बहुत bahut expresses high quantity or degree: “much, many, a lot, very.” ज़्यादा zyādā expresses quantity or degree beyond a standard: “more, too much/many,” and in context also “a lot.” Both are normally invariant. Their interpretation depends on whether they modify a noun, adjective, adverb, or verb.
Quantity and degree
| Use | बहुत | ज़्यादा |
|---|---|---|
| mass quantity | बहुत पानी bahut pānī | ज़्यादा पानी zyādā pānī |
| count quantity | बहुत से लोग bahut se log | ज़्यादा लोग zyādā log |
| degree | बहुत अच्छा bahut acchā | ज़्यादा अच्छा zyādā acchā |
| event extent | बहुत पढ़ना bahut paṛhnā | ज़्यादा पढ़ना zyādā paṛhnā |
आज बाज़ार में बहुत भीड़ है।
āj bāzār meṃ bahut bhīṛ hai.
There is a large crowd in the market today.
इस रास्ते पर ज़्यादा ट्रैफ़िक है।
is rāste par zyādā ṭraifik hai.
There is more/heavier traffic on this route.
Mass and count nouns
Both work with mass nouns. With count plurals, ज़्यादा लोग/किताबें is straightforward. बहुत लोग occurs, but बहुत से लोग and बहुत सारी किताबें often make plural quantity clearer.
हमारे पास बहुत कम समय और ज़्यादा काम है।
hamāre pās bahut kam samay aur zyādā kām hai.
We have very little time and more/too much work.
बहुत से छात्रों ने ज़्यादा उदाहरण माँगे।
bahut se chātroṃ ne zyādā udāharaṇ mā̃ge.
Many students asked for more examples.
The quantified noun controls case and predicate agreement. बहुत/ज़्यादा do not inflect. बहुत से is a plural count pattern; do not extend से mechanically to mass nouns.
Comparison with से
ज़्यादा naturally pairs with a comparison standard marked by से.
For the broader comparison construction, see comparatives with से.
यह कमरा उस कमरे से ज़्यादा बड़ा है।
yah kamrā us kamre se zyādā baṛā hai.
This room is bigger than that room.
In everyday Hindi, ज़्यादा बड़ा is common. More formal prose may use अधिक बड़ा/बड़ा according to style. बहुत बड़ा means “very big,” not necessarily bigger than something else.
यह कमरा बहुत बड़ा है, लेकिन हॉल इससे ज़्यादा बड़ा है।
yah kamrā bahut baṛā hai, lekin hol isse zyādā baṛā hai.
This room is very big, but the hall is bigger than it.
Excess readings
Context and intonation can give ज़्यादा an excessive “too much” reading. बहुत ज़्यादा strongly means “far too much/very much.”
चाय में ज़्यादा चीनी मत डालना।
cāy meṃ zyādā cīnī mat ḍālnā.
Don't put too much sugar in the tea. (informal)
आज बहुत ज़्यादा गर्मी है।
āj bahut zyādā garmī hai.
It is extremely hot today.
The bare adjective/adverbial use does not agree. ज़्यादा remains the same with masculine, feminine, singular, and plural nouns.
In recommendations, negated ज़्यादा often means “too much” or “too long”: ज़्यादा देर मत रुकिए “please do not stay too long.” The comparison standard is implicit—longer than advisable. बहुत देर merely describes a long duration unless context adds the same evaluation.
Definiteness and scope
बहुत किताबें introduces an indefinite large set. इनमें से बहुत-सी किताबें selects a large subset from a definite domain.
इनमें से बहुत-सी किताबें अब उपलब्ध नहीं हैं।
inmeṃ se bahut-sī kitābeṃ ab uplabdh nahīṃ haiṃ.
Many of these books are no longer available.
Definiteness comes from इनमें से, not an article. Feminine बहुत-सी agrees through सी, while bare बहुत itself is invariant.
हर विभाग ने ज़्यादा कर्मचारियों की माँग की।
har vibhāg ne zyādā karmacāriyoṃ kī mā̃g kī.
Every department requested more employees. (the requested number may differ by department)
With हर taking wider scope, each department can have its own comparison standard and requested quantity.
बहुत versus कई and कुछ
कुछ gives an unspecified amount/subset; कई asserts several distinct countable members; बहुत presents quantity or degree as high; ज़्यादा compares it with a standard.
कुछ मेहमान जल्दी आए, कई समय पर आए, और बहुत से देर से पहुँचे।
kuch mehmān jaldī āe, kaī samay par āe, aur bahut se der se pahũce.
Some guests came early, several came on time, and many arrived late.
Singular nouns
Mass and abstract singular nouns readily follow both: बहुत प्यार, ज़्यादा जानकारी. A singular count noun normally needs a measure or plural reading; do not say बहुत किताब for “many books.”
इस विषय पर बहुत जानकारी है, लेकिन अच्छे उदाहरण कम हैं।
is viṣay par bahut jānkārī hai, lekin acche udāharaṇ kam haiṃ.
There is a lot of information on this subject, but good examples are few.
Common Mistakes
❌ बहुत किताब मेज़ पर हैं।
Incorrect for many countable books—use plural किताबें.
✅ बहुत-सी किताबें मेज़ पर हैं।
bahut-sī kitābeṃ mez par haiṃ.
Many books are on the table.
❌ मुझे ज़्यादा तीन किताबें चाहिए।
Incorrect for ‘more than three books’—the numeral must precede से ज़्यादा.
✅ मुझे तीन से ज़्यादा किताबें चाहिए।
mujhe tīn se zyādā kitābeṃ cāhie.
I need more than three books.
❌ बहुत से पानी बचा है।
Incorrect—से is not used in this mass-quantity phrase.
✅ बहुत पानी बचा है।
bahut pānī bacā hai.
A lot of water is left.
❌ ज़्यादी मेहनत करनी होगी।
Incorrect—ज़्यादा is invariant; it does not agree with feminine मेहनत.
✅ ज़्यादा मेहनत करनी होगी।
zyādā mehnat karnī hogī.
More effort will be required.
Key Takeaways
- बहुत marks high quantity or degree; ज़्यादा invokes more-than or excess.
- Both are normally invariant across gender, number, and case.
- Use plural structure with count nouns: बहुत से लोग, बहुत-सी किताबें, ज़्यादा लोग.
- से... ज़्यादा builds comparisons; बहुत alone means “very/a lot.”
- Demonstratives and partitives establish definite domains without articles.
Related Topics
- कई severalA2 — Use invariant कई for an indefinite plural count, distinguishing it from कुछ, बहुत, and exact numerals.
- कुछ some and anyA2 — Use invariant कुछ with mass and plural nouns, as a pronoun, and in polarity-sensitive ‘anything’ readings.
- कम little few and lessB1 — Use invariant कम for low quantity, low degree, and comparative ‘less/fewer’ readings across mass and count nouns.
- Degree adverbs बहुत काफ़ी बिल्कुलA2 — Distinguish बहुत, काफ़ी, and बिल्कुल by scale, sufficiency, endpoint meaning, scope, and neutral position.
- Comparatives with सेB1 — Build unequal comparisons with an oblique standard plus से, while making the adjective agree with the item being described.
- No articles in HindiA1 — Interpret bare Hindi noun phrases as definite, indefinite, or generic through context, demonstratives, specificity, and information structure.