काली

Hindi

Pronunciation

(Delhi) IPA^(key): /kɑː.liː/, [käː.liː]

Etymology 1

Semi-learned borrowing from Sanskrit कालिय (kāliya). Doublet of कालिय (kāliya).

Proper noun

काली • (kālī) m (Urdu spelling کالی)

Kaliya (a Nāga living in the Yamuna river)

Declension

Declension of काली (sg-only masc ī-stem)

	singular
direct	काली kālī
oblique	काली kālī
vocative	काली kālī

Etymology 2

Learned borrowing from Sanskrit काली (kālī). By surface analysis, काल (kāl) +‎ -ई (-ī).

Noun

काली • (kālī) f (Urdu spelling کالی) (rare, formal)

Declension

Declension of काली (fem ī-stem)

	singular	plural
direct	काली kālī	कालियाँ kāliyā̃
oblique	काली kālī	कालियों kāliyõ
vocative	काली kālī	कालियो kāliyo

Proper noun

काली • (kālī) f (Urdu spelling کالی)

(Hinduism) Kali, title of goddess Durga
काली माँ ― kālī mā̃ ― mother Kali
a female given name, Kali, from Sanskrit
one of the seven tongues or flames of fire
Satyavati (wife of Shantanu)

Declension

Declension of काली (sg-only fem ī-stem)

	singular
direct	काली kālī
oblique	काली kālī
vocative	काली kālī

Etymology 3

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Adjective

काली • (kālī) (Urdu spelling کالی)

direct/oblique/vocative feminine singular/plural of काला (kālā)

References

McGregor, Ronald Stuart (1993) “काली”, in The Oxford Hindi-English Dictionary, London: Oxford University Press
Platts, John T. (1884) “काली”, in A dictionary of Urdu, classical Hindi, and English, London: W. H. Allen & Co.
Caturvedi, Mahendra, Bhola Nath Tiwari (1970) “काली”, in A practical Hindi-English dictionary, Delhi: National Publishing House
Dāsa, Śyāmasundara (1965–1975) “काली”, in Hindī Śabdasāgara [lit. Sea of Hindi words] (in Hindi), Kashi [Varanasi]: Nagari Pracarini Sabha
“काली”, in ریخْتَہ لُغَت (rexta luġat) - Rekhta Dictionary [Urdu dictionary with meanings in Hindi & English], Noida, India: Rekhta Foundation, 2025.
Turner, Ralph Lilley (1969–1985) “kālī”, in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages, London: Oxford University Press

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

কালী (Assamese script)
ᬓᬵᬮᬷ (Balinese script)
কালী (Bengali script)
𑰎𑰯𑰩𑰱 (Bhaiksuki script)
𑀓𑀸𑀮𑀻 (Brahmi script)
ကာလီ (Burmese script)
કાલી (Gujarati script)
ਕਾਲੀ (Gurmukhi script)
𑌕𑌾𑌲𑍀 (Grantha script)
ꦏꦴꦭꦷ (Javanese script)
𑂍𑂰𑂪𑂲 (Kaithi script)
ಕಾಲೀ (Kannada script)
កាលី (Khmer script)
ກາລີ (Lao script)
കാലീ (Malayalam script)
ᡬᠠ᠎᠊ᠠᠯᡳᡳ (Manchu script)
𑘎𑘰𑘩𑘲 (Modi script)
ᢉᠠᢗᠯᠢᠢ (Mongolian script)
𑦮𑧑𑧉𑧓 (Nandinagari script)
𑐎𑐵𑐮𑐷 (Newa script)
କାଲୀ (Odia script)
ꢒꢵꢭꢷ (Saurashtra script)
𑆑𑆳𑆬𑆵 (Sharada script)
𑖎𑖯𑖩𑖱 (Siddham script)
කාලී (Sinhalese script)
𑩜𑩛𑩽𑩑𑩛 (Soyombo script)
𑚊𑚭𑚥𑚯 (Takri script)
காலீ (Tamil script)
కాలీ (Telugu script)
กาลี (Thai script)
ཀཱ་ལཱི (Tibetan script)
𑒏𑒰𑒪𑒲 (Tirhuta script)
𑨋𑨊𑨬𑨁𑨊 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

From काल (kāla, “blackness”) +‎ -ई (-ī), from Proto-Dravidian *kār-.

Pronunciation

(Vedic) IPA^(key): /kɑː.liː/
(Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /kɑː.l̪iː/

Noun

काली • (kālī) stem, f

black colour, ink or blacking
abuse, censure, defamation
a row or succession of black clouds
night
Synonyms: see Thesaurus:रात्रि
a worm or animalcule generated in the acetous fermentation of milk
Synonym: क्षीरकीट (kṣīrakīṭa)
a kind of clay

Declension

Feminine ī-stem declension of काली
	singular	dual	plural
nominative	काली (kālī)	काल्यौ (kālyau) काली¹ (kālī¹)	काल्यः (kālyaḥ) कालीः¹ (kālīḥ¹)
vocative	कालि (kāli)	काल्यौ (kālyau) काली¹ (kālī¹)	काल्यः (kālyaḥ) कालीः¹ (kālīḥ¹)
accusative	कालीम् (kālīm)	काल्यौ (kālyau) काली¹ (kālī¹)	कालीः (kālīḥ)
instrumental	काल्या (kālyā)	कालीभ्याम् (kālībhyām)	कालीभिः (kālībhiḥ)
dative	काल्यै (kālyai)	कालीभ्याम् (kālībhyām)	कालीभ्यः (kālībhyaḥ)
ablative	काल्याः (kālyāḥ) काल्यै² (kālyai²)	कालीभ्याम् (kālībhyām)	कालीभ्यः (kālībhyaḥ)
genitive	काल्याः (kālyāḥ) काल्यै² (kālyai²)	काल्योः (kālyoḥ)	कालीनाम् (kālīnām)
locative	काल्याम् (kālyām)	काल्योः (kālyoḥ)	कालीषु (kālīṣu)

¹Vedic
²Brāhmaṇas

Proper noun

काली • (kālī) stem, f

(Hinduism) Kali (the most terrifying goddess, wife of Shiva, identified as Parvati in her benevolent aspect)
Satyavati (wife of Shantanu)
name of the plant kālāñjanī
Operculina turpethum
Bignonia suaveolens
one of the seven tongues or flames of fire
name of a female evil spirit (mother of the Kalakeyas)
one of the sixteen Vidyadevis
name of a river

Declension

Feminine ī-stem declension of काली
	singular	dual	plural
nominative	काली (kālī)	काल्यौ (kālyau) काली¹ (kālī¹)	काल्यः (kālyaḥ) कालीः¹ (kālīḥ¹)
vocative	कालि (kāli)	काल्यौ (kālyau) काली¹ (kālī¹)	काल्यः (kālyaḥ) कालीः¹ (kālīḥ¹)
accusative	कालीम् (kālīm)	काल्यौ (kālyau) काली¹ (kālī¹)	कालीः (kālīḥ)
instrumental	काल्या (kālyā)	कालीभ्याम् (kālībhyām)	कालीभिः (kālībhiḥ)
dative	काल्यै (kālyai)	कालीभ्याम् (kālībhyām)	कालीभ्यः (kālībhyaḥ)
ablative	काल्याः (kālyāḥ) काल्यै² (kālyai²)	कालीभ्याम् (kālībhyām)	कालीभ्यः (kālībhyaḥ)
genitive	काल्याः (kālyāḥ) काल्यै² (kālyai²)	काल्योः (kālyoḥ)	कालीनाम् (kālīnām)
locative	काल्याम् (kālyām)	काल्योः (kālyoḥ)	कालीषु (kālīṣu)

¹Vedic
²Brāhmaṇas

Descendants

Assamese: কালী (kali)
Bengali: কালী (kali)
Chinese: 迦梨 (Jiālí)
English: Kali
Gujarati: કાલિ (kāli)
Hindi: काली (kālī)
Malayalam: കാളി (kāḷi)
Marathi: काली (kālī)
Burmese: ကာလီ (kali)
Nepali: काली (kālī)
Newar: काली (kālī)
Punjabi: ਕਾਲੀ (kālī)
Sindhi: ڪالي
Sinhalese: කාලී (kālī)
Tamil: காளி (kāḷi)
Telugu: కాళి (kāḷi)
Thai: กาลี (gaa-lii)

Adjective

काली • (kālī)

feminine of काल (kāla)
Synonyms: श्यामा (śyāmā), कृष्णा (kṛṣṇā)

References

Apte, Vaman Shivram (1890) “काली”, in The practical Sanskrit-English dictionary, Poona: Prasad Prakashan
Monier Williams (1899) “काली”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 277.