रात का खाना (raat kaa khaanaa)
noun
A fixed noun phrase meaning 'dinner/supper' -- literally 'night's food.' Built from रात (raat, night) + का (kaa, possessive marker) + खाना (khaanaa, food/meal).
Sense
1
:
dinner, the evening meal
noun, masculine The का (kaa) agrees with खाना (khaanaa) as masculine singular; it does not change even though रात (raat) is feminine, since agreement follows the noun being possessed, not रात (raat) itself.
Synonyms: डिनर (dinar, English loanword, common in urban speech), रात्रि भोजन (raatri bhojan, formal/literary)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: In everyday Delhi-NCR households, रात का खाना (raat kaa khaanaa) is typically eaten later than in the West, often between 8 and 10 pm, and is usually lighter than lunch. You will also hear डिनर (dinar) used casually in urban, English-mixed speech, especially among younger speakers or in restaurant contexts, while रात का खाना (raat kaa khaanaa) remains the natural, homely term used within families.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes wrongly change का (kaa) to की (kii) by mistakenly agreeing it with रात (raat) (feminine) instead of खाना (khaanaa) (masculine) -- the possessive marker always agrees with the following noun. 2) Confusing this with रात को खाना (raat ko khaanaa, 'to eat at night' -- a verb phrase) rather than the noun phrase 'dinner.'
Sample Sentences:
रात का खाना कब बनेगा?
When will dinner be made?
(raat kaa khaanaa kab banegaa?)
हम लोग रात का खाना साथ में खाते हैं।
We eat dinner together.
(ham log raat kaa khaanaa saath men khaate hain।)
माँ रसोई में रात का खाना बना रही है।
Mom is making dinner in the kitchen.
(maan rasoii men raat kaa khaanaa banaa rahii hai।)
कल रात हमने बाहर जाकर रात का खाना खाया।
Last night we went out and had dinner.
(kal raat hamne baahar jaakar raat kaa khaanaa khaayaa।)
कृपया रात का खाना समय पर तैयार कर लीजिए।
Please have dinner ready on time.
(kripyaa raat kaa khaanaa samay par taiyaar kar liijie।)
अगर तुम जल्दी आते तो रात का खाना गरम मिलता।
If you had come early, you would have gotten dinner hot.
(agar tum jaldii aate to raat kaa khaanaa garam miltaa।)
शायद आज रात का खाना बाहर से आ जाए।
Maybe today's dinner will come from outside.
(shaayad aaj raat kaa khaanaa baahar se aa jaae।)
इस घर में रात का खाना हमेशा नौ बजे परोसा जाता है।
In this house, dinner is always served at nine o'clock.
(is ghar men raat kaa khaanaa hameshaa nau baje parosaa jaataa hai।)
दादी जी कहती हैं कि रात का खाना हल्का होना चाहिए।
Grandmother says dinner should be light.
(daadii jii kahtii hain ki raat kaa khaanaa halkaa honaa chaahie।)
जब मैं पहुँचा, तब तक रात का खाना खत्म हो चुका था।
By the time I arrived, dinner was already over.
(jab main pahunchaa, tab tak raat kaa khaanaa khatm ho chukaa thaa।)
चलो, आज रात का खाना बाहर करते हैं।
Come on, let's have dinner out today.
(chalo, aaj raat kaa khaanaa baahar karte hain।)
समारोह में रात के खाने के बाद मिष्ठान परोसा गया।
At the ceremony, dessert was served after dinner.
(samaaroh men raat ke khaane ke baad mishthaan parosaa gayaa।)
Morphology
Noun
(sg.m.direct):
रात का खाना
(raat kaa khaanaa)
(sg.m.oblique):
रात का खाने
(raat kaa khaane)
(pl.m.direct):
रात का खाने
(raat kaa khaane)
(pl.m.oblique):
रात का खानों
(raat kaa khaanon)