काला

Hindi

Etymology

Inherited from Sanskrit काल (kāla, “black, dark or dark-blue”).

Pronunciation

• (Delhi) IPA^(key): /kɑː.lɑː/, [käː.läː]

• Audio:

  (file)

Adjective

काला • (kālā) (Urdu spelling کالا)

1. black (color/colour)
2. dirty, grimy
3. (sometimes offensive) black (having dark skin)

   Antonym: गोरा (gorā)

4. great, terrible, fearful

Declension

Declension of काला (ā-stem)

	masculine		feminine
	singular	plural	singular	plural
direct	काला kālā	काले kāle	काली kālī	काली kālī
oblique	काले kāle	काले kāle	काली kālī	काली kālī
vocative	काले kāle	काले kāle	काली kālī	काली kālī

Synonyms

• (black): कृष्ण (kŕṣṇa), श्याम (śyām), साँवला (sā̃vlā), श्यामला (śyāmlā)

Noun

काला • (kālā) m (Urdu spelling کالا)

1. color (color/colour)
2. (colloquial) Indian cobra
3. (colloquial, archaic) a sepoy

Declension

Declension of काला (masc ā-stem)

	singular	plural
direct	काला kālā	काले kāle
oblique	काले kāle	कालों kālõ
vocative	काले kāle	कालो kālo

Related terms

Colors in Hindi · रंग (raṅg) (layout · text)

सफ़ेद (safed), श्वेत (śvet), ऊजर (ūjar)	धूसर (dhūsar), छाई (chāī)	काला (kālā), कृष्ण (kŕṣṇa), श्याम (śyām)
लाल (lāl), लोहित (lohit), सुर्ख़ (surx), राता (rātā); गहरा लाल (gahrā lāl), क़िरमिज़ी (qirmizī)	नारंगी (nāraṅgī), माल्टा (mālṭā); भूरा (bhūrā), पिङ्गल (piṅgal)	पीला (pīlā), पियर (piyar), पीत (pīt); मलाई (malāī)
नींबू (nīmbū), सुगा पंछी (sugā pañchī)	हरा (harā), हरित (harit)
फ़िरोज़ा (firozā)	आकाशी (ākāśī), आसमानी (āsmānī)	नीला (nīlā), नील (nīl)
जामुनी (jāmunī); नील (nīl)	रानी (rānī); बैंगनी (baiṅgnī), जामुनी (jāmunī)	गुलाबी (gulābī), पाटल (pāṭal)

References

• Bahri, Hardev (1989) “काला”, in Siksarthi Hindi-Angrejhi Sabdakosa [Learners' Hindi-English Dictionary], Delhi: Rajpal & Sons.
• Dāsa, Śyāmasundara (1965–1975) “काला”, in Hindī Śabdasāgara [lit. Sea of Hindi words] (in Hindi), Kashi [Varanasi]: Nagari Pracarini Sabha
• Platts, John T. (1884) “काला”, in A dictionary of Urdu, classical Hindi, and English, London: W. H. Allen & Co.
• McGregor, Ronald Stuart (1993) “काला”, in The Oxford Hindi-English Dictionary, London: Oxford University Press
• “काला”, in Collins Gem Hindi-English Dictionary, Collins, 2011, →ISBN

Pali

Alternative forms

Alternative scripts

• kālā (Latin script)
• 𑀓𑀸𑀮𑀸 (Brahmi script)
• কালা (Bengali script)
• කාලා (Sinhalese script)
• ကာလာ or ၵႃလႃ (Burmese script)
• กาลา (Thai script)
• ᨠᩣᩃᩣ (Tai Tham script)
• ກາລາ (Lao script)
• កាលា (Khmer script)
• 𑄇𑄂𑄣𑄂 (Chakma script)

Noun

काला (kālā)

1. Devanagari script form of kālā, which is inflection of काल:
   1. ablative singular
   2. nominative/vocative plural (kāla, “time”)

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

Alternative scripts

• কালা (Assamese script)
• ᬓᬵᬮᬵ (Balinese script)
• কালা (Bengali script)
• 𑰎𑰯𑰩𑰯 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀓𑀸𑀮𑀸 (Brahmi script)
• ကာလာ (Burmese script)
• કાલા (Gujarati script)
• ਕਾਲਾ (Gurmukhi script)
• 𑌕𑌾𑌲𑌾 (Grantha script)
• ꦏꦴꦭꦴ (Javanese script)
• 𑂍𑂰𑂪𑂰 (Kaithi script)
• ಕಾಲಾ (Kannada script)
• កាលា (Khmer script)
• ກາລາ (Lao script)
• കാലാ (Malayalam script)
• ᡬᠠ᠎᠊ᠠᠯᠠᢇ (Manchu script)
• 𑘎𑘰𑘩𑘰 (Modi script)
• ᢉᠠᢗᠯᠠ᠋᠎ᠠ (Mongolian script)
• 𑦮𑧑𑧉𑧑 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐎𑐵𑐮𑐵 (Newa script)
• କାଲା (Odia script)
• ꢒꢵꢭꢵ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆑𑆳𑆬𑆳 (Sharada script)
• 𑖎𑖯𑖩𑖯 (Siddham script)
• කාලා (Sinhalese script)
• 𑩜𑩛𑩽𑩛 (Soyombo script)
• 𑚊𑚭𑚥𑚭 (Takri script)
• காலா (Tamil script)
• కాలా (Telugu script)
• กาลา (Thai script)
• ཀཱ་ལཱ (Tibetan script)
• 𑒏𑒰𑒪𑒰 (Tirhuta script)
• 𑨋𑨊𑨬𑨊 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /kɑː.lɑː/
• (Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /kɑː.l̪ɑː/

Noun

काला • (kālā) stem, f

1. name of several plants (Indigofera tinctoria, Piper longum, Rubia cordifolia (syn. Rubia munjista), Nigella sativa var. sativa (syn. Nigella indica), Ipomoea atropurpurea (Argyreia spp.), Ruellia longifolia, Physalis flexuosa, Stereospermum chelonoides (syn. Bignonia suaveolens)

Declension

Feminine ā-stem declension of काला

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	काला (kālā)	काले (kāle)	कालाः (kālāḥ)
vocative	काले (kāle)	काले (kāle)	कालाः (kālāḥ)
accusative	कालाम् (kālām)	काले (kāle)	कालाः (kālāḥ)
instrumental	कालया (kālayā) काला¹ (kālā¹)	कालाभ्याम् (kālābhyām)	कालाभिः (kālābhiḥ)
dative	कालायै (kālāyai)	कालाभ्याम् (kālābhyām)	कालाभ्यः (kālābhyaḥ)
ablative	कालायाः (kālāyāḥ) कालायै² (kālāyai²)	कालाभ्याम् (kālābhyām)	कालाभ्यः (kālābhyaḥ)
genitive	कालायाः (kālāyāḥ) कालायै² (kālāyai²)	कालयोः (kālayoḥ)	कालानाम् (kālānām)
locative	कालायाम् (kālāyām)	कालयोः (kālayoḥ)	कालासु (kālāsu)

• ¹Vedic
• ²Brāhmaṇas

References

• Monier Williams (1899) “काला”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 277.