# Hindi, Urdu: faqat vs. sirf



## lafz_puchnevala

Hi,

Can the above 2 words be freely interchanged? Also, can someone write 'faqat' in Hindi?

Thanks!


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## Alfaaz

Both فقط (faqat) and صرف (sirf) are derived from Arabic and interchangeable (most of the time). 

بس۔ تنہا؛ فقط؛ محض :صرف
Sirf: MaHz/mehez; faqat ; tanha ; bas (farsi) 

Tanha (farsi derived) and Bas would probably not be interchangeable in all situations as they can be understood to have other meanings too. Mehez can also have many meanings. 

*Sentences for faqat directly from the dictionary:* 

فقط اس شہر میں ساٹھ اعلٰی تعلیم کے کالج ہیں۔
Faqat is shahr mein saaTh a'alaa ta'leem ke kaalij (college) hain- "Only/Just in this city (alone) there are colleges for getting top-class education" متعلق فعل-muta'liq fa'il-"related to verb"

اس گھاٹ پر *فقط* ہیں کماندار دس ہزار،
"Is ghaaT par faqat hain kamaandaar das hazaar"

*Another meaning/use of Faqat: *
ختم، تمام شد، تمت (کسی تحریر کے آخر پر)
khatm, tamaam shud, tammat (kisi teHreer ke aakhir par)-end, "the end" (written at the end of a writing/letter/work)

Example sentence:"میرا مقصد صرف یہ ہے کہ میں دو ایک برس ملک سے باہر رہوں اور یہ کام آپ کے ذریعے ہو تو مجھے بے حد خوشی ہو گی، فقط آداب۔
"mera maqsad sirf yeh hai keh mein do aik baras mulk se baahir rahon aur yeh kaam aap ke zari'ae ho to mujhe be had khushi ho gi, faqat aadab."

_Mehez has many meanings. You can probably open another thread for it....this should be enough for this topic

_Lastly, a famous line by Faiz Ahmad Faiz often used in Urdu films, dramas, TV, and even in everyday conversation: چند روز اور میری جان، فقط چند ہی روز! Chand Roz Aur Meri Jaan, Faqat Chand Hi Roz-"A few more days my beloved, only a few days!"


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## greatbear

In standard Hindi, "sirf" is the commonly used term and it is NOT interchangeable with "faqat": the latter is often used in Bombay's tapori language, because Gujarati has the word "faqt" (in Gujarati, "faqt" and not "faqat") for "only" and Bombay has several Gujarati influences on its language and culture. Usage of "faqat" in Hindi often conveys the impression of a rough upbringing in the chawls of Mumbai.

One could also use "mehez", but it has slightly different nuances associated.


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## BP.

^I remember hearing something that sounded like like _kival _on the bbc.


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## greatbear

BelligerentPacifist said:


> ^I remember hearing something that sounded like like _kival _on the bbc.



Yes, that's "kewal" (केवल) and another commonly used word for "only" (also a name for men).


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## lafz_puchnevala

So, how does one spell 'faqt'? Would there then be a halant after 'qa'?

It seems to me that in Urdu however, 'faqat' is not considered to be colloquial and is considered to be perfectly fine!


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## greatbear

In Gujarati, if you are familiar with the alphabet, ફક્ત (in Devanagari, if a word like this had existed, it would be written as फक्त).


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## Alfaaz

> In standard Hindi, "sirf" is the commonly used term *and it is NOT interchangeable* with "faqat": the latter is *often used in Bombay's tapori language*, because Gujarati has the word "faqt" (in Gujarati, "faqt" and not "faqat") for "only" and Bombay has several Gujarati influences on its language and culture. Usage of "faqat" in Hindi _*often conveys the impression of a rough upbringing *_in the chawls of Mumbai.


Really interesting! Thanks for the informative post....!


> It seems to me that in Urdu however, 'faqat' is not considered to be colloquial and is considered to be perfectly fine!


Yes, in Urdu it is would be considered poetic but also can be colloquial; depends on the audience/speakers..... 

....For example, if you start using all the words you are asking about in your day-to-day conversations, they will become kind of "colloquial" for you and for your surroundings! (This seems to be true for any language...or anything for that matter; the more something is used, the more "common" it seems)

This raises another interesting point that when _some_ (not all) Hindi speakers watch Urdu news or programs, they say that it represents "radicalization" or "wanting to be Arabic/Persian" because it might seem to them that Arabic and Persian words are just being replaced by Hindi words or there is a plethora of them in comparison to Hindi derived words. (There have been some interesting debates about this on Indian Television channels!) But in actuality, those words have been used in Urdu a long time before the recent historical events have taken place...


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## omlick

Here is the word in Hindi script: फ़क़त


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## greatbear

omlick said:


> Here is the word in Hindi script: फ़क़त



That's the Urdu faqat in Devanagari. Note that most Hindi speakers don't use the word, as I said earlier.


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## nineth

I've never heard of fakat; I only use sirf and keval - more often sirf, and always keval in formal writing.


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## lafz_puchnevala

I guess 'kevel' is more often used in Hindi, am suspecting that it may have Sanskritic origins while 'sirf' and 'faqat' probably are of Perso-Arabic lineage. But, 'sirf' can also be commonly heard all around, but have never seen 'faqat' anywhere except in writings which have a strong Urdu flavour to it.


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## nineth

lafz_puchnevala said:


> I guess 'kevel' is more often used in Hindi, am suspecting that it may have Sanskritic origins while 'sirf' and 'faqat' probably are of Perso-Arabic lineage. But, 'sirf' can also be commonly heard all around, but have never seen 'faqat' anywhere except in writings which have a strong Urdu flavour to it.



Let me clear your suspicion  sirf is a loan-word from Urdu (the f sound at the end says it all - Sanskrit doesn't have it); kewal is pure Hindi from Sanskrit.


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## gagun

In deccani also faqat is used in few situations instead of sirf for example `faqat sote rahta soti soorat' means  he only sleeps or faqat rote rahta roti soorat.


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## Chhaatr

I haven't come across _faqat_  in spoken or written Hindi.


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## mundiya

^ I haven't come across "faqat" either Chhaatr jii, but it's in Hindi Shabd Saagar along with a reference.  So, it must be used in Hindi to some extent.

फकत वि० [अ० *फकत*] १. बस । अलम् । पर्याप्त । २. केवल । सिर्फ । उ०— एक औरत ने फकत कहा है कि नाक कान काट लूँगी और तुम यहाँ दोड़े आए । तुम्हें शरम नहीं आती ।— दुर्गाप्रसाद (शब्द०) ।


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## Stranger_

Is it possible to use "bas بس" in the sense of "sirf/fagat ~ only"?


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## littlepond

^ Yes. "sirf paanch log" = "bas paanch log" = "keval paanch log"


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## Chhaatr

And also, _maatr paaNch log_.


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## marrish

_maHz do baateN suno محض دو باتیں سنو
xaalii do baateN suno خالی دو باتیں سنو
bas do baateN suno بس دو باتیں سنو
_


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## Alfaaz

Stranger_ said:
			
		

> Is it possible to use "bas بس" in the sense of "sirf/fagat ~ only"?


Another example:



_*faqat* ik yaad hai baaqii 
*bas* ik faryaad hai baaqii 
woh xushiyaaN luT ga'iiN lekin
dil-e-barbaad hai baaqii
kahaaN thii zindagi merii kahaaN per aa ga'ii
woh bhuulii daastaaN lo phir yaad aa ga'ii _

Film: Sanjog (1961); Lyricist: Rajinder Krishan
*فقط* اک یاد ہے باقی
*بس* اک فریاد ہے باقی
وہ خوشیاں لٹ گئیں لیکن
دلِ برباد ہے باقی
کہاں تھی زندگی میری کہاں پر آ گئی
وہ بھولی داستاں لو پھر یاد آ گئی

فلم : سنجوگ ؛ نغمہ نگار: راجندر کرشن


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## marrish

I just asked two Hindi speakers on the phone to open Shabdsagar and read out the word. Both read it as "phakat". I met a Hindi speaking friend and asked about it too, he said: _fakt/faqt_. And he said "_puuraa ka nahiiN, aadhaa ka likhnaa_". Further he said he didn't know which language it was derived from, when I insisted his guess was Gujarati, but he said it is a Hindi word although not used frequently and as an example he gave "_fakt itnaa hii_". I noticed a slight notion of "_q_" in his speech so I can say he said "_faqt_".


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## mundiya

He probably thought फकत was written with a schwa inserted, like सखत instead of सख्त.  So, faqat > faqt can be considered a type of overcompensation.


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## littlepond

Agree. Many other language speakers insert schwa in some of the common words (like सखत is a word in Kannada), and as a result, later on, overcompensation occurs, esp. when the user has lived in such an environment and they think that they should now remove the schwa.


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