The compound postpositions के अनुसार ke anusār and के मुताबिक़ ke mutābiq mean “according to,” “in accordance with,” or “as determined by.” They relate a statement or action to a source, rule, plan, viewpoint, or standard. के अनुसार is neutral-formal and especially frequent in academic, administrative, and careful written prose; के मुताबिक़ is common in conversation and journalism, while remaining acceptable in formal contexts.
Both are abstract: modern Hindi gives them no ordinary literal spatial use. Their translation depends on whether the complement supplies information (“according to the report”) or a norm for conduct (“in accordance with the rules”).
Attribution to an information source
With a report, witness, study, or authority, these forms identify whose account supports the proposition.
मौसम विभाग के अनुसार कल भारी बारिश हो सकती है।
mausam vibhāg ke anusār kal bhārī bāriś ho saktī hai.
According to the weather department, there may be heavy rain tomorrow. (formal)
पुलिस के मुताबिक़ घटना रात करीब दस बजे हुई।
pulis ke mutābiq ghaṭnā rāt karīb das baje huī.
According to the police, the incident occurred at around ten at night. (news register)
अध्ययन के अनुसार नियमित नींद याददाश्त के लिए महत्वपूर्ण है।
adhyayan ke anusār niyamit nīnd yāddāśt ke lie mahatvapūrṇ hai.
According to the study, regular sleep is important for memory. (academic)
Attribution does not assert that the speaker personally endorses the claim. It identifies the evidential source and can create distance. English according to has the same potential, but Hindi news prose uses this framing especially systematically; a full finite report instead uses the reported-statement construction.
Conformity to a rule, plan, or standard
The same forms can mean “in accordance with”: an action matches a prescribed norm or previously established plan.
नियमों के अनुसार आवेदन ऑनलाइन जमा करना होगा।
niyamoṃ ke anusār āvedan onlāin jamā karnā hogā.
Under the rules, the application must be submitted online. (formal)
काम योजना के मुताबिक़ आगे बढ़ रहा है।
kām yojnā ke mutābiq āge baṛh rahā hai.
The work is progressing according to plan.
दवा डॉक्टर के निर्देशों के अनुसार ही लें।
davā ḍokṭar ke nirdeśoṃ ke anusār hī leṃ.
Take the medicine strictly according to the doctor's instructions. (formal)
Here the complement is not reporting a proposition; it is the standard against which conduct is measured. Context makes the two functions easy to distinguish: studies and witnesses usually source claims, while rules and plans regulate behavior.
Oblique complements
As compound postpositions, both follow an oblique complement.
| Direct form | According-to phrase |
|---|---|
| नियम niyam | नियमों के अनुसार niyamoṃ ke anusār |
| योजना yojnā | योजना के मुताबिक़ yojnā ke mutābiq |
| लड़का laṛkā | लड़के के अनुसार laṛke ke anusār |
| विशेषज्ञ viśeṣagya | विशेषज्ञों के मुताबिक़ viśeṣagyoṃ ke mutābiq |
स्थानीय विशेषज्ञों के मुताबिक़ पानी की गुणवत्ता में सुधार हुआ है।
sthānīya viśeṣagyoṃ ke mutābiq pānī kī guṇavattā meṃ sudhār huā hai.
According to local experts, water quality has improved. (formal/news register)
Plural विशेषज्ञ becomes विशेषज्ञों. A masculine -आ noun likewise changes: लड़का → लड़के के अनुसार. Full declension belongs elsewhere; the important point here is that English preposition-first order does not remove Hindi oblique marking.
Pronouns and viewpoint
Pronouns use possessive-like masculine oblique forms: मेरे/हमारे/तुम्हारे/आपके अनुसार and मेरे/हमारे/तुम्हारे/आपके मुताबिक़; demonstratives use इसके/उसके.
आपके अनुसार इस समस्या का सबसे व्यावहारिक हल क्या है?
āpke anusār is samasyā kā sabse vyāvahārik hal kyā hai?
In your view, what is the most practical solution to this problem? (respectful)
मेरे मुताबिक़ हमें पहले लागत कम करनी चाहिए।
mere mutābiq hameṃ pahle lāgat kam karnī cāhie.
In my view, we should reduce costs first.
With a person, English often prefers “in X's view.” Hindi still uses the according-to construction. मेरे अनुसार can sound more considered or formal; मेरे मुताबिक़ is more conversational. Neither form agrees with the speaker's gender.
के हिसाब से and register
के हिसाब से ke hisāb se is a common alternative meaning “according to/by the reckoning of/in terms of.” It is especially natural for calculations, circumstances, personal assessment, and conversational standards.
बजट के हिसाब से यह विकल्प बहुत महँगा है।
bajaṭ ke hisāb se yah vikalp bahut mahãgā hai.
Given the budget, this option is too expensive.
बजट के अनुसार is possible but sounds more like formal compliance with a budget. बजट के हिसाब से frames a practical calculation. These are tendencies, not rigid synonyms with interchangeable style.
अनुसार versus मुताबिक़
The semantic overlap is broad, but register and lexical texture matter.
| Form | Typical profile | Frequent complements |
|---|---|---|
| के अनुसार | neutral-formal, administrative, academic | नियम, रिपोर्ट, अध्ययन, निर्देश |
| के मुताबिक़ | neutral, conversational, journalistic | योजना, ख़बर, पुलिस, गवाह |
| के हिसाब से | conversational or calculation-based | बजट, समय, ज़रूरत, उम्र |
गवाह के मुताबिक़ कार बहुत तेज़ चल रही थी।
gavāh ke mutābiq kār bahut tez cal rahī thī.
According to the witness, the car was traveling very fast.
Using के अनुसार here would remain grammatical but sound more formal. Choosing मुताबिक़ does not reduce precision; it adjusts register.
A phrase, not a complementizer
These forms take noun phrases. They do not introduce a finite clause in the way English according as or Hindi जैसा कि can.
रिपोर्ट के अनुसार, बिक्री में दस प्रतिशत की वृद्धि हुई।
riporṭ ke anusār, bikrī meṃ das pratiśat kī vriddhi huī.
According to the report, sales increased by ten percent. (formal)
The proposition follows as the main clause. Do not build रिपोर्ट के अनुसार कि.... If reporting an individual's words directly, use उसने कहा कि... “he/she said that...” or another reporting construction.
Productive standard versus lexical government
These postpositions productively attach a source or norm to a whole proposition or action. Adjectives of compatibility often use a different lexical complement: नियमों के अनुरूप “consistent with the rules,” योजना के अनुकूल “suited to the plan.” Likewise, सहमत होना “agree” selects से with either a person or a view, not automatically के अनुसार.
नई नीति मौजूदा क़ानून के अनुरूप होनी चाहिए।
naī nīti maujūdā qānūn ke anurūp honī cāhie.
The new policy must conform to existing law. (formal)
This describes compatibility as a property of the policy. क़ानून के अनुसार नीति बनाई गई instead describes law as the standard used in making it.
Common Mistakes
1. Copying English preposition-first order
❌ के अनुसार रिपोर्ट बिक्री बढ़ी है।
Incorrect: the source noun precedes के अनुसार.
✅ रिपोर्ट के अनुसार बिक्री बढ़ी है।
riporṭ ke anusār bikrī baṛhī hai.
According to the report, sales have increased. (formal)
2. Leaving a plural direct
❌ नियम के अनुसार सभी दस्तावेज़ ज़रूरी हैं।
Incorrect for plural “rules”: use oblique plural नियमों.
✅ नियमों के अनुसार सभी दस्तावेज़ ज़रूरी हैं।
niyamoṃ ke anusār sabhī dastāvez zarūrī haiṃ.
Under the rules, all the documents are required. (formal)
3. Using a citation-form pronoun
❌ मैं के मुताबिक़ यह योजना अधूरी है।
Incorrect: use the postpositional form मेरे.
✅ मेरे मुताबिक़ यह योजना अधूरी है।
mere mutābiq yah yojnā adhūrī hai.
In my view, this plan is incomplete.
4. Adding कि after अनुसार
❌ रिपोर्ट के अनुसार कि कीमतें बढ़ेंगी।
Incorrect: के अनुसार is a postposition, not a clause-introducing complementizer.
✅ रिपोर्ट के अनुसार कीमतें बढ़ेंगी।
riporṭ ke anusār kīmateṃ baṛheṅgī.
According to the report, prices will rise. (formal)
Key Takeaways
- के अनुसार is neutral-formal; के मुताबिक़ is neutral, conversational, and journalistic.
- Both attribute a claim or measure action against a rule, plan, viewpoint, or standard.
- Their complements are oblique; pronouns use मेरे/आपके/उसके.
- Attribution identifies a source without guaranteeing speaker endorsement.
- Lexical compatibility phrases such as के अनुरूप have related meaning but different grammar.
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