narson dvaaraa mariizon kaa pooraa khayaal rakhaa jaataa hai।)
चलता हूँ, ख़याल रखना!
I'm off, take care!
(chaltaa hoon, khayaal rakhnaa!)
Morphology
Noun
(sg.m.direct):
ख़याल
(khayaal)
(sg.m.oblique):
ख़याल
(khayaal)
(pl.m.direct):
ख़याल
(khayaal)
(pl.m.oblique):
ख़यालों
(khayaalon)