मस्ती (mastii)
noun
Covers playful fun/frolic (masti mastii karnaa, 'to have fun/mess around'), a state of intoxicated or blissful abandon, and by extension a mood of carefree high spirits.
Sense
1
:
fun, playfulness, frolic
noun, feminine Very commonly paired with the verb करना (karnaa) in the phrase मस्ती करना (mastii karnaa, 'to mess around/have fun'), which behaves as its own light expression rather than a literal 'doing' of fun.
Synonyms: मज़ा (mazaa), तफ़री (tafrii, colloquial), उछल-कूद (uchhal-kood, boisterous physical play)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: You will hear kids and college students say चलो, मस्ती करते हैं (chalo, mastii karte hain, 'come on, let's have some fun') constantly in Delhi -- it is the default word for lighthearted goofing off, whether it's splashing in the rain or teasing a friend. It sits at the fun end of a spectrum that runs toward मज़ा (mazaa, enjoyment/pleasure) on one side and नौटंकी (nautankii, dramatics/antics) on the more theatrical side.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often translate मस्ती करना (mastii karnaa) too literally as 'to do fun' -- it is better rendered as 'to horse around' or 'to have fun,' and can carry a mild undertone of mischief depending on context. 2) मस्ती is not marked with ने (ne) as an object here; करना (karnaa) is intransitive-feeling in this idiom and behaves like normal light-verb usage, so beginners sometimes wrongly add ने (ne) to the subject when there is no true transitive object relationship intended.
Sample Sentences:
चलो, मस्ती करते हैं!
Come on, let's have some fun!
(chalo, mastii karte hain!)
बच्चे बारिश में मस्ती कर रहे हैं।
The kids are frolicking in the rain.
(bachche baarish men mastii kar rahe hain।)
कॉलेज के दिनों में हम रोज़ इतनी मस्ती करते थे।
Back in college days, we used to have so much fun every day.
(kolej ke dinon men ham roz itnii mastii karte the।)
उसने क्लास में इतनी मस्ती की कि टीचर को गुस्सा आ गया।
He goofed around so much in class that the teacher got angry.
(usne klaas men itnii mastii kii ki tiichar ko gussaa aa gayaa।)
अगर छुट्टी होती, तो हम पूरे दिन मस्ती करते।
If there had been a holiday, we would have had fun all day.
(agar chhuttii hotii, to ham poore din mastii karte।)
काश हम भी उनके साथ थोड़ी मस्ती कर पाते।
I wish we too could have had a little fun with them.
(kaash ham bhii unke saath thodii mastii kar paate।)
दोस्तों के साथ मस्ती करने का मज़ा ही अलग है।
There's a different kind of joy in fooling around with friends.
(doston ke saath mastii karne kaa mazaa hii alag hai।)
क्लास के बाद पार्क में थोड़ी मस्ती कर लेंगे।
We'll have a little fun in the park after class.
(klaas ke baad paark men thodii mastii kar lenge।)
इतनी मस्ती मत करो, कोई देख लेगा।
Don't fool around so much, someone will see you.
(itnii mastii mat karo, koii dekh legaa।)
उनकी मस्ती देखकर सब हंस पड़े।
Seeing their playful antics, everyone burst out laughing.
(unkii mastii dekhkar sab hans pade।)
स्कूल की मस्ती और वो लापरवाह दिन अब बहुत याद आते हैं।
I miss the school-day fun and those carefree times so much now.
(skool kii mastii aur vo laaparvaah din ab bahut yaad aate hain।)
Sense
2
:
intoxicated bliss, heady abandon (as in bhang/drink or spiritual ecstasy)
noun, feminine Used for the woozy, carefree feeling brought on by an intoxicant (especially भांग bhaang on Holi) or, in devotional/Sufi contexts, by spiritual rapture.
Synonyms: नशा (nashaa, intoxication/high), सुरूर (suroor, literary, dreamy intoxication)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: This sense comes alive around Holi, when people describe the loose-limbed, laughing haze after drinking भांग (bhaang) as मस्ती (mastii) -- and it shows up in Sufi and Kabir-style poetry too, where the devotee is 'drunk' on divine love rather than any real drink. It is the same underlying idea as the fun-sense above: a loss of ordinary restraint, just tilted toward chemical or spiritual causes instead of simple play.
Sample Sentences:
होली पर भांग की मस्ती में सब झूमते रहे।
On Holi, everyone kept swaying in the heady haze of bhang.
(holii par bhaang kii mastii men sab jhoomte rahe।)
भांग पीने के बाद उसकी आँखों में अजीब सी मस्ती छा गई थी।
After drinking bhang, a strange intoxicated glow had spread across his eyes.
(bhaang piine ke baad uskii aankhon men ajiib sii mastii chhaa gaii thii।)
कबीर की वाणी में प्रेम की मस्ती साफ झलकती है।
The intoxicated abandon of divine love shines through clearly in Kabir's verses.
(kabiir kii vaanii men prem kii mastii saaph jhalaktii hai।)
फकीर मस्ती में झूमता हुआ गा रहा था, जैसे उसे कोई खबर ही न हो।
The fakir was swaying in blissful rapture and singing, as if he had no awareness of anything else.
(phakiir mastii men jhoomtaa huaa gaa rahaa thaa, jaise use koii khabar hii n ho।)
अगर उसने इतनी भांग न पी होती, तो उसे यह मस्ती न चढ़ती।
If he hadn't drunk so much bhang, this intoxicated high wouldn't have taken hold of him.
(agar usne itnii bhaang n pii hotii, to use yah mastii n chadhtii।)
सूफी संतों की मस्ती को समझने के लिए शराब की नहीं, आत्मा की भाषा चाहिए।
To understand the divine intoxication of Sufi saints, one needs the language of the soul, not of wine.
(soophii santon kii mastii ko samajhne ke lie sharaab kii nahiin, aatmaa kii bhaashaa chaahie।)
थोड़ी भांग चढ़ जाए तो मस्ती अपने आप छा जाती है।
Once a little bhang takes effect, the heady bliss just settles over you on its own.
(thodii bhaang chadh jaae to mastii apne aap chhaa jaatii hai।)
उस मस्ती में उसे न दिन का पता था, न रात का।
In that intoxicated haze, he had no sense of day or night.
(us mastii men use n din kaa pataa thaa, n raat kaa।)
मीरा अपने कृष्ण-प्रेम की मस्ती में डूबी रहती थी।
Meera remained immersed in the intoxicated bliss of her love for Krishna.
(miiraa apne krishn-prem kii mastii men doobii rahtii thii।)
Morphology
Noun
(sg.f.direct):
मस्ती
(mastii)
(sg.f.oblique):
मस्ती
(mastii)
(pl.f.direct):
मस्तियाँ
(mastiyaan)
(pl.f.oblique):
मस्तियों
(mastiyon)