Ways to say it
| Hindi | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| काग़ज़ | kāġaz | /kɑː.ɣəz/ (Hindi, Standard) /kɑː.ɡəd͡ʒ/ (Hindi, Standard) |
masculine |
| पन्ना | pannā | /pən.nɑː/ (Hindi, Standard) | masculine |
| कागद | kāgad | /kɑː.ɡəd̪/ (Hindi, Standard) | masculine |
| पेपर | pepar | masculine | |
| वरक | varak | masculine | |
| किरतास | kirtās | masculine |
काग़ज़ refers to paper as a sheet material. In legal or administrative contexts, it is often used metonymically to refer to official documents or paperwork.
Which one should you use?
While काग़ज़ refers to the material itself, पन्ना is used specifically to refer to a single sheet or a page of a book. वरक is reserved for very thin, delicate sheets, such as gold leaf or thin paper used in specific culinary or decorative contexts.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The transliterated word पेपर is very common in modern, colloquial spoken Hindi, especially in urban settings.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
To turn the noun काग़ज़ into an adjective meaning 'made of paper' or 'paper-like', add the suffix -ī to get काग़ज़ी. Other related adjectives include कागजी and वरकी.
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced /kɑː.ɣəz/ (kāġaz).
Did you know?
- The common Hindi word काग़ज़ is actually a linguistic traveler that likely originated from an Old Chinese word for paper, moving through Sogdian and Persian before reaching India.
- The term पन्ना has a homonym in Hindi that refers to an emerald, though the two words have entirely different linguistic origins.
- In Hindi, काग़ज़ी can be used to describe something that exists only on paper, such as a 'paper tiger' or a plan that is unrealistic.
Examples in context
- कोरे काग़ज़ के टुकड़े उठा लो।Pick up the pieces of blank paper.This sentence is useful for practicing the noun with काग़ज़.
- वह हमें काग़ज़ बेचता है।He sells us paper.Tatoeba #10046118 by sabretou, translation #1817072 by Amastan
- वह अपनी मीटिंग में बहुत सारे पेपर लेकर गया।He took a lot of papers with him to his meeting.
- मेज पर एक काग़ज़ रखा है।mej par ek kāgaz rakhā hai.There is a piece of paper on the table.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Amit and Pooja are in a study room.
- पूजा Poojaअमित, क्या तुम्हारे पास काग़ज़ है?amit, kyā tumhāre pās kāgaz hai?Amit, do you have any paper?
- अमित Amitहाँ, मेरे पास एक काग़ज़ है।hāñ, mere pās ek kāgaz hai.Yes, I have a piece of paper.
- पूजा Poojaक्या मैं इसे ले सकती हूँ?kyā maĩ ise le sakatī hūñ?Can I take it?
- अमित Amitहाँ, बिल्कुल ले लो।hāñ, bilkul le lo.Yes, of course, take it.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “paper” translations and entries काग़ज़, पन्ना, कागद, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries कागद, काग़ज़, पन्ना, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0, Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
