Rekhta Dictionary Blog

Stories Behind Sayings: Being On God’s Side

Has it ever happened that you made up your mind about something, but then decided to give it a shot of fate or destiny ...continue reading

Mizaaj And Majaaz: The 'z' - 'j' Confusion Explained

The mistaken interchangeability of the ‘z’ - ‘j’ sounds in Urdu is perhaps the most common one amongst speakers. When ‘sabzi’ becomes ‘sabji’ or when ‘mujrim’ becomes ‘muzrim’, Urdu speakers cannot help slightly cringing at the brutal replacement of ...continue reading

Kalima-e-Bahaar: Beautiful Urdu Words Related to Spring

We are almost reaching the end of chilly winters and the wait for spring has filled many hearts with excitement already. Colourful flowers, soothing winds and the hustle-bustle of spring bring about a wave of warmth and joy. And for this very essence ...continue reading

From Wilaayaah to Blighty: The Journey of a Word Across 4 Languages

Travel stories are one of the most loved genres amongst people. From young children to grown-ups, everyone enjoys long tales of both real and fictional travels. But, have you ever heard stories about the journey of a word ...continue reading

Haal Kaisa Hai Janaab Ka: Asking About Wellbeing in Urdu

The world of how are you and how are things in Urdu is an entire category of conversation, with a dedicated vocabulary. This category is known as Mizaaj-Pursi which refers to enquiring about one’s wellbeing, and its response ...continue reading

Muhaavaron ki mantiq

سید اکبر علی صاحب کراچی سے لکھتے ہیں: ’’محاوروں کی منطق کچھ نہ کچھ تو سمجھ میں آہی جاتی ہے۔ اگر کوئی ہوش مند آدمی واقعی کسی کے سر پر چڑھنے لگے تو اس حرکت کو یقیناً بدتمیزی اور بد تہذیبی کہا جائے گا۔ شاید اسی وجہ سے بدتمیزی سے پیش آنے کو ’’سر پر چڑ ...continue reading

Diwan: Rational Word with Irrational Meanings

If you’re here early, you know it’s the season of festivities, celebrating different Indian Demi-Gods and -Goddesses. If celebration is something to be taken as a precursor of things to come, you’d sure have caught the whiff that Jashn-e-Rekhta is ...continue reading

Izafat: Making Sense of Knotty Grammar

Grammar can be aesthetically pleasing. On that bold claim, I begin to take to one of Urdu grammar’s most charming facets, the Izafat. From ‘Tah-e-Dil se Shukriya’ to ‘Chashm-e-Bad-Door’, we come across the Izafat several times in our Roz-Marra. But ...continue reading

Haan: All about Here, There, and Everywhere!

Words morph, pronunciations whirl, expressions change, and meanings shift, but rarely do we come across utterances that have been so drastically revamped that modern-day speakers need a reintroduction to what they originally sounded like ...continue reading

Agar-Magar: Exploring the World of Ifs and Buts

Ifs and buts create the gray areas in our speech that shine brighter than all other colors produced by all of language. Grammatically a conjunction, or Harf-e-Atf as it’s called in Urdu, this one set of words is just an inevitable part of our vocab. ...continue reading