नमस्कार, कसे आहात?
namaskar, kase aahat?
नमस्कार, कसे आहात? (namaskar, kase aahat?) is the Marathi way to say hello how are you.
This phrase is a polite greeting used to start a conversation and ask about someone's well-being. The first part, नमस्कार, is a standard and respectful way to say hello.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase consists of namaskar (a respectful greeting) and kase aahat (how are you).
Which one should you use?
When addressing a single person informally, the form changes based on gender: use कसा आहेस? for a male friend and कशी आहेस? for a female friend.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form aahat in कसे आहात? is used to show respect to elders or to address a group of people.
How do you pronounce it?
namaskar, kase aahat?
When do people say it?
A common response to this greeting is मी मजेत आहे, which literally means 'I am in fun/joy'.
Did you know?
- Depending on the region of Maharashtra, some people may replace नमस्कार with the phrase राम राम, which refers to a deity and is common in rural areas.
- In Marathi culture, when saying नमस्कार, it is common to join your palms together at chest level in a gesture called 'Anjali Mudra' to reinforce the respect behind the word.
- The word नमस्कार comes from the Sanskrit roots 'nama' meaning 'bow' and 'kar' meaning 'to do', literally describing the act of bowing to show respect.
Examples in context
- नमस्कार, कसे आहात? सर्व ठीक आहे का?namaskār, kase āhāt? sarva ṭhīka āhe kā?Hello, how are you? Is everything okay?
- नमस्कार, कसे आहात? खूप दिवसांनी भेटलो.namaskār, kase āhāt? khūpa diwasānnī bheṭalo.Hello, how are you? We are meeting after a long time.
Example conversation
Aditi and Nilesh meet at a community event.
- अदिति Aditiनिलेश, नमस्कार, कसे आहात?Nilesh, namaskar, kase ahat?Nilesh, hello, how are you?
- निलेश Nileshमी ठीक आहे, आणि तुम्ही?Mi thik ahe, ani tumhi?I am fine, and you?
- अदिति Aditiमी सुद्धा छान आहे.Mi suddha chhan ahe.I am also doing well.
- निलेश Nileshतुम्हाला भेटून आनंद झाला.Tumhala bhetun anand jhala.It was nice meeting you.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries कसे, नमस्कार, CC BY-SA 4.0.
