जो (jo)
pronoun/adjective/conjunction
The core relative pronoun/adjective of Hindi ('who, which, that'), almost always paired with a correlative वह (vah) or उस (us) later in the sentence; it also appears as a conditional/concessive conjunction ('if').
Sense
1
:
relative pronoun -- who, which, that
pronoun Sets up a relative clause that is completed by a correlative pronoun (वह (vah), वे (ve), उसको (usko), etc.) later in the sentence -- the जो...वह (jo...vah) frame.
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: This is the backbone of Hindi's relative-correlative system, which works quite differently from English embedding: instead of tucking 'who/which' clauses inside a sentence, Hindi tends to state the जो (jo)-clause first as its own unit and then resolve it with वह (vah) -- 'jo ... so/vah ...'. Once you get comfortable hearing sentences open with जो (jo), the whole rhythm of Hindi complex sentences starts to click.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often forget to supply the correlative वह (vah)/वे (ve) in the main clause, leaving the sentence feeling incomplete to a native ear -- जो आदमी आया, वह मेरा दोस्त है (jo aadmii aayaa, vah meraa dost hai, 'the man who came is my friend') needs that वह (vah). 2) English speakers try to place जो (jo) mid-sentence right before the noun it modifies as English does with 'who/which'; Hindi instead often opens the whole sentence with the जो (jo)-clause, then resolves it with the correlative.
Sample Sentences:
जो लड़का वहाँ खड़ा है, वह मेरा भाई है।
The boy who is standing there is my brother.
(jo ladkaa vahaan khadaa hai, vah meraa bhaaii hai।)
Listen: F85
जो किताब मैंने कल खरीदी थी, वह मेज़ पर रखी है।
The book that I bought yesterday is lying on the table.
(jo kitaab mainne kal khariidii thii, vah mez par rakhii hai।)
Listen: M85
जो लोग मेहनत करते हैं, वे ज़रूर कामयाब होते हैं।
People who work hard definitely succeed.
(jo log mehnat karte hain, ve zaroor kaamyaab hote hain।)
Listen: F85
जो फ़िल्म हम देख रहे थे, वह बहुत उबाऊ थी।
The movie that we were watching was very boring.
(jo film ham dekh rahe the, vah bahut ubaaoo thii।)
Listen: F85
जो चीज़ खो गई है, वह अब नहीं मिलेगी।
The thing that has been lost will not be found now.
(jo chiiz kho gaii hai, vah ab nahiin milegii।)
Listen: F85
जो पत्र भेजा गया था, वह अभी तक नहीं पहुँचा।
The letter that was sent has still not arrived.
(jo patr bhejaa gayaa thaa, vah abhii tak nahiin pahunchaa।)
Listen: M85
जो व्यक्ति सच बोलता है, उसे किसी से डरने की ज़रूरत नहीं।
The person who speaks the truth need not fear anyone.
(jo vyakti sach boltaa hai, use kisii se darne kii zaroorat nahiin।)
Listen: F85
अगर मुझे पता होता कि जो सामान टूटा है, वही असली था, तो मैं इतना लापरवाह न होता।
If I had known that the item which is broken was the real one, I would not have been so careless.
(agar mujhe pataa hotaa ki jo saamaan tootaa hai, vahii aslii thaa, to main itnaa laaparvaah n hotaa।)
Listen: M85
जो सपना मैंने देखा था, वह सच हो गया।
The dream that I had seen came true.
(jo sapnaa mainne dekhaa thaa, vah sach ho gayaa।)
Listen: M85
जो राह तुझे मंज़िल तक ले जाए, उसी पर चल।
Walk on that path which leads you to your destination.
(jo raah tujhe manzil tak le jaae, usii par chal।)
Listen: M85
जो शब्द गुरु ने कहे, वे मेरे मन में हमेशा रहेंगे।
The words that the teacher spoke will always remain in my heart.
(jo shabd guru ne kahe, ve mere man men hameshaa rahenge।)
Listen: M85
Sense
2
:
relative adjective -- whichever, that (modifying a following noun)
adjective Directly modifies a noun in the relative clause (जो किताब, jo kitaab, 'whichever book') rather than standing alone as the head of the clause.
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: Functionally this is the same जो (jo) as the relative pronoun, just doing adjective work by sitting directly in front of a noun -- Hindi doesn't force a hard line between 'which' as a standalone word and 'which' as a modifier the way English sometimes does.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes use जो (jo) alone where a noun is expected, forgetting it needs a noun right after it in this use, e.g. जो लड़की (jo ladkii, 'whichever girl') not just जो (jo) meaning 'the girl'.
Sample Sentences:
जो किताब तुम्हें पसंद है, वह ले लो।
Take whichever book you like.
(jo kitaab tumhen pasand hai, vah le lo।)
Listen: F85
जो रास्ता सबसे छोटा हो, उसी से चलते हैं।
Let's take whichever route is the shortest.
(jo raastaa sabse chhotaa ho, usii se chalte hain।)
Listen: M85
जो लड़की कल आई थी, वह मेरी बहन है।
That girl who came yesterday is my sister.
(jo ladkii kal aaii thii, vah merii bahan hai।)
Listen: M85
जो लोग समय पर पहुँचेंगे, उन्हें ही टिकट मिलेगा।
Only whichever people arrive on time will get a ticket.
(jo log samay par pahunchenge, unhen hii tikat milegaa।)
Listen: F85
जो फैसला अदालत ने दिया था, वह सबको मान्य था।
That decision which the court had given was acceptable to everyone.
(jo phaislaa adaalat ne diyaa thaa, vah sabko maany thaa।)
Listen: F85
जो सामान टूटा हुआ है, उसे फेंक दो।
Throw away whichever things are broken.
(jo saamaan tootaa huaa hai, use phenk do।)
Listen: F85
जो नियम बनाया गया था, उसे अब बदल दिया गया है।
That rule which was made has now been changed.
(jo niyam banaayaa gayaa thaa, use ab badal diyaa gayaa hai।)
Listen: M85
अगर वह होता, जो सलाह उसने दी होती, हम मान लेते।
If he had been there, whatever advice he had given, we would have accepted.
(agar vah hotaa, jo salaah usne dii hotii, ham maan lete।)
Listen: F85
जो व्यक्ति मंच पर बोल रहा है, वह मुख्य अतिथि हैं।
That person who is speaking on the stage is the chief guest.
(jo vyakti manch par bol rahaa hai, vah mukhy atithi hain।)
Listen: F85
जो जन नियमित रूप से साधना करता है, वह शांति पाता है।
That devotee who practices meditation regularly attains peace.
(jo jan niymit roop se saadhnaa kartaa hai, vah shaanti paataa hai।)
Listen: F85
Sense
3
:
if/whoever/whatever -- introducing a conditional or open-ended clause
conjunction Used in fixed frames like जो कोई (jo koii, 'whoever'), जो भी (jo bhii, 'whatever/whoever it may be'), and in some conditional-flavored proverbs and set phrases where it functions closer to अगर (agar) than to a plain relative pronoun.
Synonyms: अगर (agar)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: You'll hear this in sayings and everyday advice-giving, e.g. जो होगा देखा जाएगा (jo hogaa dekhaa jaaegaa, 'whatever happens, we'll deal with it') -- a very common bit of Hindi fatalistic-but-optimistic wisdom that leans on this open-ended sense of जो (jo).
Common Mistakes: 1) In the जो भी (jo bhii) and जो कोई (jo koii) frames, learners often translate word-for-word and miss that these are fixed idiomatic units meaning 'whatever/whoever,' not a relative clause needing its own separate correlative.
Sample Sentences:
जो जीतेगा, उसे इनाम मिलेगा।
Whoever wins will get the prize.
(jo jiitegaa, use inaam milegaa।)
Listen: M85
जो देर से आएगा, उसे सज़ा मिलेगी।
Whoever comes late will be punished.
(jo der se aaegaa, use sazaa milegii।)
Listen: M85
अगर मुझे पहले पता होता, जो भी हो जाता, मैं तैयार रहती।
If I had known earlier, whatever happened, I would have stayed prepared.
(agar mujhe pahle pataa hotaa, jo bhii ho jaataa, main taiyaar rahtii।)
Listen: F85
जो सच बोलता है, उसे डरने की ज़रूरत नहीं।
Whoever speaks the truth doesn't need to be afraid.
(jo sach boltaa hai, use darne kii zaroorat nahiin।)
Listen: M85
जो हो, तुम अपना काम करते रहो।
Whatever may happen, you just keep doing your work.
(jo ho, tum apnaa kaam karte raho।)
Listen: F85
जो व्यक्ति परिश्रम करे, वही सफलता का अधिकारी होता है।
Whoever works hard deserves success.
(jo vyakti parishram kare, vahii saphaltaa kaa adhikaarii hotaa hai।)
Listen: M85
जो होना था, वह हो गया, अब पछताने से क्या फ़ायदा।
What had to happen has happened; what's the use of regretting it now.
(jo honaa thaa, vah ho gayaa, ab pachhtaane se kyaa faaydaa।)
Listen: M85
Morphology
Adjective (invariant)
invariant:
जो
(jo)