Hindi Postpositions

This is a comprehensive resource of Hindi postpositions. Below you will find:

What is a preposition?
Explanation of postpositions
Most common postpositions
List of all postpositions + examples

Remember, a postposition is the same thing as a preposition. It’s called a postposition in Hindi because in the order of words, it comes after the noun that it modifies. You’ll see that in the examples below.

What Is A Preposition?

A preposition is a type of word. It’s a connector word – a word that shows how nouns, pronouns or noun phrases are connected to other words in a sentence. Often this connection indicates the position of two or more things relative to each other. Or it can indicate a type of thing for example, not just lassi, but mango lassi.

Preposition + Postposition Examples

For example, We are going to the beach. The preposition is “to” and connects “we” to “beach”. In Hindi it’s, “Hum beach par jaa rahe hain. See how “par” came after the noun it modified? Beach (FYI, the Hindi word for beach is Samudr Tat, but it’s really not used in everyday conversational Hindi).

Here’s another example. I am in the train. The preposition “in” connects “I” to “train”. Mai tren mein hoon. See how, “mein” came after the noun it modified? Tren (train with an Indian accent).

Another example: The book is on the table. The preposition “on” tells us where the book is relative to the table. Kithaab mez par hai. See how, “par” came after the noun it modified? Mez (table).

Why Are Prepositions Important?

• They help us understand location/position – where something is.
• They help us understand timing – when something happens/happened.
• They help us understand direction – where someone/something is moving.

Unique Qualities of Hindi Postpositions

Some unique qualities of Hindi postpositions are that they can modify the inflection of nouns and some of the postpositions themselves inflect. You’re going to see that in the examples.

Hindi Postpositions

In (Mein) – indicates the location or position between 2 or more nouns.
Ex. I am in the train. Mai tren mein hoon.

On (Par) – indicates location/position. In this case, surfaces and places that something is sitting/standing on.
Ex. The book is on the table. Kithaab mez par hai.

Onto (Par) indicates location/position. In this case it means surfaces and places that something is sitting/standing on.
Ex. He ran onto the street. Vo sadak par bhaag gaya.

At (Par) – indicates location in this example. “Par” has several use cases and meanings.
Ex. I am at home. Mai ghar par hoon.

From (Se) – This is another postposition with many meanings and uses.
Ex. Where are you from? Aap kahaan se hain?
I am from California. Mai California se hoon.

Silent From (Se) – There is another way to use se where ‘from’ is implied when spoken in English.
Ex. Ask {from} dad. Papa se poocho.

By (Se) – In this use case se indicates method.
Ex. We are going by train. Hum tren se jaa rahe hain.

With (Se) – this use case of se indicates means.
Ex. She writes with chalk. Vo chaak se likhti hai.

Than (Se) – here se is an agent representing the difference between people. It can represent the difference between other types of nouns as well (animals, objects, places, ideas).
Ex. Shaan is older than Amit. Shaan, Amit se bada hai.

Since (Se) – Referring to a time period from x to y. Ex. I have learned bharatanatyam since childhood. Maine bachpan se bharatanatyam seekha hai.

Near From and Far From (Se) – Refers to the distance between two places.
She lives far from me. Vo mujhse dhur rehti hai.
She lives near me. Vo mujhse karib rehti hai. but I wouldn’t say the latter, instead my natural tendency would be to say Vo mere paas/karib rehti hai.

Postposition Ko

Ko gets its own heading and section because it’s one of the most widely used postpositions with, many use cases, and it is one of the most nuanced postpositions.

Ko means to. As you will see in the use cases below it’s not always explicitly stated when it’s used.

Uses of Ko

The subject likes something AND you’re using subject’s name.
Ex. Amit likes ice cream. Amit ko ice cream pasand hai.

The subject received something AND you’re using subject’s name.
Ex. Sima received a gift. Sima ko thofa milaa.

The subject knows/ is aware of something AND you’re using subject’s name.
Ex. Ritu knows Hindi. Ritu ko Hindi aati hai.
Ex. Ritu knows. Ritu ko maalum hai.

The subject wants something AND you’re using subject’s name.
Ex. Rahul wants a ladoo. Rahul ko ladoo chahiye.

To Someone – the recipient of an action.
Ex. Give candy to the children. Bachon ko candy dedo.

Object of the Verb is a Person or Something Specific
Ex. I saw Aunty. Maine Aunty ko dekha. (FYI, it’s not dekhi because Aunty got marked by ko, therefore conjugates to the singular, masculine.

Ex. I know that man/dog. Mai uus aadmi/kootha ko jaanta hoon. I used this example to show you that we can use ko for an unnamed person as well as an animal as long as they are still specific.

We can also use ko for an inanimate place/thing as long as it’s specific.
Ex. I know that place well. Mai uus jagah ko achi tarah jaanta hoon.

We can even make them plural.
Ex. I know those {specific} people. Mai uun logon ko jaanta hoon.
Ex. I know those {specific} cats. Mai uun billiyon ko jaanta hoon.

Next let’s talk about a whole other set of use cases that you’ve probably heard and used as these are SO common in Hindi.

Object Pronouns + Ko: Attach ko to object pronouns:
Mujhko = to me
Tujhko = to you (respectful, informal)
Tumko = to you (your ride or die’s only)
Aapko = to you (respectful/formal)
Isko = to him/to her/to that (near)
Usko = to him/to her/to that (far)
Humko = to us
Inko = to them/to those (near)
Unko = to them/to those (far)

Here’s the thing. Some of these sound like nails on a chalkboard to me. This is probably because I have spent my entire life around Hindi speakers from northern India. In other parts of India these are more commonly used.

I made a little table below. The ones in my “No thanks!” column are accepted. They’re just nails on chalkboardy – to me. That said, they are regarded as colloquial and thus are used mostly in spoken Hindi only; whereas the ones in the “Yes please!” column are used in spoken and written Hindi.

The No thanks! ones are colloquial, therefore come across a bit gruff.

I wouldn’t teach them to someone who is learning Hindi. In fact I don’t teach them in my classes. My relatives born and raised in India do use them and that’s ok as it’s normal and culturally accepted for someone whose 1st language/grew up speaking primarily Hindi).

As you can see, most of the object pronouns with ko attached are in the “No thanks!” column. Aapko is the exception.

The rest are still the same object pronouns with the same meanings, just said in a different way.

Now let’s look at the rest of them. The rest differ in formality as well, but are all used much more, accepted, and commonly used in everyday conversation.

	Formal	Colloquial
To him/to her/to that (near).	Ise	Isko
To him/to her/to that (far).	Use	Usko
To them/to those (near)	Inhein	Inko
To them/to those (near)	Unhein	Unko

First of all, notice that a couple in the formal column don’t have ko attached. They have a different postposition, se (from). We use them interchangeably.

First, let’s talk about the near and far thing. If you’ve taken classes with me, one of the first things you learned is that Hindi is a precise language. There are words for specific emotions, situations, and use cases. You have probably observed this as there are 5-6 ways to say “Uncle”.

Applying that quality here, the near and far thing has to do with the speaker’s proximity to whomever they are talking about.

Ex. Give this to him. This requires me, the person I’m talking to and “him”. If “him” is nearby = visible + reachable = Ise or Isko. Yeh ise/isko dedo.

But if “him” is not nearby = not visible + reachable, right now = use/usko. Yeh use/usko dedo.

In all honesty, switching between isko and usko for me comes naturally. It’s not something I consciously think about when I’m speaking Hindi but I can tell you, taking a step back to think about it, it does provide useful context. Like if my mom said to me, Beta, yeh isko dedo and that person was not nearby, I’d be confused.

Decipher To Him and To Her

Do you know how to say: Give this to him? (Hint: we just did it).

Give this to him: Yeh isko dedo.

Do you know how to say: Give this to her? Yeh isko dedo.

They are the same.

What?$%!*

So how do you know what’s what? Context. Context from the rest of the conversation + visible context clues.

Inhein and Unhein Cultural Use Case

Inhein and Unhein are to them/to those for near and far respectively. There is one additional use case that centers around Indian culture. As you probably know, Indian society is community focused and hierarchical. There is a lot of emphasis on speaking to respected people and elders respectfully and sweetly.

Inhein and Unhein are also used for “to him” in the respectful form.

Give it to him where “him” = grandfather, dad, uncle, husband, Pandit, Guru etc. = Inhein dedo or Unhein dedo.

Here’s another example: Inhein nahin pata. You and I would translate this to “He doesn’t know”. But the transliteration from Hindi is “To him {it is} not known”. The larger point is that by using inhein, the speaker is communicating that the person they are referring to is an elder, husband, or some other respected person.

This is just some cultural nuance that I wanted to share with you.

Postpositions: Ka, Ki, Ke

These get their own section also because they have many uses in Hindi.

Ka, ki, and ke have a few meanings:

• of
• belonging to
• for

These postpositions show possession, ownership and the relation or connection between nouns.

Ex. Ownership. Amit’s book. Amit ki kithaab. Ki defines that the book belongs to Amit. I know you wanted to use “ka” because Amit is a dude, but no.

These postpositions inflect based on the object that they modify. Book = kithaab = stri-ling (female noun) therefore: Amit ki kithaab. To drive the point home, if we changed the example to “Amita’s book”, it would still be, Amita ki kithaab.

Ex. Ownership. Amit’s home. Amit ka ghar. This one is ka because ghar is a singular, masculine noun.

For (Ka, Ki, Ke) Now this one forms a compound postposition. That means ka, ki, or ke + another word. Ke liye = for.
Ex. She is shopping for the Diwali party. Vo Diwali party ke liye kharidari kar rahi hai.

Relation/Connection Between Nouns (Ka, Ki, Ke)
Ex. She drinks mango lassi. Vo aam ki lassi peethi hai. Establishes the relationship between the mango and lassi – communicates the type of lassi.

(BTW, yes I used Vo instead of Vah for “She”. And you know why? Because NOBODY actually says vah and veh (they). Vah and Veh are grammatically correct but nobody uses them in everyday conversation. Everyone says vo for he, she, and they.

Plural Use of Ka, Ki, Ke – When you have 2 or more nouns the Ka, Ki, Ke agree with the noun gender and quantity of the 1st one in the list.

Ex. Amit’s shoes and hats.
Shoes = joothe = plural, masculine noun
Hats = topiyan = plural, feminine noun

Since shoes is first in the sentence, it would be Amit ke joothe aur topiyan. Now swap them.

Ex. Amit’s hats and shoes. Both nouns are still plural, but the stri-ling (female noun) is 1st. Amit ki topiyan aur joothe. Ke inflected to ki to reflect that the stri-ling is 1st.

The same applies if we have a singular noun + plural noun.

Ex. Amit’s hat and shoes. The only thing we changed from the previous example, is made hat singular. Amit ki topi aur joothe.

And if we made them both singular the postposition, still agrees with the 1st noun on the list.

Ex. Amit’s hat and shoe. Amit ki topi aur jootha.
Ex. Amit’s shoe and hat. Amit ka jootha aur topi.

So the take away is: when there’s more than one noun modified by the postposition, the postposition agrees with the 1st noun in the sentence.

About (Ke Compound Postposition. About = Ke baare mein
In this use case, “about” means: on the subject of/concerning a topic.

It is NOT:
We are about to leave.
They moved about the room.

Ex. The books are about carrots. Kithaabe gaajaro ke baare mein hai. Notice that carrots (gaajare) inflected to gaajaro. You might be thinking wait, plural of gaajar is gaajare. You’re right Padawan! BUT…here gaajar is modified by a postposition (ke baare mein) and that causes gaajare to become gaajaro.

Carrot = gaajar
Carrots = gaajare (without modification by postposition, aka the direct case)
Carrots = gaajaro (when modified by postposition aka the oblique case)

There are several other Ke + <word> compound postpositions:

• Ke andar (inside of)
• Ke bahaar (outside of)
• Ke upar (above, on top of)
• Ke neeche (beneath/below)
• Ke aage (in front/in front of)
• Ke peeche (behind, in back of)
• Ke paas (near, nearby, have)
• Ke saath (with)
• Ke bheetar (within x and y)
• Ke jaise (like/resembling)

Hindi Post Positions List

About (x is about y)	Ke baare mein (compound postposition; “ke” part doesn’t inflect)	The book is about Ramayan. Kithaab Ramayan ke baare mein hai.
Above, on top of (x is above/on top of y)	Ke upar (compound postposition; “ke” part doesn’t inflect)	The monkeys are sitting above the trees. Bandar pedon ke upar baithe hain. (“Baithe” is colloquial for bhait rahe hain). Ke upar can often be replaced with “par” (on) and vice versa.
Across from/in front of (used for facing each other/something) (x is facing/across from y).	Ke saamne (compound postposition; “ke” part doesn’t inflect)	I am standing across from him. Mai uske saamne kharda/khardi hoon. When used as a postposition it will always be “ke saamne”. This can easily be confused with the action, “ke saamne karna”. “ke saamne” is a static position such as, I am waiting in front of the store OR we are sitting across from each other. “ke saamne karna” is an action. It means to confront or to face or to deal with something. Ex. I will have to face my fear of deep sea diving. In the action – ka saamna + karna, the “ka” does not inflect to “ki” or “ke” because “ka” modifies “saamna” which in this case is used as a noun, Saamna = face I know you really wanna say “Mai chunautee ki saamna karunga” that’s not correct. It’s “Mai chunautee ka saamna karunga”. Mai dar ka saamna kar rahi hoon. Krishna ko Kans Mama ka saamna karna parda. And honestly, phew…Hindi’s challenging enough. This not inflecting, is one less thing to think about.
After (x is after y)	Ke baad (compound postposition; “ke” part doesn’t inflect)	The party is after the show. Partee sho ke baad hai.
Amongst	Ke beech mein	The red skittles are amongst all the others. Laal Skittle auron ke beech mein hain.
At	Par (physical/tangible spatial relationship)	We are at Bruin Bhangra. Hum Bruin Bhangra par hain.
At	Ko (abstract temporal relationship)	The show is at 6pm. Sho chay bajay ko hai. The show is on Tuesday. Sho Mangalvaar ko hai. Two ways to say “at”, Par + Ko. Why? Hindi is a precise and poetic language.
X is at the top of y	Ke sheersh par	The dress is at the top of the pile. Frock/poshaak dher ke sheersh par hai.
Away from/Far from	Se duur (compound postposition)	Your home is far from the Taj Mahal. Aapka ghar Taj Mahel se duur hai.
X is before y	Se pehle (compound postposition)	The ceremony is before the reception. Ceremony reception se pehle hai.
Below (x is below y)	Ke neeche (compound postposition)	The shoes are below the clothes. Joothay kapado ke neeche hai.
Behind of/at the back of (x is behind y)	Ke peeche (compound postposition)	She is at the back of the line. Vo line ke peeche hai.
Between of/amid/in between (x is between y)	Ke beech (compound postposition)	I am standing in between two Aunties. Mai dau Auntyon ke beech kharda/khardi hoon.
Ever since (Ever since x)	Jab se	Ever since I saw you…. Jab se maine tumko dekha.
For (For x)	Ke liye (compound postposition); ke + liye	These decorations are for the Diwali party. Yeh sajaavat Diwali ki partee ke liye hain.
From (From x)	Se	I am from LA. Mai LA se hoon.
From today	Aaj se (compound postposition)	From today onwards I will eat salad. Aaj se mai salad khaaunga.
In x	Mein	We live in LA. Hum LA mein rehthe hain.
In front of y (X is in front of y)	Ke aage (compound postposition; “ke” part doesn’t inflect) Ke aage and ke saamne are similar, but different. Ke saamne is used generally x is facing y).	The waterfall is in front of the Banyan tree. Jharna Banyan ke ped ke aage hai. Banyan tree in Hindi = Bargad as well as vat vrksh.
Inside of y (x is inside of y)	Ke andar (compound postposition; “ke” part doesn’t inflect)	The sea stars are {buried} inside the sand. Samudri taare reith ke andar hain.
Like/just like/such as (x is like/just like y) Did you know that Masi = Ma + jaisi? ergo Masi	Jaisa, Jaisi, Jaise	A boy like me. Mujh jaisa ladka. Sima looks like Rima. Sima Rima jaisi lagti/dhikti hai. The red shoes are just like the blue ones. Laal joothe neelay joothe jaise hain.
Near of/to y (x is near y)	Ke paas (compound postposition; “ke” part doesn’t inflect)	The waterfall is near the banyan tree. Jharna Banyan ka ped ke paas hai. Banyan tree in Hindi = Bargad as well as vat vrksh.
Next to (each other)	Ke bagal	We are standing next to each other. Hum ek doorere ke bagal mein kharde hain.
X belongs to y, is of the type of y (Belonging to, possession)	Ka, Ki, Ke	Potato paratha Alu ka paratha (but most people leave out the “ka” = ok, colloquial. Mango lassi Aam ki lassi Nike shoes Nike ke joothe
On	Par	The book is on the table. Kithaab mez par hai.
Onto	Par	He ran onto the stage. Vo manch par bhaaga.
X is outside of y	Ke bahaar (compound postposition; “ke” part doesn’t inflect)	She is waiting outside the store. Vo dukaan ke bahaar intezaar kar rahi hai.
Since the afternoon	Dophair se (compound postposition)	You’ve done so much work since the afternoon. Tumne dophair se bahut mehnat/kaam kiya. Mehnat (Urdu) = effort, hard work Kaam (Hindi) = task, work, job
Since the evening	Shyam se (compound postposition)	She’s been sleeping since yesterday evening. Vo kal shyam se sau rahi hai.
Since the morning	Subah se (compound postposition)	You’ve been speaking such good Hindi since this morning. Aap subah se bahut achi Hindi bol rahe hai.
Since night	Raath se (compound postposition)	She’s been studying since last night. Vo kal raath se pardhai kar rahi hai.
Since then/that time	Thab se (compound postposition) Usu. Jab se and Thab se are used together as thab se refers back to the time indicated in jab se. Jab se tere naina mere nainon se laage re Tab se divaana hua	Since the first time I saw someone do bhangra, I have wanted to learn. Jab se maine pehli baar kisiko bhangra karte hue dekha, thab se mai seekhna chahta thaa.
Since today/From today onwards	Aaj se (compound postposition)	From today onwards Bhangra Beats will be our playlist. Aaj se Bhangra Beats hamari playlist hogi.
Since tomorrow/from tomorrow onwards	Kal se (compound postposition)	From tomorrow onwards we will start every day with a Bhangra lesson. Kal se hum har din Bhangra paath se shuru karenge.
Since yesterday/From yesterday	Kal se (compound postposition) Since tomorrow and since yesterday are the same. Context will distinguish them.	You’ve been studying hard since yesterday. Aap kal se bahut pardhai kar rahe hain.
To	Ko	We are going on Saturday. Hum Shanivaar ko jaa rahe hain.
Towards	Ki tharaf = Urdu, more common in every day conversation (compound postposition; “ki” part doesn’t inflect) Ki aur = Hindi, more formal, refined Hindi It will always be “ki”. Why? Because tharaf/aur (in this use case) = side. Side is a noun. Therefore, technically “ki” is modifying the noun “side” and “side” is a stri-ling (female noun) therefore, it will pretty much always be ki tharaf/ki aur. Pretty much because Hindi has a lot of tricks up her sleeve and one can always find exceptions.	He is going towards the Bhangra school. Vo school ki tharaf/ki aur jaa raha hai.
With/By (source)	Se	I am eating with/by hand. Mai haath se khaa rahaa/rahi hoon.
With (Together)	Ke saath (compound postposition)	I am going to India with mom. Mai Ma ke saath India jaa rahaa/rahi hoon.
Underneath	Ke neeche (compound postposition)	The book is underneath the desk. Kithaab mez ke neeche hai.
Until, from x to y	Thak	Run until there. Wahaan thak bhaago. Please count from 1 to 20 in Hindi. Krpya ek se bhees thak ginno.

Summary

This post is all about Hindi postpositions. A postposition is just like a preposition, except that in a Hindi sentence it comes after the noun that it modifies.

For example: The book is on the table. vs. Kithaab mez par hai.

There are many Hindi postpositions that have multiple meanings and use cases. The most commonly used ones are detailed in this guide. Some unique features of Hindi postpositions are that they can modify the inflection of nouns and some of the postpositions themselves inflect.

There are also compound postpositions comprised of more than 1 word. All of this is covered in the article and hopefully increases your understanding of Hindi.

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