ताश (taash)

noun One core sense: playing cards, or the card game/activity played with them. Almost always heard in the fixed phrase ताश खेलना (taash khelnaa, 'to play cards').
Sense 1 : playing cards (the deck, or the game played with them)
noun, masculine
Synonyms: पत्ते (patte, colloquial, refers to the individual cards)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: Summer afternoons and long train journeys in North India are practically synonymous with someone pulling out a ताश (taash) deck -- rummy and the trick-taking game 29 are old favorites at family gatherings, especially during Diwali when card sessions with small stakes are a common (if slightly guilty) tradition. The word itself comes from Persian, a reminder of how much everyday Hindi vocabulary arrived via that route.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes try to say 'play a card game' with a verb other than खेलना (khelnaa); the standard collocation is always ताश खेलना (taash khelnaa, 'to play cards'), not a literal translation of 'card game.' 2) ताश (taash) refers to the whole deck/activity, while individual cards are usually called पत्ते (patte) -- so 'deal the cards' is पत्ते बाँटना (patte baantnaa, 'to distribute the cards'), not ताश बाँटना (taash baantnaa).
Sample Sentences:
क्या तुम्हारे पास ताश की गड्डी है? Do you have a deck of playing cards?
(kyaa tumhaare paas taash kii gaddii hai?)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
दिवाली पर हम लोग रात भर ताश खेलते हैं। On Diwali we play cards all night.
(divaalii par ham log raat bhar taash khelte hain।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
ट्रेन में समय काटने के लिए वे ताश निकाल कर बैठ गए। To pass the time on the train, they took out the cards and sat down.
(tren men samay kaatne ke lie ve taash nikaal kar baith gae।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
पापा ताश के पत्ते फेंट रहे हैं। Dad is shuffling the playing cards.
(paapaa taash ke patte phent rahe hain।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Continuous -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
अगर बारिश न होती तो हम बाहर खेलते, न कि घर में ताश खेलते। If it hadn't been raining, we would have played outside instead of playing cards at home.
(agar baarish n hotii to ham baahar khelte, n ki ghar men taash khelte।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Counterfactual -- Aspect: Habitual -- Voice: Active
बच्चों, इतनी देर तक ताश मत खेलो, कल स्कूल है। Kids, don't play cards this late, there's school tomorrow.
(bachchon, itnii der tak taash mat khelo, kal skool hai।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Imperative -- Voice: Active
शायद वे लोग अभी भी उनतीस खेल रहे हों। They might still be playing 29 with the cards right now.
(shaayad ve log abhii bhii untiis khel rahe hon।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Subjunctive -- Voice: Active
पार्टी में पैसे लगा कर ताश खेला जा रहा था, पुलिस आ गई। Cards were being played for money at the party when the police showed up.
(paartii men paise lagaa kar taash khelaa jaa rahaa thaa, pulis aa gaii।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Continuous -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Passive
दुकान से एक नई ताश की गड्डी खरीद लाना। Buy a new deck of cards from the shop.
(dukaan se ek naii taash kii gaddii khariid laanaa।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Imperative -- Voice: Active
बुजुर्ग लोग बरामदे में बैठ कर ताश खेल रहे थे। The elderly folks were sitting on the veranda playing cards.
(bujurg log baraamde men baith kar taash khel rahe the।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Continuous -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
गर्मी की दोपहर में ताश की महफ़िल जम जाती है। A lively card session gets going in the summer afternoons.
(garmii kii dopahar men taash kii mahfil jam jaatii hai।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
Morphology
Noun
(sg.m.direct): ताश (taash)
(sg.m.oblique): ताश (taash)
(pl.m.direct): ताश (taash)
(pl.m.oblique): ताशों (taashon)