کھوتا

Pahari-Potwari

Etymology

Inherited from Ashokan Prakrit *𑀔𑁄𑀢𑁆𑀢 (*khotta, “donkey”) + Middle Indo-Aryan -𑀓- (-ka-), of non-Indo-Aryan origin; possibly related to Sanskrit घोट (ghoṭa, “horse”) (whence گھوڑا (ghoṛā)).

Noun

کھوتا (khotā)

1. donkey
2. (slang) fool

Punjabi

Etymology

Inherited from Ashokan Prakrit *𑀔𑁄𑀢𑁆𑀢 (*khotta, “donkey”) + Middle Indo-Aryan -𑀓- (-ka-), of non-Indo-Aryan origin; possibly related to Sanskrit घोट (ghoṭa, “horse”) (whence گھوڑا (ghoṛā)).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Punjabi) IPA^(key): /kʰoː.t̪ːäː/
• Rhymes: -äː
• Hyphenation: کھو‧تا

Noun

کھوتا • (khotā) m (female equivalent کھوتی, Gurmukhi spelling ਖੋਤਾ)

1. donkey
2. (slang) ass, idiot

   کھوتا نَہ ہوْوَیں تاں! ― khotā nah hovaiṉ tāṉ! ― you idiot! (literally, “if only you weren't a donkey!”)

Declension

Declension of کھوتا

	singular	plural
direct	کھوتا (khotā)	کھوتے (khote)
oblique	کھوتے (khote)	کھوتیاں (khoteyāṉ)
vocative	کھوتیا (khoteyā)	کھوتیو (khoteyo)
ablative	کھوتیوں (khoteyoṉ)	—
locative	کھوتے (khote)	کھوتِیں (khotīṉ)
instrumental	کھوتے (khote)	کھوتِیں (khotīṉ)

Descendants

• → Urdu: کھوتا (khotā)

Further reading

• Iqbal, Salah ud-Din (2002), “کھوتا”, in vaḍḍī panjābī lughat‎ (in Punjabi), Lahore: عزیز پبلشرز [ʻazīz pabliśarz]
• “ਖੋਤਾ”, in Punjabi-English Dictionary, Patiala: Punjabi University, 2025
• Turner, Ralph Lilley (1969–1985), “*khōtta”, in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages, London: Oxford University Press, page 209

Urdu

Etymology

Borrowed from Punjabi کھوتا (khotā).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Urdu) IPA^(key): /kʰoː.t̪ɑː/
• Rhymes: -ɑː
• Hyphenation: کھو‧تا

Noun

کھوتا • (khotā) m (Pakistan)

1. (colloquial or Punjabic Urdu) donkey

   Synonym: گَدھا (gadhā)

2. (slang, derogatory) ass, idiot

Declension

Declension of کھوتا

	singular	plural
direct	کھوتا (khotā)	کھوتے (khote)
oblique	کھوتے (khote)	کھوتوں (khotõ)
vocative	کھوتے (khote)	کھوتو (khoto)