जेल
jel/d͡ʒeːl/masculine
The English word jail is translated into Hindi as जेल (jel). Wiktionary also lists कारागार (kārāgār) and क़ैदख़ाना (qaidxānā).
Meaning: place for short-term confinement (noun)
Ways to say it
| Hindi | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| जेल | jel | /d͡ʒeːl/ (Hindi, Standard) | masculine |
| कारागार | kārāgār | masculine | |
| क़ैदख़ाना | qaidxānā | /qɛːd̪.xɑː.nɑː/ (Hindi, Standard) /kɛːd̪.kʰɑː.nɑː/ (Hindi, Standard) |
masculine |
All terms for jail in Hindi refer to a place for confinement.
What does it mean word for word?
The term क़ैदख़ाना is a compound noun where क़ैद means confinement and ख़ाना means room or compartment.
Which one should you use?
कारागार is used for more formal contexts.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
कारागार is a formal, Sanskrit-derived term often used in literature, news reports or official documents.
How does it change in a sentence?
All three forms for jail, कारागार, जेल and क़ैदख़ाना, are masculine nouns.
How do you pronounce it?
जेल is pronounced as /dʒeːl/.
Did you know?
- The Persian-inspired term क़ैदख़ाना is not unique to Hindi, as it appears in similar forms in Bengali as কয়েদখানা and Gujarati as કેદખાનું.
- While जेल is the common word for a prison, it is a direct loanword from English. This makes it a rare instance where a standard English noun was absorbed into Hindi with almost no phonetic change.
- The word क़ैद is the root of many other Hindi words related to being bound or restricted, showing how a single Arabic-derived concept can expand through different suffixes.
Examples in context
- उसके पिता जेल में हैं।His father is in jail.This sentence is useful for describing someone's father being in जेल.Tatoeba #10049792 by sabretou, translation #8505787 by ET
- मैं जेल में और वक्त नहीं बिताना चाहता था।I didn't want to spend any more time in jail.This sentence is useful for expressing a desire not to spend more time in जेल.Tatoeba #2076942 by sabretou, translation #1045089 by CK
- सामी को जेल से भागे हुए दो महीने हो गए है।It's been two months since Sami escaped from jail.This sentence is useful for stating how long it has been since someone escaped from जेल.Tatoeba #10965657 by sabretou, translation #6173520 by OsoHombre
- 3 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Priya and Amit are talking about a news report.
- प्रिया Priyaक्या वह आदमी जेल गया?Kya vah aadmi jail gaya?Did that man go to jail?
- अमित Amitहाँ, उसे कल जेल भेज दिया गया।Haan, use kal jail bhej diya gaya.Yes, he was sent to jail yesterday.
- प्रिया Priyaउसे कितने समय के लिए जेल हुई है?Use kitne samay ke liye jail hui hai?How long is he in jail for?
- अमित Amitअभी पता नहीं, अमित को खबर मिल जाएगी।Abhi pata nahi, Amit ko khabar mil jayegi.I don't know yet, Amit will get the news.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “jail” translations and entries जेल, कारागार, क़ैदख़ाना, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries क़ैदख़ाना, कारागार, जेल, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
