कसम खाना
kasam khaanaa
To swear in Hindi is कसम खाना (kasam khaanaa).
The phrase कसम खाना is used when you are swearing an oath to promise that something is true. It is important to distinguish this from using profanity. You may also encounter the form कसम खाकर, which functions as an adverbial phrase meaning 'swearing by [something]' or 'having sworn an oath' to emphasize a statement.
Meaning: to curse, to use offensive language (verb)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase कसम खाना literally translates to 'to eat an oath'.
Which one should you use?
There is a distinction between swearing an oath and using offensive language. कसम खाना is the correct term for swearing to tell the truth, whereas गाली देना is the term used for abusing someone or using profanity.
How do you pronounce it?
kasam khaanaa
Did you know?
- The word कसम is actually a loanword from Arabic, showing the deep historical impact of Persian and Islamic cultures on the Hindi language.
- If you are in a formal legal or constitutional setting, you should avoid the colloquial कसम खाना and instead use the more dignified शपथ लेना (shapath lena).
- The verb खाना (khaanaa) in कसम खाना shares the same Sanskrit root, खादति (khādati), as the English word 'food' does with its Latin roots, making it a distant linguistic relative of many Indo-European eating terms.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries खाना, CC BY-SA 4.0.
