याद (yaad)
noun
याद (yaad) is a feminine noun meaning 'memory' or 'remembrance', but its everyday power comes from the fixed phrases it forms with आना (aanaa), करना (karnaa), and रखना (rakhnaa) -- these idiomatic verb pairings are the real heart of this word for a learner.
Sense
1
:
the state of remembering something; something coming to mind
noun, feminine Used with याद आना (yaad aanaa) in a dative-subject frame: मुझे उसकी याद आई (mujhe uskii yaad aaii, 'I remembered him/her', literally 'his/her memory came to me'). The person or thing remembered takes की (kii)/का (kaa) before याद (yaad), and the rememberer is marked with को (ko).
Synonyms: स्मृति (smriti, literary)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: This is one of Hindi's classic 'body/mind as receiver' constructions: memory is not something you actively do, it is something that arrives at you, much like नींद आना (niind aanaa, sleep) or प्यार होना (pyaar honaa, falling in love). A mother might say तेरी याद आती है (terii yaad aatii hai, 'I miss you', literally 'your memory keeps coming') -- this passive framing of longing is deeply embedded in how Hindi speakers talk about missing someone.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often try to make the rememberer the subject of an active verb, saying something like मैं याद आया (main yaad aayaa) when they mean 'I remembered' -- but याद आना (yaad aanaa) always puts the person in the को (ko) slot and the thing remembered as the grammatical subject: मुझे याद आया (mujhe yaad aayaa). 2) Confusing याद आना (yaad aanaa) (something spontaneously comes to mind) with याद करना (yaad karnaa) (to deliberately recall or memorize) -- these are not interchangeable.
Sample Sentences:
मुझे उसकी याद आती है।
I remember him (his memory comes to me).
(mujhe uskii yaad aatii hai।)
अचानक मुझे बचपन की याद आ गई।
Suddenly the memory of my childhood came to me.
(achaanak mujhe bachpan kii yaad aa gaii।)
उस गाने को सुनते ही पुरानी यादें ताज़ा हो जाती हैं।
As soon as I hear that song, old memories become fresh.
(us gaane ko sunte hii puraanii yaaden taazaa ho jaatii hain।)
क्या तुम्हें वो दिन याद है?
Do you remember that day?
(kyaa tumhen vo din yaad hai?)
उस हादसे की याद उसे अब भी सताती है।
The memory of that accident still torments him.
(us haadse kii yaad use ab bhii sataatii hai।)
अगर वो चिट्ठी न मिलती, तो मुझे यह बात याद ही न आती।
If that letter hadn't arrived, this thing would never have come to my mind.
(agar vo chitthii n miltii, to mujhe yah baat yaad hii n aatii।)
इस तस्वीर को देखकर मुझे कॉलेज के दिनों की याद आ जाती है।
Looking at this picture, the memory of my college days comes back to me.
(is tasviir ko dekhkar mujhe kolej ke dinon kii yaad aa jaatii hai।)
जब भी बारिश होती है, मुझे नानी के घर की याद आती है।
Whenever it rains, the memory of my grandmother's house comes to me.
(jab bhii baarish hotii hai, mujhe naanii ke ghar kii yaad aatii hai।)
बुढ़ापे में इंसान को गुज़रे ज़माने की याद बहुत आती है।
In old age, people often remember the times gone by.
(budhaape men insaan ko guzre zamaane kii yaad bahut aatii hai।)
उसकी बातें सुनकर मुझे अपने पापा की याद आ गई।
Hearing his words, the memory of my father came to me.
(uskii baaten sunkar mujhe apne paapaa kii yaad aa gaii।)
उस शहर की गलियों में घूमते हुए न जाने कितनी यादें ज़िंदा हो उठीं।
Wandering through the lanes of that city, countless memories came alive.
(us shahar kii galiyon men ghoomte hue n jaane kitnii yaaden zindaa ho uthiin।)
Sense
2
:
missing someone; longing for someone's presence
noun, feminine Expressed via याद आना (yaad aanaa) in continuous/habitual aspect: तुम्हारी याद आती रहती है (tumhaarii yaad aatii rahtii hai, 'I keep missing you'). This sense overlaps with the 'memory' sense above but is split because in English it maps to a distinct verb, 'to miss', rather than 'to remember'.
Synonyms: विरह (virah, literary, more about separation-longing)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: This is probably the most emotionally loaded use of याद (yaad) -- it shows up constantly in songs, letters, and phone calls home. Saying तेरी याद आ रही है (terii yaad aa rahii hai) to a friend or family member carries real tenderness, more so than the borrowed 'miss you' that younger urban speakers sometimes slip into English for.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners reach for a literal translation of 'I miss you' and try मैं तुम्हें मिस करता हूँ (main tumhen mis kartaa hoon) -- this is heard in casual Hinglish but the native, warmer construction is तुम्हारी याद आती है (tumhaarii yaad aatii hai). 2) Forgetting that the person missed is marked with का (kaa)/की (kii)/के (ke), not से (se) or को (ko).
Sample Sentences:
मुझे तेरी बहुत याद आ रही है।
I am missing you a lot.
(mujhe terii bahut yaad aa rahii hai।)
जब से वह विदेश गया है, घर वालों को उसकी याद सताती है।
Ever since he went abroad, his family is tormented by missing him.
(jab se vah videsh gayaa hai, ghar vaalon ko uskii yaad sataatii hai।)
माँ ने कहा कि तेरी याद में रोज रोती हूँ।
Mother said that she cries every day, missing you.
(maan ne kahaa ki terii yaad men roj rotii hoon।)
अगर वह यहाँ होता, तो मुझे इतनी याद न आती।
If he were here, I wouldn't miss him this much.
(agar vah yahaan hotaa, to mujhe itnii yaad n aatii।)
काश तुम यहाँ होते, तुम्हारी याद असहनीय हो गई है।
I wish you were here, missing you has become unbearable.
(kaash tum yahaan hote, tumhaarii yaad asahniiy ho gaii hai।)
पूरी रात उसकी याद में करवटें बदलता रहा।
I kept tossing and turning all night, missing her.
(poorii raat uskii yaad men karavten badaltaa rahaa।)
इस गाने में बिछड़े हुए प्रेमी की याद बहुत खूबसूरती से बयां की गई है।
In this song, the longing for the separated lover has been expressed very beautifully.
(is gaane men bichhde hue premii kii yaad bahut khoobsoortii se bayaan kii gaii hai।)
बेटा, फोन कर लिया कर, तेरी याद बहुत आती है।
Son, do call sometimes, I miss you a lot.
(betaa, phon kar liyaa kar, terii yaad bahut aatii hai।)
क्या तुम्हें कभी अपने पुराने दोस्तों की याद नहीं आती?
Don't you ever miss your old friends?
(kyaa tumhen kabhii apne puraane doston kii yaad nahiin aatii?)
उसकी याद दिल से जाने का नाम ही नहीं लेती।
The longing for her simply refuses to leave my heart.
(uskii yaad dil se jaane kaa naam hii nahiin letii।)
दादी की याद में पूरा परिवार भावुक हो उठा।
Missing grandmother, the whole family became emotional.
(daadii kii yaad men pooraa parivaar bhaavuk ho uthaa।)
Sense
3
:
keeping something in mind; not forgetting (a task, fact, or promise)
noun, feminine Common in the frame याद रखना (yaad rakhnaa, 'to keep in mind, remember') and याद रहना (yaad rahnaa, 'to stay remembered/not forget', dative-subject: मुझे याद रहेगा (mujhe yaad rahegaa, 'I'll remember it'). Also याद दिलाना (yaad dilaanaa, the causative 'to remind').
Synonyms: ध्यान (dhyaan, broader: attention/mindfulness)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: याद दिलाना (yaad dilaanaa) is the everyday word for 'remind' and shows up constantly in practical requests -- मुझे याद दिला देना (mujhe yaad dilaa denaa, 'remind me') is something you will hear dozens of times a day in any Indian household or office, since these three verbs (रखना (rakhnaa), रहना (rahnaa), दिलाना (dilaanaa)) turn one noun into a small toolkit for talking about memory tasks.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often confuse याद रखना (yaad rakhnaa) (active: you deliberately hold something in memory) with याद रहना (yaad rahnaa) (it stays remembered on its own, no agency implied) -- the choice changes whether the sentence takes an agent subject or a dative one. 2) For 'remind', learners sometimes try a direct calque instead of the correct causative याद दिलाना (yaad dilaanaa, literally 'to cause memory to be given').
Sample Sentences:
मुझे कल मीटिंग याद है।
I remember the meeting tomorrow (I'm keeping it in mind).
(mujhe kal miiting yaad hai।)
प्लीज़ मुझे शाम को दवाई लेने के लिए याद दिला देना।
Please remind me to take my medicine in the evening.
(pliiz mujhe shaam ko davaaii lene ke lie yaad dilaa denaa।)
अपना पासवर्ड याद रखना, वरना बाद में परेशानी होगी।
Keep your password in mind, or you'll have trouble later.
(apnaa paasvard yaad rakhnaa, varnaa baad men pareshaanii hogii।)
मुझे उसका जन्मदिन याद नहीं रहा और मैं भूल गया।
I didn't keep his birthday in mind, and I forgot.
(mujhe uskaa janmdin yaad nahiin rahaa aur main bhool gayaa।)
बॉस ने सबको ईमेल भेजकर डेडलाइन याद दिलाई।
The boss sent an email to remind everyone of the deadline.
(bos ne sabko iimel bhejkar dedlaain yaad dilaaii।)
अगर तुम अपने काम याद नहीं रखते, तो लिस्ट बना लो।
If you don't keep your tasks in mind, make a list.
(agar tum apne kaam yaad nahiin rakhte, to list banaa lo।)
काश मुझे उसका नंबर याद रहता, तो मैं फोन कर लेता।
If only I had kept his number in mind, I would have called.
(kaash mujhe uskaa nambar yaad rahtaa, to main phon kar letaa।)
क्या आप मुझे कल सुबह उस अपॉइंटमेंट के बारे में याद दिला सकते हैं?
Could you remind me about that appointment tomorrow morning?
(kyaa aap mujhe kal subah us apointment ke baare men yaad dilaa sakte hain?)
सेक्रेटरी द्वारा सभी सदस्यों को बैठक की तारीख याद दिलाई गई।
The secretary reminded all the members of the meeting date.
(sekretrii dvaaraa sabhii sadasyon ko baithak kii taariikh yaad dilaaii gaii।)
मुझे हमेशा याद रहता है कि गैस बंद करनी है, फिर भी माँ पूछती रहती है।
I always keep in mind that I need to turn off the gas, but Mom still keeps asking.
(mujhe hameshaa yaad rahtaa hai ki gais band karnii hai, phir bhii maan poochhtii rahtii hai।)
उसे शायद याद न रहे कि कल छुट्टी है, तुम एक बार उसे बता देना।
He might not remember that tomorrow is a holiday, so tell him once.
(use shaayad yaad n rahe ki kal chhuttii hai, tum ek baar use bataa denaa।)
Morphology
Noun
(sg.f.direct):
याद
(yaad)
(sg.f.oblique):
याद
(yaad)
(pl.f.direct):
यादें
(yaaden)
(pl.f.oblique):
यादों
(yaadon)