कथा

Hindi

Etymology

Borrowed from Sanskrit कथा (kathā).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [kəˈt̪ʰa(ː)]

Noun

कथा • (kathā) f (Urdu spelling کتھا)

1. story, narrative

   Synonyms: कहानी (kahānī), अफ़साना (afsānā)

   वह जटिल लघु कथाएँ लिखता और प्रकाशित करता है।

   vah jaṭil laghu kathāẽ likhtā aur prakāśit kartā hai.

   He writes and publishes intricate short stories.

Declension

Declension of कथा (fem ā-stem)

	singular	plural
direct	कथा kathā	कथाएँ kathāẽ
oblique	कथा kathā	कथाओं kathāõ
vocative	कथा kathā	कथाओ kathāo

Derived terms

• परी कथा (parī kathā, “fairy tale”)

References

• Bahri, Hardev (1989), “कथा”, in Siksarthi Hindi-Angrejhi Sabdakosa [Learners' Hindi-English Dictionary], Delhi: Rajpal & Sons.
• Platts, John T. (1884), “कथा”, in A dictionary of Urdu, classical Hindi, and English, London: W. H. Allen & Co.

Marathi

Etymology

Borrowed from Sanskrit कथा (kathā).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kə.t̪ʰa/

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

कथा • (kathā) f

1. story

References

• Berntsen, Maxine (1982–1983), “कथा”, in A Basic Marathi-English Dictionary, New Delhi: American Institute of Indian Studies
• Molesworth, James Thomas (1857), “कथा”, in A dictionary, Marathi and English, Bombay: Printed for government at the Bombay Education Society's Press

Pali

Alternative forms

Alternative scripts

• kathā (Latin script)
• 𑀓𑀣𑀸 (Brahmi script)
• কথা (Bengali script)
• කථා (Sinhalese script)
• ကထာ or ၵထႃ (Burmese script)
• กถา or กะถา (Thai script)
• ᨠᨳᩣ (Tai Tham script)
• ກຖາ or ກະຖາ (Lao script)
• កថា (Khmer script)
• 𑄇𑄗𑄂 (Chakma script)

Noun

कथा f

1. speech, story, talk

Declension

Declension table of "कथा" (feminine)

Case \ Number	Singular	Plural
Nominative (first)	कथा (kathā)	कथायो (kathāyo) or कथा (kathā)
Accusative (second)	कथं (kathaṃ)	कथायो (kathāyo) or कथा (kathā)
Instrumental (third)	कथाय (kathāya)	कथाहि (kathāhi) or कथाभि (kathābhi)
Dative (fourth)	कथाय (kathāya)	कथानं (kathānaṃ)
Ablative (fifth)	कथाय (kathāya)	कथाहि (kathāhi) or कथाभि (kathābhi)
Genitive (sixth)	कथाय (kathāya)	कथानं (kathānaṃ)
Locative (seventh)	कथाय (kathāya) or कथायं (kathāyaṃ)	कथासु (kathāsu)
Vocative (calling)	कथे (kathe)	कथायो (kathāyo) or कथा (kathā)

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

Alternative scripts

• কথা (Assamese script)
• ᬓᬣᬵ (Balinese script)
• কথা (Bengali script)
• 𑰎𑰞𑰯 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀓𑀣𑀸 (Brahmi script)
• ကထာ (Burmese script)
• કથા (Gujarati script)
• ਕਥਾ (Gurmukhi script)
• 𑌕𑌥𑌾 (Grantha script)
• ꦏꦡꦴ (Javanese script)
• 𑂍𑂟𑂰 (Kaithi script)
• ಕಥಾ (Kannada script)
• កថា (Khmer script)
• ກຖາ (Lao script)
• കഥാ (Malayalam script)
• ᡬᠠᡨᠠᢇ (Manchu script)
• 𑘎𑘞𑘰 (Modi script)
• ᢉᠠᠲᠠ᠋᠎ᠠ (Mongolian script)
• 𑦮𑦾𑧑 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐎𑐠𑐵 (Newa script)
• କଥା (Odia script)
• ꢒꢢꢵ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆑𑆡𑆳 (Sharada script)
• 𑖎𑖞𑖯 (Siddham script)
• කථා (Sinhalese script)
• 𑩜𑩬𑩛 (Soyombo script)
• 𑚊𑚚𑚭 (Takri script)
• கத²ா (Tamil script)
• కథా (Telugu script)
• กถา (Thai script)
• ཀ་ཐཱ (Tibetan script)
• 𑒏𑒟𑒰 (Tirhuta script)
• 𑨋𑨚𑨊 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

The adverb comes from Proto-Indo-Iranian *kátʰaH (“in what way”), from a derivative of Proto-Indo-European *kʷós (compare similar formations: यथा (yathā) from *HyátʰaH (“in which way; as”) and तथा (tathā) from *tátʰaH (“in that way; so”)).

The noun is a later development from the adverb.

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /kɐ.tʰɑ́ː/
• (Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /kɐ.t̪ʰɑː/

Adverb

क॒था • (kathā́) (Vedic)

1. how; whence; why?

   Synonym: कथम् (kathám)

Noun

कथा • (kathā) stem, f

1. conversation, speech
2. story, tale
3. discussion, talk

Declension

Feminine ā-stem declension of कथा

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	कथा (kathā)	कथे (kathe)	कथाः (kathāḥ)
accusative	कथाम् (kathām)	कथे (kathe)	कथाः (kathāḥ)
instrumental	कथया (kathayā)	कथाभ्याम् (kathābhyām)	कथाभिः (kathābhiḥ)
dative	कथायै (kathāyai)	कथाभ्याम् (kathābhyām)	कथाभ्यः (kathābhyaḥ)
ablative	कथायाः (kathāyāḥ)	कथाभ्याम् (kathābhyām)	कथाभ्यः (kathābhyaḥ)
genitive	कथायाः (kathāyāḥ)	कथयोः (kathayoḥ)	कथानाम् (kathānām)
locative	कथायाम् (kathāyām)	कथयोः (kathayoḥ)	कथासु (kathāsu)
vocative	कथे (kathe)	कथे (kathe)	कथाः (kathāḥ)

Derived terms

• कथावार्त्ता (kathāvārttā)
• कथासरित्सागर (kathāsaritsāgara)
• कथ् (kath, “to tell”, root)

Related terms

• कत्थ् (katth)

Descendants

• → English: kathak, katha
• → Kannada: ಕತೆ (kate), ಕಥೆ (kathe)
• Kashmiri: کَتھ (kath)
• → Malayalam: കഥ (katha)
• Pali: kathā
  • → Khmer: កថា (ka’tʰaa)
  • → Tagalog: katha
  • → Malay: kata
    • > Indonesian: kata (inherited)
  • → Minangkabau: kato
• → Punjabi: ਕਥਾ (kathā)
• → Tamil: கதை (katai)
• → Telugu: కథ (katha)

Further reading

• Monier Williams (1899), “कथा”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 247.
• Turner, Ralph Lilley (1969–1985), “kathā́”, in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages, London: Oxford University Press, page 135
• Hellwig, Oliver (2010–2026), “kathā”, in DCS - The Digital Corpus of Sanskrit, Berlin, Germany.