EkGuru › Materials › Grammar › Hindi Postpositions — ka, ko, se, meṃ, par
English puts little words before nouns (in, on, for, with); Hindi puts them after. These postpositions hold most sentences together, and getting them right removes a whole class of early errors.
| Postposition | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| का / के / की (kā/ke/kī) | of / 's | लड़के की किताब — the boy's book |
| को (ko) | to (a person); marks some objects | मुझे चाय चाहिए — I want tea |
| से (se) | from, by, with (instrument) | दिल्ली से — from Delhi |
| में (meṃ) | in, inside | घर में — in the house |
| पर (par) | on, at | मेज पर — on the table |
| के लिए (ke liye) | for | आपके लिए — for you |
| के साथ (ke sāth) | with (a person) | दोस्त के साथ — with a friend |
| के बारे में (ke bāre meṃ) | about | हिन्दी के बारे में — about Hindi |
| तक (tak) | until, up to | कल तक — until tomorrow |
| के पास (ke pās) | near; possession ('have') | मेरे पास — I have (with me) |
का/के/की means 'of', but which form you use depends on the gender and number of the noun that follows it — not the one before it:
| Following noun | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| masculine singular | का | लड़के का घर (the boy's house) |
| feminine | की | लड़के की किताब (the boy's book) |
| masculine plural | के | लड़कों के घर (the boys' house) |
Hindi has no single verb 'to have'. Instead it says ke pās (near/with): मेरे पास एक किताब है — 'near me is a book' = I have a book. This is the single most useful postposition habit to internalise.
| Wrong | Right | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Saying 'mujhe' for 'I have' | मेरे पास for possession | मुझे is 'to me' (I feel/want); मेरे पास is 'I have'. |
| Using one kā for everything | Agree का/की/के with the next noun | The form follows the noun that comes after it. |
| Translating 'on' and 'in' word for word | Learn the verb+postposition pair | 'Think about' is के बारे में सोचना — the pairing, not the word, is what to learn. |
Because का/की/के agrees with the following noun — किताब is feminine.
मेरे पास एक कलम है (mere pās ek kalam hai) — 'near me is a pen'.
A chart helps only once you use it. Drill these same points in the practice labs, follow a learning path to keep the order right, or practise one to one with a native-speaking tutor.