कचहरी (kachahrii)

noun A single everyday sense: a courthouse or law court, and by extension the whole business of court proceedings. Inline Hindi as Devanagari (kachahrii).
Sense 1 : courthouse, law court
noun, feminine
Synonyms: अदालत (adaalat), न्यायालय (nyaayaalay, formal)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: In small towns and older parts of Delhi-NCR, कचहरी (kachahrii) still refers to the actual court building where people go to fight land disputes, file affidavits, or hire a वकील (vakiil, 'lawyer') on the spot outside the gate. It carries a slightly earthy, everyday flavor -- you'll hear elders say कचहरी के चक्कर (kachahrii ke chakkar, 'the endless rounds of court'), evoking the frustration of a long legal process, in a way अदालत (adaalat) rarely does.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often assume कचहरी (kachahrii) and अदालत (adaalat) are perfectly interchangeable; in practice कचहरी (kachahrii) leans toward the everyday, slightly old-fashioned way people talk about 'going to court' or 'the court complex,' while अदालत (adaalat) is the more standard/official word used in legal or written contexts. 2) The phrase कचहरी जाना (kachahrii jaanaa, 'to go to court') is common; learners sometimes over-formalize it as न्यायालय जाना (nyaayaalay jaanaa) in casual speech, which sounds stiff.
Sample Sentences:
बाबूजी सुबह से कचहरी गए हैं। Father has been at the court since morning.
(baaboojii subah se kachahrii gae hain।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
जमीन के झगड़े में हमें बरसों कचहरी के चक्कर काटने पड़े। In the land dispute, we had to make endless rounds of the court for years.
(jamiin ke jhagde men hamen barson kachahrii ke chakkar kaatne pade।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
कचहरी के गेट के बाहर ही एक वकील खड़ा मिल जाता है। You find a lawyer standing right outside the courthouse gate.
(kachahrii ke get ke baahar hii ek vakiil khadaa mil jaataa hai।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
कचहरी जाकर अपना बयान दर्ज करा दो। Go to the court and get your statement recorded.
(kachahrii jaakar apnaa bayaan darj karaa do।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Imperative -- Voice: Active
अगर वह समय पर कचहरी पहुँच जाता तो तारीख बर्बाद न होती। If he had reached the court on time, the hearing date would not have been wasted.
(agar vah samay par kachahrii pahunch jaataa to taariikh barbaad n hotii।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Counterfactual -- Aspect: Perfective -- Voice: Active
मामला अभी कचहरी में लंबित है। The case is still pending in the court.
(maamlaa abhii kachahrii men lambit hai।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
पुराने दिल्ली की कचहरी में आज भी लोग जमीन के मुकदमों के लिए भटकते हैं। Even today people wander around the courthouse in old Delhi for land cases.
(puraane dillii kii kachahrii men aaj bhii log jamiin ke mukadmon ke lie bhatakte hain।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
शायद कल कचहरी से फैसला आ जाए। Perhaps the verdict will come from the court tomorrow.
(shaayad kal kachahrii se phaislaa aa jaae।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Subjunctive -- Voice: Active
कागज़ात कचहरी में जमा कराए जा रहे हैं। The documents are being submitted at the courthouse.
(kaagzaat kachahrii men jamaa karaae jaa rahe hain।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Continuous -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Passive
Morphology
Noun
(sg.f.direct): कचहरी (kachahrii)
(sg.f.oblique): कचहरी (kachahrii)
(pl.f.direct): कचहरियाँ (kachahriyaan)
(pl.f.oblique): कचहरियों (kachahriyon)