Punjabi, Hindi/Urdu(?): haTTī kaTTī

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eskandar

Senior Member
English (US)
As far as I understand haTTī kaTTī is a Punjabi term for a plump or full-bodied woman. Is it commonly used in Urdu and Hindi? After searching, I've come across it in both contexts, but the sense I get is that it's still "marked" as a Punjabi word, rather than fully integrated into Hindi/Urdu and used by non-Punjabiphone speakers of those languages. Is that correct?

Also, is this considered an affectionate term (like "full-bodied") or a derogatory one (like "fat")?
 
    • Can you please provide the full contexts in which it has been used, citing the source and author.
     
    Sure. Youtube links aren't allowed here but you should be able to find these easily enough:

    Urdu: Urdu Lughat definition
    Urdu: Jackson Heights - Episode 1 (2:45) [here it seems somewhat derogatory]
    Hindi: TERE THUMKE ,Sapna Choudhary Ka Naya Video (1:10) [here it seems more affectionate, even celebratory]

    It seems like this may be Punjabi code-switching (switching into Punjabi, even just for a word or two) rather than a proper loanword. But its inclusion in the Urdu Lughat made me wonder if it is more widely used in Urdu (and Hindi).
     
    If you look up the isnaad section in Urdu Lughat for the word, you will find its usage in Urdu goes back quite a long way. It is also cited in McGregor's Hindi dictionary.

    It means sturdy, robust, well built and not necessarily fat. Of course there is the masculine form haTTaa-kaTTaa too.

    I am afraid I don't have time to look up YouTube videos.
     
    HaTaa KaTaa jawaan denotes an individual who is full of vigour, lusty and endowed with virile strength. It by no means suggests one is plump. However, in the old days people who were fuller were deemed healthier and stronger. This perception over time has evolved. Today a die-hard fitness fanatic is more likely to be called HaTaa kaTaa then a rotund individual who couldn't chase after a bus!
     
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