# Hindi: a game



## Lika Brown

Dear friends,

I know that in Hindi to play is "khelnaa".
But what about the word "game"?

Example: Let' play this game.
Example 2: Play according to rules (or with rules), don't cheat (in a sense try to trespass the rules)!

Urdu suggestions are very welcome as well


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## Maharaj

Game means खेल Khel in Hindi/Urdu.
For example: Game of Cricket - Cricket ka khel
Your example:
Chalo ye khel khelte hain, Chalo ye khel khelen


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## Lika Brown

Dear Maharaj,
Thank you!


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## desi4life

Another word for game in Hindi-Urdu is 'baazii'.


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## aevynn

For "don't cheat," one option could be: कोई हेराफ़ेरी मत करना _koii heraaferii mat karnaa_.


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## Lika Brown

"Heraferi", what a beautiful word, dear Aevynn!
Does this word have any other meanings uses in day-to-day conversations?


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## desi4life

Actually, the word is हेराफेरी _heraapherii_.

हेराफ़ेरी _heraaferii _is a mispronunciation.


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## Alfaaz

Note: The correct pronunciations are _her-*ph*er_ and _heraa-*ph*erii_.


			
				Lika Brown said:
			
		

> Urdu suggestions are very welcome as well


 کھیل - _khel _is used in Urdu as well. 

This word can also have other meanings (7 listed in the Urdu Lughat entry) just as the English word _game_, such as _conspiracy_. 
Example:_ tum mujh se khel to nahiiN khel rahe/rahii...!?_ - _You aren't playing games with me, are you...!?_

Apart from _khel _there is بازی - _baazii_, which can also have multiple meanings (10-12 listed in the Urdu Lughat entry), such as _a game_ or _a round of a game (chess, etc.)_. 

There is also لہو و لعب - _lahw-o-la3b_.


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## aevynn

@Alfaaz and @desi4life, thanks for the correction  I guess the dialect I grew up hearing is just really bad at keeping track of the ph/f distinction... 



Lika Brown said:


> Does this word have any other meanings uses in day-to-day conversations?



I think it's used to refer to basically all kinds of shenanigans: cheating, tricks, ... 

वह हेरा-फेरी करके मेरे सारे पैसे चुरा ले गया!
woh heraa-pherii karke mere saare paise churaa le gayaa!
He duped me and stole all my money!

हेरा-फेरी करके ही जीता है, फिर भी यों शेखी बघारता है।
heraa-pherii karke hii jiitaa hai, phir bhii yoN shekhii baghaartaa hai. 
He gloats like this even though he's only won because he cheated.​


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## desi4life

@aevynn You correctly keep a ph/f distinction is most of your responses. This was one of the few exceptions.


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## Maharaj

@aevynn @desi4life 
However the word हेराफेरी is not suitable here.

Cheat: बेईमानी करना / बेईमानी से कुछ करना 
Cheat: Beimani karna / beimani se kuch karna
So the second sentence asked will go like this:
"नियम के हिसाब से खेलो, बेईमानी मत करना"
Niyam ke hisaab se khelo, beimani mat karna.

Herapheri generally means to cheat on a big level. If you're just trespassing few of the rules, you don't use this word.


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## Aryaved

I agree with @Maharaj on his delineation of Beimaani vs Herapheri to a certain extent. Maharaj, can you provide some clarification as to what you mean by "cheating on a big level"?


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## Jashn

I always thought of 'herapheri' more in the context of conning someone rather than cheating at the rules of a game. At least, that's how I've heard it used primarily in films, which I admit is not the best source to go by, but since Maharaj is (I think) mentioning a similar sort of distinction, maybe that's not totally off board on my part?


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## Maharaj

I agree with @Jashn that's one of the uses of this word. 
Cheating on a big level: perhaps these news stories could explain it better:- 

*हेराफेरी की नीयत से पिता का नाम स्कूल रिकार्ड में गलत दर्ज करवाने वाला नामजद*

*हेराफेरी कर नौकरी हासिल करने के आरोप में महिला कर्मी पर केस दर्ज
*


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## aevynn

@Maharaj and @Jashn, thanks. I thought I had remembered my parents using the word हेरा-फेरी _heraa-pherii_ when I've played card games with them, but I could be misremembering — or it could be that they were trying to be overly dramatic using an overly dramatic word for cheating, and the humor involving the dramatic choice of word was lost on me.


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## Maharaj

@aevynn yep we use that in humorous way too, it's actually quite different and popular word. I'm sorry I couldn't mention all these in a single answer.


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