जवाब (javaab)
noun
Mainly means 'answer/reply' in everyday speech, with an extended sense of 'response/retort/match' (as in 'no match for' or a comeback), and it also appears in a couple of fixed phrases about giving an account of oneself.
Sense
1
:
answer, reply
noun, masculine
Synonyms: उत्तर (uttar, formal)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: If you call someone and they don't pick up, you'd say उसने जवाब नहीं दिया (usne javaab nahiin diyaa, 'he/she didn't answer') -- जवाब (javaab) covers replies to questions, letters, calls, and messages alike, much more broadly than English 'answer' sometimes feels.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often reach for उत्तर (uttar) by textbook habit, but in spoken Hindi जवाब (javaab) is what people actually say for 'answer' -- in class, on the phone, in an exam. 2) The verb pairing is जवाब देना (javaab denaa, 'to give an answer') for answering and जवाब मिलना (javaab milnaa, 'to get an answer') for receiving one -- learners sometimes try to force जवाब करना (javaab karnaa), which is not idiomatic here.
Sample Sentences:
मैंने उसे फ़ोन किया, पर उसने जवाब नहीं दिया।
I called him, but he didn't answer.
(mainne use fon kiyaa, par usne javaab nahiin diyaa।)
क्या तुम्हें इस सवाल का जवाब पता है?
Do you know the answer to this question?
(kyaa tumhen is savaal kaa javaab pataa hai?)
मैं तुम्हारे मैसेज का जवाब कल दूँगा।
I'll reply to your message tomorrow.
(main tumhaare maisej kaa javaab kal doongaa।)
उसने चिट्ठी का जवाब लिखा।
She wrote a reply to the letter.
(usne chitthii kaa javaab likhaa।)
कृपया इस ईमेल का जवाब जल्दी दें।
Please reply to this email soon.
(kripyaa is iimel kaa javaab jaldii den।)
अगर वह सवाल पूछता, तो मैं जवाब देता।
If he had asked the question, I would have given an answer.
(agar vah savaal poochhtaa, to main javaab detaa।)
शायद उसे अभी तक जवाब न मिला हो।
Maybe he hasn't received an answer yet.
(shaayad use abhii tak javaab n milaa ho।)
इस सवाल का कोई जवाब नहीं दिया जा सका।
No answer could be given to this question.
(is savaal kaa koii javaab nahiin diyaa jaa sakaa।)
मैं रोज़ सुबह अपने ईमेल्स का जवाब देता हूँ।
I reply to my emails every morning.
(main roz subah apne iimels kaa javaab detaa hoon।)
वह अभी तक मेरे सवाल का जवाब सोच रहा है।
He's still thinking of an answer to my question.
(vah abhii tak mere savaal kaa javaab soch rahaa hai।)
परीक्षा में हर सवाल का जवाब सही होना चाहिए।
The answer to every question in the exam should be correct.
(pariikshaa men har savaal kaa javaab sahii honaa chaahie।)
Sense
2
:
response, retort, match/rival (figurative)
noun, masculine Common in the pattern X का जवाब नहीं (X kaa javaab nahiin, 'there's no match for X') to praise something as unrivaled.
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: You'll hear this in everyday praise: दिल्ली की चाट का कोई जवाब नहीं (dillii kii chaat kaa koii javaab nahiin, 'Delhi's chaat has no match') -- a very Delhi way to boast about street food. It also shows up in political and film contexts as a 'reply' to a rival's move, like a sharp comeback in an argument.
Common Mistakes: 1) इसका कोई जवाब नहीं (iskaa koii javaab nahiin, 'there's nothing like it') is a fixed compliment structure -- learners sometimes translate it too literally as 'no answer' and miss that it means 'unbeatable, unmatched'.
Sample Sentences:
दिल्ली की चाट का कोई जवाब नहीं है।
There's no match for Delhi's chaat.
(dillii kii chaat kaa koii javaab nahiin hai।)
उसकी बैटिंग का जवाब किसी टीम के पास नहीं था।
No team had a match for his batting.
(uskii baiting kaa javaab kisii tiim ke paas nahiin thaa।)
विपक्ष के हमले का जवाब मंत्री ने अगले ही दिन दे दिया।
The minister gave a sharp comeback to the opposition's attack the very next day.
(vipaksh ke hamle kaa javaab mantrii ne agle hii din de diyaa।)
उसकी बेइज़्ज़ती का जवाब देने के लिए वह मौका ढूँढ रहा था।
He was looking for a chance to give a fitting retort to that insult.
(uskii beizztii kaa javaab dene ke lie vah maukaa dhoondh rahaa thaa।)
अगर वह ऐसी बात कहे, तो उसका जवाब क्या होगा?
If he says something like that, what would the comeback be?
(agar vah aisii baat kahe, to uskaa javaab kyaa hogaa?)
फ़िल्म के इस सीन में हीरो का डायलॉग विलेन को करारा जवाब देता है।
In this scene of the film, the hero's dialogue delivers a stinging comeback to the villain.
(film ke is siin men hiiro kaa daaylog vilen ko karaaraa javaab detaa hai।)
उसकी कविता को इस पीढ़ी के किसी शायर का जवाब नहीं मिल सका।
No poet of this generation could produce a match for his poetry.
(uskii kavitaa ko is piidhii ke kisii shaayar kaa javaab nahiin mil sakaa।)
अगर उस वक़्त हमारे पास जवाब होता, तो बहस वहीं ख़त्म हो जाती।
If we had had a comeback right then, the argument would have ended right there.
(agar us vaqt hamaare paas javaab hotaa, to bahas vahiin khatm ho jaatii।)
इस चुनौती का जवाब देना इतना आसान नहीं है।
Matching this challenge isn't that easy.
(is chunautii kaa javaab denaa itnaa aasaan nahiin hai।)
उसकी नज़ाकत भरी शायरी का जवाब पूरे मुशायरे में किसी के पास नहीं था।
In the whole gathering of poets, no one had a match for the delicacy of his verse.
(uskii nazaakat bharii shaayrii kaa javaab poore mushaayre men kisii ke paas nahiin thaa।)
Morphology
Noun
(sg.m.direct):
जवाब
(javaab)
(sg.m.oblique):
जवाब
(javaab)
(pl.m.direct):
जवाब
(javaab)
(pl.m.oblique):
जवाबों
(javaabon)