# Hindi: kathor faislaa



## tonyspeed

What is an appropriate translation or explanation for "kathor faislaa": i.e. usne kathor faislaa liyaa


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## Englishmypassion

Tough decision.
He took a tough decision.
Is that what you are asking?


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## tonyspeed

Ok, difficult decision. Thanks/ It didn't make sense to me because of the negative emotions sometimes associated with kathor.

S کٿهور कठोर _kaṭhor_, adj. (f. -_ā_), Hard, solid, stiff; violent, severe; sharp; loud; difficult, arduous; rough (of manners), harsh; callous, unfeeling, cruel, relentless, implacable (syn. _kaṭhin_);—full, complete, full-grown:—_kaṭhor-ćitt_, adj. Hard-hearted, cruel, unfeeling, unkind.


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## Englishmypassion

A tough or hard decision/kathor faisla may sometimes be different from a difficult decision. For example, you take a difficult decision when you are in a dilemma about choosing a subject of study but that's not a kathor faisla. A kathor faisla means you are being heard-hearted, not caring for your or people's emotions much. It is a strict decision, not very easy or pleasant to follow. The main difference lies in following that. A difficult decision shows the difficulty of choosing to do something or the difficulty of making a decision while a kathor faisla stresses the fact that it is not easy to follow that decision, it's hard to follow.

Would calling such a decision "hard" would be more appropriate?


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## Aryaved

'Kathor', as I usually take it, means cruel, as though it can mean hard, a kathor faisla conveys a sense of negativity associated with the decision made. Engilshmypassion, I think you hit the nail on the head.


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## tonyspeed

Englishmypassion said:


> Would calling such a decision "hard" would be more appropriate?



Hard decision and difficult decision in English mean the same thing.

The English phrase for kathor faislaa would be "harsh decision".


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## littlepond

Depends on context. Tough decision is usually "mushkil faislaa", not really "kaThor faislaa/nirNRe". The latter can be "harsh decision" as mentioned by tonyspeed, or "severe judgement", etc.


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## desi4life

As an English speaker I find faislaa liyaa "took a decision" to be a surprising choice in the sentence. "Took a decision" is used in UK English but not commonly, and it's not used in US English at all (except "took the decision lightly/seriously", which is in a different sense). Does anyone know how this construction came about in Hindi? Dictionaries give the expected *faislaa kiyaa* but not *faislaa liyaa* type expressions. It's the norm in French, but I don't think French influenced Hindi.


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## littlepond

^ I don't think any foreign influence is concerned here: all the three "faislaa lenaa", "nirNRe lenaa" and "decision lenaa" are common parlance in Hindi. Many similar Hindi words are associated with "lenaa": for example, "kasam lenaa". (I don't see much difference, psychologically, between these two types of determination: a vow or a judgement.)


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## tonyspeed

desi4life said:


> As an English speaker I find faislaa liyaa "took a decision" to be a surprising choice in the sentence. "Took a decision" is used in UK English but not commonly, and it's not used in US English at all (except "took the decision lightly/seriously", which is in a different sense). Does anyone know how this construction came about in Hindi? Dictionaries give the expected *faislaa kiyaa* but not *faislaa liyaa* type expressions. It's the norm in French, but I don't think French influenced Hindi.



Hindi also has "naam lenaa" meaning to mention or utter someone's name. And other than in India, saying "taking/took his/her name" is not correct English. That's how language is sometimes.


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## Englishmypassion

I know we make a decision and there are decision makers. But taking a decision is also correct, I think.


Edited


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## littlepond

^ I think you can discuss that with more fruition in the English forum, Emp jii.


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## desi4life

Englishmypassion said:


> I know we make a decision and there are decision makers. But taking a decision is also correct, I think.



This was discussed here: Take a decision or make a decision


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## Englishmypassion

Thanks a lot, desi4life.
So, both "take" and "make" are correct in BE, as the OALD also says, though "make" is more common, which I knew but I think the urge to provide the closest literal translation made me make a decision to use "take" there. AE doesn't use "take" in that sense.


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## Sheikh_14

kaThin faisalah is also used for a tough decision as an alternative to mushkil. KaThor suggests a harsh or severe judgement


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## desi4life

Does kaThor faisalaa have a different nuance than kaThin/mushkil faisalaa?


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## Englishmypassion

desi4life said:


> Does kaThor faisalaa have a different nuance than kaThin/mushkil faisalaa?



I think that has already been covered above. Did you read, for example, post #4?


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## desi4life

Englishmypassion said:


> I think that has already been covered above. Did you read, for example, post #4?



You didn't directly address kaThin/mushkil faisalaa. However, I'm assuming the following breakdown:

hard decision = kaThin/mushkil faisalaa

harsh decision = kaThor faisalaa

Is the above correct?


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## Englishmypassion

desi4life said:


> However, I'm assuming the following breakdown:
> 
> hard decision = kaThin/mushkil faisalaa
> 
> harsh decision = kaThor faisalaa
> 
> Is the above correct?



Yes, and that's the conclusion of above posts too.


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