मज़ा (mazaa)
noun
Means 'fun, enjoyment, pleasure' -- the everyday word for a good time, whether from an activity, food, or an experience. Almost always seen in fixed phrases like मज़ा आना (mazaa aanaa) 'to feel enjoyment' rather than standing alone as a subject.
Sense
1
:
fun, enjoyment, pleasure
noun, masculine Almost always used with आना (aanaa) in a dative-subject frame: X को मज़ा आता है (X ko mazaa aataa hai, 'X enjoys it') -- the enjoyment 'comes to' the person rather than the person 'having' fun.
Synonyms: आनंद (aanand, formal), मस्ती (mastii)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: This is one of the clearest everyday examples of Hindi's dative-subject pattern: enjoyment is treated as something that arrives at you, like nींद (niind, sleep) or गुस्सा (gussaa, anger), rather than something you actively do. You'll hear मज़ा आ गया (mazaa aa gayaa, 'that was fun!') constantly after a good meal, movie, or outing in Delhi.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners try to make मज़ा (mazaa) the subject of a normal verb like करना (karnaa); native speakers instead say मज़ा आना (mazaa aanaa) or मज़ा लेना (mazaa lenaa), not मज़ा करना (mazaa karnaa) for 'having fun.' 2) The person enjoying is marked with को (ko), not से (se) or का (kaa): मुझे मज़ा आया (mujhe mazaa aayaa, 'I enjoyed it'), not मैंने मज़ा आया।
Sample Sentences:
आज की पार्टी में बहुत मज़ा आया।
I had a lot of fun at today's party.
(aaj kii paartii men bahut mazaa aayaa।)
मुझे इस खेल में बहुत मज़ा आता है।
I really enjoy this game.
(mujhe is khel men bahut mazaa aataa hai।)
फ़िल्म देखकर मज़ा आ गया!
That movie was so much fun!
(film dekhkar mazaa aa gayaa!)
अगर तुम भी साथ चलते तो और मज़ा आता।
If you had come along too, it would have been even more fun.
(agar tum bhii saath chalte to aur mazaa aataa।)
उम्मीद है छुट्टियों में बहुत मज़ा आएगा।
I hope we have a lot of fun during the holidays.
(ummiid hai chhuttiyon men bahut mazaa aaegaa।)
बच्चे झूले पर बैठकर मज़ा ले रहे हैं।
The kids are having fun sitting on the swing.
(bachche jhoole par baithkar mazaa le rahe hain।)
काश इस सफ़र में थोड़ा और मज़ा आता।
I wish this trip had been a bit more fun.
(kaash is safar men thodaa aur mazaa aataa।)
चलो, आज खूब मज़ा करते हैं।
Come on, let's have a lot of fun today.
(chalo, aaj khoob mazaa karte hain।)
आपके साथ यात्रा करने में बहुत मज़ा आया, धन्यवाद।
It was a real pleasure traveling with you, thank you.
(aapke saath yaatraa karne men bahut mazaa aayaa, dhanyvaad।)
उसे कभी किसी चीज़ में मज़ा नहीं आता।
He never enjoys anything.
(use kabhii kisii chiiz men mazaa nahiin aataa।)
इतनी मुश्किल हाइकिंग के बाद भी सबको बहुत मज़ा आया था।
Even after such a difficult hike, everyone had had a great time.
(itnii mushkil haaiking ke baad bhii sabko bahut mazaa aayaa thaa।)
Sense
2
:
taste, savor (of food or experience)
noun, masculine Used for the enjoyable 'taste' or 'flavor' of an experience more broadly, not just literal food flavor -- e.g. बारिश का मज़ा (baarish kaa mazaa, 'the pleasure of the rain').
Synonyms: स्वाद (svaad)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: Where स्वाद (svaad) is the more literal, physical word for taste, मज़ा (mazaa) leans into the pleasurable, experiential side -- so लस्सी का मज़ा (lassii kaa mazaa) evokes the whole enjoyable experience of drinking lassi on a hot day, not just its flavor on the tongue.
Sample Sentences:
गर्मी में लस्सी का मज़ा ही कुछ और है।
The taste of lassi in summer is something else entirely.
(garmii men lassii kaa mazaa hii kuchh aur hai।)
माँ के हाथ के खाने का मज़ा किसी रेस्टोरेंट में नहीं मिलता।
You don't get the taste of mother's home cooking in any restaurant.
(maan ke haath ke khaane kaa mazaa kisii restorent men nahiin miltaa।)
बारिश में चाय का मज़ा दुगना हो जाता है।
The taste of tea doubles in the rain.
(baarish men chaay kaa mazaa dugnaa ho jaataa hai।)
अगर मसाले सही मात्रा में डालो तो सब्ज़ी का मज़ा बढ़ जाएगा।
If you add the spices in the right amount, the taste of the vegetable dish will improve.
(agar masaale sahii maatraa men daalo to sabzii kaa mazaa badh jaaegaa।)
अगर वो हलवा घी में बना होता तो उसका मज़ा दोगुना होता।
If that halwa had been made in ghee, its taste would have been doubled.
(agar vo halvaa ghii men banaa hotaa to uskaa mazaa dogunaa hotaa।)
पहाड़ों की यात्रा का मज़ा शब्दों में बयान नहीं किया जा सकता।
The savor of a journey through the mountains cannot be described in words.
(pahaadon kii yaatraa kaa mazaa shabdon men bayaan nahiin kiyaa jaa saktaa।)
ठंडी शिकंजी का मज़ा चखो, बहुत अच्छी लगेगी।
Taste the flavor of the cold shikanji, you'll like it a lot.
(thandii shikanjii kaa mazaa chakho, bahut achchhii lagegii।)
पुरानी दिल्ली के परांठों का मज़ा आज भी वैसा ही है।
The taste of Old Delhi's parathas is still just the same today.
(puraanii dillii ke paraanthon kaa mazaa aaj bhii vaisaa hii hai।)
काश उस आम का मज़ा तुम भी चख पाते।
I wish you too could have tasted that mango's flavor.
(kaash us aam kaa mazaa tum bhii chakh paate।)
फीकी दाल में नमक डालते ही उसका मज़ा वापस आ गया।
As soon as salt was added to the bland lentils, their flavor came back.
(phiikii daal men namak daalte hii uskaa mazaa vaapas aa gayaa।)
Sense
3
:
used in idiom to mean a joke or teasing, mockery (in मज़ाक-related idiomatic use)
noun, masculine Appears in the fixed idiom मज़ा लेना (mazaa lenaa, 'to enjoy someone's discomfort, to relish teasing someone'), often with से (se) marking the target: किसी से मज़ा लेना (kisii se mazaa lenaa).
Synonyms: मज़ाक (mazaak, more common for this specific sense)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: This sense overlaps closely with मज़ाक (mazaak, 'joke'), and the two words are often used almost interchangeably in casual banter -- दोस्तों के बीच मज़ा लेना (doston ke biich mazaa lenaa, 'to have a laugh at a friend's expense among friends') is a normal, affectionate part of Delhi friend-group dynamics, not necessarily unkind.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners confuse this idiomatic मज़ा लेना (mazaa lenaa, 'to relish teasing/mocking someone') with the plain enjoyment sense of मज़ा लेना (mazaa lenaa, 'to enjoy oneself'); context and the presence of a से-marked person distinguish them.
Sample Sentences:
यार, उसकी टांग खींचने का मज़ा ही कुछ और है।
Dude, there's a special fun in pulling his leg.
(yaar, uskii taang khiinchne kaa mazaa hii kuchh aur hai।)
दोस्तों के बीच मज़ा लेना कोई बुरी बात नहीं है।
Having a laugh at someone's expense among friends isn't a bad thing.
(doston ke biich mazaa lenaa koii burii baat nahiin hai।)
सब मिलकर उसका मज़ा उड़ा रहे थे, पर वो हँस के टाल गया।
Everyone was making fun of him together, but he laughed it off.
(sab milkar uskaa mazaa udaa rahe the, par vo hans ke taal gayaa।)
बस मज़ा ले रहा हूँ, बुरा मत मानना।
I'm just teasing, don't take it to heart.
(bas mazaa le rahaa hoon, buraa mat maannaa।)
क्या तुम मेरा मज़ा उड़ा रहे हो सबके सामने?
Are you making fun of me in front of everyone?
(kyaa tum meraa mazaa udaa rahe ho sabke saamne?)
अगर वो जान जाता कि हम उसका मज़ा ले रहे थे, तो नाराज़ हो जाता।
If he had found out we were teasing him, he would have gotten upset.
(agar vo jaan jaataa ki ham uskaa mazaa le rahe the, to naaraaz ho jaataa।)
उसका मज़ा मत उड़ाओ, वो पहले से ही शर्मिंदा है।
Don't make fun of him, he's already embarrassed.
(uskaa mazaa mat udaao, vo pahle se hii sharmindaa hai।)
मीटिंग में बॉस के सामने उसका मज़ा उड़ाया गया, जो थोड़ा अजीब लगा।
He was made fun of in front of the boss during the meeting, which felt a bit odd.
(miiting men bos ke saamne uskaa mazaa udaayaa gayaa, jo thodaa ajiib lagaa।)
शायद वो सिर्फ मज़ा ले रहा हो, इसे दिल पे मत लो।
Maybe he's just teasing, don't take it to heart.
(shaayad vo sirph mazaa le rahaa ho, ise dil pe mat lo।)
Morphology
Noun
(sg.m.direct):
मज़ा
(mazaa)
(sg.m.oblique):
मज़े
(maze)
(pl.m.direct):
मज़े
(maze)
(pl.m.oblique):
मज़ों
(mazon)