کلیجا

Urdu

Etymology

From Sanskrit कालेय (kāleya). Compare Bhojpuri 𑂍𑂩𑂵𑂔𑂰 (karejā), Magahi 𑂍𑂩𑂵𑂔 (karej), Assamese কলিজা (koliza), Marathi काळीज (kāḷīj), Bengali কল্জে, কলিজা (kolje, kolija), Punjabi کالجا (kāljā).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Urdu) IPA^(key): /kə.leː.d͡ʒɑː/

Noun

کَلیجا • (kalejā) m (Hindi spelling कलेजा)

1. (metaphorically) heart

   اس کے پاس پتھر کا کلیجا ہے۔

   uske pās patthar kā kalejā hai

   He has a heart of stone.

   تم میرے کلیجے کا ٹکڑا ہو۔

   tum mere kaleje kā ṭukṛā ho.

   You are very dear to my heart.

   (literally, “You are a piece of my heart.”)

2. (organ) liver

Usage notes

• While کلیجا technically refers to the liver organ, it has various other meanings (heart, mind, courage, etc.) when commonly used.
• کلیجا is usually applied to the liver of a human being; the feminine form کلیجی being used for the liver of an animal.

Declension

Declension of کلیجا

	singular	plural
direct	کلیجا (kalejā)	کلیجے (kaleje)
oblique	کلیجے (kaleje)	کلیجوں (kalejõ)
vocative	کلیجے (kaleje)	کلیجو (kalejo)

Synonyms

• جگر (jigar)

Related terms

• کلیجی (kalejī)

References

• “کلیجا”, in اُردُو لُغَت (urdū luġat) (in Urdu), Ministry of Education: Government of Pakistan, 2017.
• “کلیجا”, in ریخْتَہ لُغَت (rexta luġat) - Rekhta Dictionary [Urdu dictionary with meanings in Hindi & English], Noida, India: Rekhta Foundation, 2025.