यह
yah/jəɦ/
In Hindi, the English pronoun 'it' (referring to an inanimate thing) can be expressed as यह (yah) or वह.
Meaning: subject, inanimate thing (pron)
Ways to say it
| Hindi | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| वह | vah | /ʋəɦ/ (Hindi, Standard) /wəɦ/ (Hindi, Standard) /ʋoː/ (Hindi, Standard) /woː/ (Hindi, Standard) |
| यह | yah | /jəɦ/ (Hindi, Standard) /jeː/ (Hindi, Standard) |
Both forms are used to refer to inanimate objects or things as the subject of a sentence.
Which one should you use?
The choice between the two forms depends on proximity to the speaker. Use यह when the object is close to you, behaving much like the English word 'this'. Use वह when the object is further away, behaving much like the English word 'that'.
How does it change in a sentence?
The forms of these pronouns change depending on the grammatical case, direct, oblique or possessive, required by the structure of your sentence.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation of यह is yah (/jəɦ/).
Did you know?
- While यह and वह are used for 'it', Hindi assigns a grammatical gender to every inanimate object. This means the verbs and adjectives in the sentence must agree with whether 'it' is masculine or feminine.
- In spoken Hindi, the pronoun वह is often replaced by the more colloquial form वो.
- In some poetic or very formal styles of Hindi, these pronouns may be omitted entirely if the subject is understood. The sentence can function perfectly without a word for 'it'.
Examples in context
- यह बहुत उबाऊ था।It was really boring.This sentence is useful for expressing how boring something was using यह.Tatoeba #8879568 by simranbansal, translation #8879528 by CK
- यह मेरा सूटकेस था।It was my suitcase.This sentence is useful for identifying a suitcase using यह.Tatoeba #9013180 by simranbansal, translation #2167389 by CM
- यह टॉम को मार सकता था।It could've killed Tom.This sentence is useful for describing a potential harm to someone using यह.Tatoeba #11380927 by PrasantaHembram, translation #11240287 by Ergulis
- शुभ प्रभात!Good morning!
- शुभ संध्या!Good evening!
- मेरा नाम [Your Name] है।My name is [Your Name].
- आपसे मिलकर ख़ुशी हुई।It's nice to meet you.
- क्षमा कीजिए, क्या मैं सवाल पूछ सकता हूँ?Excuse me, may I ask a question?
- गलती के लिए माफ़ कीजिए।I'm sorry for the mistake.
- क्या चल रहा है?What's up?
- कैसे हो?How are you?
- तुम्हारा नाम क्या है?What's your name?
- क्या तुम मुझे मदद कर सकते हो?Can you please help me?
- धन्यवाद!Thank you!
- शौचालय कहाँ है?Where is the restroom?
- यह कितने का है?How much does it cost?
- 112 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Aditya and Pooja are looking at a small gift on the table.
- आदित्य Adityaयह क्या है?yah kya hai?What is this/it?
- पूजा Poojaयह तुम्हारा उपहार है।yah tumhara upahar hai.It is your gift.
- आदित्य Adityaक्या यह सच में मेरे लिए है?kya yah sach mein mere liye hai?Is it really for me?
- पूजा Poojaहाँ, यह तुम्हारे लिए है।haan, yah tumhare liye hai.Yes, it is for you.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “it” translations and entries वह, यह, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
