ख़ूबी (khoobii)
noun
A feminine noun meaning a good quality, strength, or special merit that someone or something possesses; also used to praise a distinctive feature.
Sense
1
:
good quality, virtue, strength (of a person or thing)
noun, feminine
Synonyms: गुण (gun), विशेषता (visheshtaa), खासियत (khaasiyat)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: You'll hear this word a lot in everyday appraisal-talk -- praising a person's cooking, a gadget's features, or a friend's character. Saying यही तो उसकी ख़ूबी है (yahii to uskii khoobii hai, 'that's exactly his/her special quality') is a very natural way to highlight what makes someone stand out, often right before or after mentioning a flaw, since Hindi speakers love balancing ख़ूबी (khoobii) against खामी (khaamii, 'flaw') in the same breath.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes use ख़ूबी (khoobii) as if it only meant 'beauty' because of its sound resemblance to ख़ूब (khoob, 'excellent') -- it actually means a positive trait or strength, not physical beauty. 2) It is almost always used in the plural when listing someone's merits, e.g. उसकी ख़ूबियाँ (uskii khoobiyaan, 'his/her good qualities'), even though the singular is grammatically fine for one specific trait.
Sample Sentences:
उसकी सबसे बड़ी ख़ूबी उसकी ईमानदारी है।
His biggest quality is his honesty.
(uskii sabse badii khoobii uskii iimaandaarii hai।)
यही तो उसकी ख़ूबी है कि वह हर किसी की मदद करता है।
That's exactly his quality -- that he helps everyone.
(yahii to uskii khoobii hai ki vah har kisii kii madad kartaa hai।)
इस फ़ोन की सबसे बड़ी ख़ूबी इसकी बैटरी लाइफ़ है।
This phone's biggest strong point is its battery life.
(is fon kii sabse badii khoobii iskii baitrii laaif hai।)
हर इंसान में कुछ ख़ूबियाँ और कुछ खामियाँ होती हैं।
Every person has some good qualities and some flaws.
(har insaan men kuchh khoobiyaan aur kuchh khaamiyaan hotii hain।)
अगर तुम अपनी ख़ूबियों पर ध्यान दो, तो आत्मविश्वास बढ़ेगा।
If you focus on your strengths, your confidence will grow.
(agar tum apnii khoobiyon par dhyaan do, to aatmvishvaas badhegaa।)
काश मुझमें भी उसके जैसी ख़ूबियाँ होतीं।
I wish I too had qualities like his.
(kaash mujhmen bhii uske jaisii khoobiyaan hotiin।)
उसकी ख़ूबियों को सबने सराहा।
Everyone praised his strong points.
(uskii khoobiyon ko sabne saraahaa।)
इस मशीन की ख़ूबियाँ कंपनी की वेबसाइट पर बताई गई हैं।
This machine's features are listed on the company's website.
(is mashiin kii khoobiyaan kampnii kii vebsaait par bataaii gaii hain।)
अपनी ख़ूबियों को कभी कम मत समझो।
Never underestimate your good qualities.
(apnii khoobiyon ko kabhii kam mat samjho।)
उसमें एक ख़ूबी यह भी है कि वह कभी झूठ नहीं बोलता।
One of his good qualities is also that he never lies.
(usmen ek khoobii yah bhii hai ki vah kabhii jhooth nahiin boltaa।)
मुझे लगता है इस डिज़ाइन में कोई ख़ास ख़ूबी नहीं है।
I think there's no special merit in this design.
(mujhe lagtaa hai is dizaain men koii khaas khoobii nahiin hai।)
साक्षात्कार में उम्मीदवार की ख़ूबियों और कमियों दोनों का आकलन किया जाता है।
In the interview, both the candidate's strengths and weaknesses are assessed.
(saakshaatkaar men ummiidvaar kii khoobiyon aur kamiyon donon kaa aaklan kiyaa jaataa hai।)
Morphology
Noun
(sg.f.direct):
ख़ूबी
(khoobii)
(sg.f.oblique):
ख़ूबी
(khoobii)
(pl.f.direct):
ख़ूबियाँ
(khoobiyaan)
(pl.f.oblique):
ख़ूबियों
(khoobiyon)