तुम्हारा क्या मतलब है?
tumhara kya matlab hai?
In Hindi, "what do you mean?" is expressed as तुम्हारा क्या मतलब है? (tumhara kya matlab hai?)
This phrase is used to ask someone to explain their statement more clearly. In casual conversation, speakers often shorten the phrase to the colloquial क्या मतलब? to mean "What do you mean?" or "What's the point?"
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase तुम्हारा क्या मतलब है? is composed of tumhara (your), kya (what), matlab (meaning) and hai (is).
Which one should you use?
आप क्या कहना चाहते हैं? is a formal way to say "What do you mean?", while the informal अरे भाई, तू समझा नहीं! क्या बोल रहा है? translates to "Hey bro, you don't understand! What are you saying?"
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
आपका क्या मतलब है? is the polite form, which you should use when speaking to elders, strangers or in formal settings. However, तेरा क्या मतलब है? is highly informal and can sound aggressive or rude if used with people you are not very close to.
How do you pronounce it?
tumhara kya matlab hai?
Did you know?
- The word मतलब (matlab) is a 'traveler' word, having moved from Arabic into Persian before finally settling into Hindi.
- While मतलब (matlab) means 'meaning', in a social context it can describe a 'selfish' person who only acts out of personal interest.
- The phrase मतलब (matlab) is used so frequently as a filler word that it often functions like the English 'I mean' or 'basically' during a conversation.
Examples in context
- क्या आप कृपया यह स्पष्ट कर सकेंगे? आप क्या कहना चाहते हैं?Can you please clarify? What do you mean?
- जल्दी बताओ, तुम्हारा क्या मतलब है?jaldi batao, tumhara kya matlab hai?Tell me quickly, what do you mean?
Example conversation
Priya and Aditya are discussing a confusing text message.
- प्रिया Priyaतुम बहुत अजीब व्यवहार कर रहे हो।tum bahut ajeeb vyavahar kar rahe ho.You are behaving very strangely.
- आदित्य Adityaतुम्हारा क्या मतलब है?tumhara kya matlab hai?What do you mean?
- प्रिया Priyaमेरा मतलब है कि तुम बात नहीं कर रहे।mera matlab hai ki tum baat nahi kar rahe.I mean that you are not talking.
- आदित्य Adityaमैं बस थोड़ा व्यस्त था।main bas thoda vyast tha.I was just a little busy.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries क्या, तुम्हारा, मतलब, है, CC BY-SA 4.0.
