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India slang
Scrap or junk; also used sarcastically for something worthless or a paltry amount of money
Safe to use?
Fine for literal junk. Be careful using it about someone's money or present.
Tone
Neutral when it means scrap; cutting when it dismisses a gift or payment.
Region
India
Formality
Everyday Hindi; informal in the sarcastic sense.
Context Decoder
Check what it means in context, how it sounds and whether it is safe to use.
kabaad means Scrap or junk; also used sarcastically for something worthless or a paltry amount of money. It is best read as india slang associated with India.
Literal kabaad is junk: broken electronics, scrap metal, things you would sell to a kabadiwala. That is the core meaning and still the most common one.
In talk about money or gifts, kabaad can be sarcastic. Calling someone's offer kabaad means you think it is worthless or insultingly small. That use is attitude, not a dictionary of currency. Tone decides whether it is a joke about a cheap present or a real insult.
English-letter searches like "kabaad in English" usually want "scrap" or "junk." SlangWatch keeps both the literal and the sarcastic reading so a chat screenshot is not over-read as only one of them.
"The balcony is full of kabaad from the old computer."
"They came to collect kabaad and took the broken fan."
"He called that bonus kabaad — it would not even cover the taxi."
"Don't give me kabaad and call it a gift."
"She sold the kabaad and used the money for school supplies."
Neutral when it means scrap; cutting when it dismisses a gift or payment.
Fine for literal junk. Be careful using it about someone's money or present.
Sensitive: offensive
Money (colloquial, plural of "grandmother," but used for money)
Money (informal, literally "light/bulb", used as a slang term)
One hundred dollar bills ($100, referring to Benjamin Franklin)
Money (similar to "dough").
Dollars (general term).
Cash (less common, but heard in some circles).
From Hindi कबाड़ (kabaad), meaning scrap, junk, or waste material. The sarcastic money sense — treating a small sum as worthless scrap — is informal extension, not a separate invented word. Roman spelling is common in English-letter search.
Scrap or junk. A kabadiwala is someone who buys that scrap.
Only sarcastically — a tiny or insulting amount treated as worthless. It is not a slang name for rupees in general.
The literal junk meaning is neutral. Calling a person's gift or pay kabaad is dismissive.
कबाड़ in Hindi. In English letters, kabaad and kabadi are both seen.
Slang meanings vary by region, speaker, and context. Tell us if the meaning, tone, examples, or background should be updated.
SlangWatch entries are maintained by the SlangWatch Editorial Team using submitted examples, regional labels, tags, and ongoing reader corrections. We avoid claiming a precise origin or cultural pathway unless the entry has meaningful supporting data.