# कथा
## Hindi
### Etymology

Borrowed from Sanskrit कथा (kathā).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: [kəˈt̪ʰa(ː)]

### Noun

कथा • (kathā) f (Urdu spelling کتھا)
* story, narrative
    Synonyms: कहानी (kahānī), अफ़साना (afsānā)
    वह जटिल लघु कथाएँ लिखता और प्रकाशित करता है।vah jaṭil laghu kathāẽ likhtā aur prakāśit kartā hai.He writes and publishes intricate short stories.

#### Derived terms

* परी कथा (parī kathā, “fairy tale”)

#### References

* Bahri, Hardev (1989) “कथा”, in Siksarthi Hindi-Angrejhi Sabdakosa [Learners' Hindi-English Dictionary], Delhi: Rajpal & Sons.
* Platts, John T. (1884) “कथा”, in A dictionary of Urdu, classical Hindi, and English, London: W. H. Allen & Co.

## Marathi
### Etymology

Borrowed from Sanskrit कथा (kathā).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /kə.t̪ʰa/
* Audio:(file)

### Noun

कथा • (kathā) f
* story

### References

* Berntsen, Maxine (1982–1983) “कथा”, in A Basic Marathi-English Dictionary, New Delhi: American Institute of Indian Studies
* Molesworth, James Thomas (1857) “कथा”, in A dictionary, Marathi and English, Bombay: Printed for government at the Bombay Education Society's Press

## Pali
### Alternative forms

* kathā (Latin script)
* 𑀓𑀣𑀸 (Brahmi script)
* কথা (Bengali script)
* කථා (Sinhalese script)
* ကထာ or ၵထႃ (Burmese script)
* กถา or กะถา (Thai script)
* ᨠᨳᩣ (Tai Tham script)
* ກຖາ or ກະຖາ (Lao script)
* កថា (Khmer script)
* 𑄇𑄗𑄂 (Chakma script)

### Noun

कथा f
* speech, story, talk

#### Declension
## Sanskrit
### Alternative scripts

* কথা (Assamese script)
* ᬓᬣᬵ (Balinese script)
* কথা (Bengali script)
* 𑰎𑰞𑰯 (Bhaiksuki script)
* 𑀓𑀣𑀸 (Brahmi script)
* ကထာ (Burmese script)
* કથા (Gujarati script)
* ਕਥਾ (Gurmukhi script)
* 𑌕𑌥𑌾 (Grantha script)
* ꦏꦡꦴ (Javanese script)
* 𑂍𑂟𑂰 (Kaithi script)
* ಕಥಾ (Kannada script)
* កថា (Khmer script)
* ກຖາ (Lao script)
* കഥാ (Malayalam script)
* ᡬᠠᡨᠠᢇ (Manchu script)
* 𑘎𑘞𑘰 (Modi script)
* ᢉᠠᠲᠠ᠋᠎ᠠ (Mongolian script)
* 𑦮𑦾𑧑 (Nandinagari script)
* 𑐎𑐠𑐵 (Newa script)
* କଥା (Odia script)
* ꢒꢢꢵ (Saurashtra script)
* 𑆑𑆡𑆳 (Sharada script)
* 𑖎𑖞𑖯 (Siddham script)
* කථා (Sinhalese script)
* 𑩜𑩬𑩛 (Soyombo script)
* 𑚊𑚚𑚭 (Takri script)
* கத²ா (Tamil script)
* కథా (Telugu script)
* กถา (Thai script)
* ཀ་ཐཱ (Tibetan script)
* 𑒏𑒟𑒰 (Tirhuta script)
* 𑨋𑨚𑨊 (Zanabazar Square script)

### Etymology

Nominalized from the interrogative कथा (kathā, “how; whence; why”) (compare कथम् (katham)), from Proto-Indo-Iranian *kátʰaH (“in what way”), from a derivative of Proto-Indo-European *kʷós (compare similar formations: यथा (yathā) from *HyátʰaH (“in which way; as”) and तथा (tathā) from *tátʰaH (“in that way; so”)). The Sanskrit root is कथ् (kath).

### Pronunciation

* (Vedic) IPA: /kɐ.tʰɑ́ː/
* (Classical Sanskrit) IPA: /kɐ.t̪ʰɑː/

### Noun

कथा • (kathā́) stem, f
* conversation, speech
* story, tale
* discussion, talk

#### Declension

* ¹Vedic
* ²Brāhmaṇas

#### Derived terms

* कथासरित्सागर (kathāsaritsāgara)
* कथावार्त्ता (kathāvārttā)

#### Descendants

* → English: kathak, katha
* → Kannada: ಕತೆ (kate), ಕಥೆ (kathe)
* → Malayalam: കഥ (katha)
* Pali: kathā
** → Khmer: កថា (ka’tʰaa)
** → Tagalog: katha
** → Malay: kata
*** → Indonesian: kata
** → Minangkabau: kato
* → Punjabi: ਕਥਾ (kathā)
* → Tamil: கதை (katai)
* → Telugu: కథ (katha)

#### References

* Turner, Ralph Lilley (1969–1985) “kathā‍”, in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages, London: Oxford University Press, page 135
* Mayrhofer, Manfred (1992) Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎ (in German), volume 1, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 295