चालान (chaalaan)
noun
Most commonly known today as the word for a traffic/police 'ticket' or fine, but it also covers the older, still-current sense of an official challan/receipt used in banking, tax, and court paperwork.
Sense
1
:
traffic/police fine or ticket
noun, masculine
Synonyms: जुर्माना (jurmaanaa, focuses on the fine amount rather than the paperwork)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: Ask any Delhi driver about चालान (chaalaan) and you'll get a story -- it's the word that comes up the instant a traffic cop waves you over, especially since e-challans (traffic cameras) became common and people started getting SMS notifications about fines for jumping red lights or not wearing a helmet.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often say जुर्माना (jurmaanaa) when they mean the physical ticket/paperwork itself -- चालान (chaalaan) is the document/act, जुर्माना (jurmaanaa) is specifically the money owed. 2) The common verb pairing is चालान कटना (chaalaan katnaa, 'to get a ticket issued', intransitive, as if the ticket 'cuts itself' on you) versus चालान काटना (chaalaan kaatnaa, 'to issue a ticket', transitive, done by the police).
Sample Sentences:
आज सुबह मेरा चालान कट गया।
My challan got issued this morning.
(aaj subah meraa chaalaan kat gayaa।)
हेलमेट नहीं पहनने पर पुलिस चालान काटती है।
The police issue a challan if you don't wear a helmet.
(helmet nahiin pahanne par pulis chaalaan kaattii hai।)
रेड लाइट जंप करने पर तुम्हारा चालान हो जाएगा।
If you jump the red light, you'll get a challan.
(red laait jamp karne par tumhaaraa chaalaan ho jaaegaa।)
मुझे अभी चालान का मैसेज आया है।
I just got a message about a challan.
(mujhe abhii chaalaan kaa maisej aayaa hai।)
चालान ऑनलाइन भरो, वरना कोर्ट जाना पड़ेगा।
Pay the challan online, otherwise you'll have to go to court.
(chaalaan onlaain bharo, varnaa kort jaanaa padegaa।)
अगर मैं तेज़ नहीं चलाता, तो मेरा चालान नहीं कटता।
If I hadn't been driving fast, I wouldn't have gotten a challan.
(agar main tez nahiin chalaataa, to meraa chaalaan nahiin kattaa।)
ट्रैफिक कैमरे लगने के बाद बहुत सारे लोगों के चालान कटे हैं।
Since traffic cameras were installed, a lot of people's challans have been issued.
(traiphik kaimre lagne ke baad bahut saare logon ke chaalaan kate hain।)
क्या तुम्हारा चालान कट गया?
Did you get a challan?
(kyaa tumhaaraa chaalaan kat gayaa?)
हो सकता है कि सीट बेल्ट न बांधने पर भी चालान हो जाए।
It's possible that you might get a challan even for not wearing a seatbelt.
(ho saktaa hai ki siit belt n baandhne par bhii chaalaan ho jaae।)
यातायात नियमों का उल्लंघन करने वालों के विरुद्ध पुलिस द्वारा चालान जारी किया जाता है।
A challan is issued by the police against those who violate traffic rules.
(yaataayaat niymon kaa ullanghan karne vaalon ke viruddh pulis dvaaraa chaalaan jaarii kiyaa jaataa hai।)
अरे भाई, चालान भरने से पहले एक बार साइट पर चेक कर लेना।
Hey man, check the site once before paying the challan.
(are bhaaii, chaalaan bharne se pahle ek baar saait par chek kar lenaa।)
Sense
2
:
official receipt/form for a payment or deposit (bank, tax, court)
noun, masculine
Synonyms: रसीद (rasiid, focuses on the receipt of payment rather than the deposit form)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: This is the older, bureaucratic sense of the word -- the little carbon-copy slip you fill out at a bank counter to deposit money into someone's account, or the paperwork accompanying a police case sent to court (चालान पेश करना (chaalaan pesh karnaa, 'to file the charge sheet')). It shows how one word tracks India's long relationship with official paperwork, from bank deposits to court filings, before finding its now-dominant modern use for traffic fines.
Sample Sentences:
बैंक में पैसे जमा करने के लिए चालान भरना पड़ता है।
You have to fill out a challan (deposit slip) to deposit money at the bank.
(baink men paise jamaa karne ke lie chaalaan bharnaa padtaa hai।)
क्लर्क ने चालान की एक कॉपी मुझे लौटा दी।
The clerk returned one copy of the challan to me.
(klark ne chaalaan kii ek kopii mujhe lautaa dii।)
पुलिस ने अदालत में चालान पेश किया।
The police filed the charge sheet in court.
(pulis ne adaalat men chaalaan pesh kiyaa।)
कृपया चालान की सभी प्रतियाँ ध्यान से भरें।
Please fill out all copies of the challan carefully.
(kripyaa chaalaan kii sabhii pratiyaan dhyaan se bharen।)
अगर चालान खो जाए तो जमा की रसीद नहीं मिलेगी।
If the challan gets lost, you won't get a receipt for the deposit.
(agar chaalaan kho jaae to jamaa kii rasiid nahiin milegii।)
अदालत में चालान समय पर पेश किया जाना चाहिए था।
The charge sheet should have been filed in court on time.
(adaalat men chaalaan samay par pesh kiyaa jaanaa chaahie thaa।)
यदि उस दिन चालान सही ढंग से भरा होता तो पैसा अटकता नहीं।
If the challan had been filled out correctly that day, the money wouldn't have gotten stuck.
(yadi us din chaalaan sahii dhang se bharaa hotaa to paisaa ataktaa nahiin।)
टैक्स जमा करने का चालान हर तिमाही भरा जाता है।
The tax payment challan is filled out every quarter.
(taiks jamaa karne kaa chaalaan har timaahii bharaa jaataa hai।)
मुनीम जी चालान की एक प्रति दफ्तर में रखते हैं और एक बैंक में जमा करते हैं।
The accountant keeps one copy of the challan at the office and deposits one at the bank.
(muniim jii chaalaan kii ek prati daphtar men rakhte hain aur ek baink men jamaa karte hain।)
अगली सुनवाई से पहले जाँच अधिकारी चालान पूरा कर लेंगे।
The investigating officer will complete the charge sheet before the next hearing.
(aglii sunvaaii se pahle jaanch adhikaarii chaalaan pooraa kar lenge।)
Morphology
Noun
(sg.m.direct):
चालान
(chaalaan)
(sg.m.oblique):
चालान
(chaalaan)
(pl.m.direct):
चालान
(chaalaan)
(pl.m.oblique):
चालानों
(chaalaanon)