कहानी (kahaanii)
noun
A single-sense everyday noun meaning 'story' or 'tale', used both literally (fiction, narrated events) and figuratively (the 'story' behind a situation).
Sense
1
:
story, tale, narrative
noun, feminine
Synonyms: किस्सा (kissaa), दास्तान (daastaan, literary), गाथा (gaathaa, literary), वृत्तांत (vrittaant, formal)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: Every Indian childhood runs on दादी की कहानियाँ (daadii kii kahaaniyaan, 'grandmother's stories') told before bed, so कहानी (kahaanii) carries a warm, nostalgic pull beyond its plain dictionary meaning. It is also the natural word for a Bollywood plot -- फ़िल्म की कहानी (film kii kahaanii, 'the film's story') -- and for the exasperated question ये क्या कहानी है? (ye kyaa kahaanii hai?, 'what's going on here?'), where it shifts from 'tale' to 'situation/drama'.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes reach for इतिहास (itihaas) when they mean 'story' -- but इतिहास (itihaas) means 'history', not a narrated tale; कहानी (kahaanii) is the everyday word for a fictional or personal story. 2) In casual speech, कहानी (kahaanii) is often used figuratively to mean 'the whole situation' or 'the real explanation', as in पूरी कहानी बताओ (poorii kahaanii bataao, 'tell me the whole story') -- this extended sense trips up learners who only expect it in a storytelling context.
Sample Sentences:
दादी हर रात सोने से पहले एक कहानी सुनाती थीं।
Grandmother used to tell a story every night before sleeping.
(daadii har raat sone se pahle ek kahaanii sunaatii thiin।)
इस फ़िल्म की कहानी बहुत दिलचस्प है।
This film's story is very interesting.
(is film kii kahaanii bahut dilchasp hai।)
मुझे एक कहानी सुनाओ न!
Tell me a story, please!
(mujhe ek kahaanii sunaao n!)
यार, ये क्या कहानी है? तुम दोनों फिर लड़ रहे हो?
Dude, what's going on here? Are you two fighting again?
(yaar, ye kyaa kahaanii hai? tum donon phir lad rahe ho?)
यह कहानी एक गरीब लड़के के संघर्ष पर आधारित है।
This story is based on the struggle of a poor boy.
(yah kahaanii ek gariib ladke ke sangharsh par aadhaarit hai।)
काश मैं भी अपने बचपन की कोई कहानी लिख पाता।
I wish I too could write some story from my childhood.
(kaash main bhii apne bachpan kii koii kahaanii likh paataa।)
अगर उसने अपनी कहानी पहले सुनाई होती, तो हमें सब समझ आ जाता।
If he had told his story earlier, we would have understood everything.
(agar usne apnii kahaanii pahle sunaaii hotii, to hamen sab samajh aa jaataa।)
बच्चों को उनकी परीक्षा के बाद एक नई कहानी सुनाई जाएगी।
A new story will be told to the children after their exam.
(bachchon ko unkii pariikshaa ke baad ek naii kahaanii sunaaii jaaegii।)
उसने रात भर जागकर पूरी कहानी लिख डाली।
He stayed awake all night and wrote the entire story.
(usne raat bhar jaagkar poorii kahaanii likh daalii।)
यह कहानी सदियों से लोगों की जुबान पर है।
This tale has been on people's lips for centuries.
(yah kahaanii sadiyon se logon kii jubaan par hai।)
शायद यह कहानी किसी सच्ची घटना पर आधारित हो।
Perhaps this story is based on some true incident.
(shaayad yah kahaanii kisii sachchii ghatnaa par aadhaarit ho।)
पूरे मोहल्ले में उसकी बेवफाई की कहानी फैल चुकी है।
The story of his betrayal has already spread throughout the neighborhood.
(poore mohalle men uskii bevphaaii kii kahaanii phail chukii hai।)
Morphology
Noun
(sg.f.direct):
कहानी
(kahaanii)
(sg.f.oblique):
कहानी
(kahaanii)
(pl.f.direct):
कहानियाँ
(kahaaniyaan)
(pl.f.oblique):
कहानियों
(kahaaniyon)