خواہ مخواہ

Urdu

Etymology

Borrowed from Classical Persian خواه م‌خواه (xʷāh ma-xʷāh, literally willing (or) unwilling, willy-nilly). Compare Bengali খামাখা (khamakha).

Pronunciation

  • (Standard Urdu) IPA(key): /xɑːʱ.mə.xɑːɦ/, /xʷɑːʱ.mə.xʷɑːɦ/
  • (colloquial) IPA(key): /xwɑː.mə.xwɑː/, /xɑː.mə.xɑː/

Adverb

خواہ مَخواہ • (xāh-maxāh) (Hindi spelling ख़ामख़ा)

  1. uncalled for, without reason, justification, provocation
  2. certainly, positively, absolutely, inevitably

Derived terms

  • خواہ مخواہی (xāh-maxāhī)