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Basant glossary: what Basant, bo kata, pinna and other kite words mean

Q: What does the name Basant mean?

Basant means spring: the word comes from vasant, the Sanskrit for spring, and the festival is also called Jashn-e-Baharan, the celebration of spring.

Q: How do you write Basant in Urdu?

Basant is written بسنت in Urdu. Its yellow is basanti (بسنتی), the colour of mustard flowers.

Q: What does pinna mean in Urdu?

Pinna (پنا) is the tight round ball of cotton dor (ڈور) that kite string is wound into, and the only legal form of kite string for Basant.

Basant has its own vocabulary, mostly Punjabi and Urdu. A patang or guddi is a kite, dor is its cotton string, a pinna is the ball of dor, the kanni is the bridle, and bo kata is the cry when a kite is cut. Words for banned items, such as the charkhi, are marked as banned.

Last updated 15 October 2026

Basant 2027 at a glance

Short answers from our facts table. Each one links to its source and shows when we last checked it.

What's banned?
No metal, nylon or coated string
Banned: metallic wire; nylon string (tandi); glass-coated or chemically coated string; sharp maanjha; the charkhi spool reel; kites or string above the permitted size; loud music, DJ sound systems and other noise makers such as baja and whistles; aerial firing.
confirmedDetails and source
Banned: metallic wire; nylon string (tandi); glass-coated or chemically coated string; sharp maanjha; the charkhi spool reel; kites or string above the permitted size; loud music, DJ sound systems and other noise makers such as baja and whistles; aerial firing.
confirmedSource: Pakistan TodayLast verified 15 Oct 2026
Which string is legal?
Cotton dor only
Up to 9 threads (tars), at least 28 count, approved maanjha only.
confirmedDetails and source
Only cotton dor is allowed: at most 9 threads (tars), at least 28 count, coated only with approved maanjha, and wound in a round ball called a pinna. Every pinna must carry its own QR code for verification.
confirmedSource: Punjab Basant portal (official)Last verified 15 Oct 2026

On this page

What do common Basant words mean?

These are the words you will hear on Lahore's rooftops and in its kite markets, with their Urdu spelling and a plain-English meaning.

Basant glossary

Term	Urdu	Meaning
Basant	بسنت	Punjab's spring festival; the name comes from vasant, Sanskrit for spring.
Jashn-e-Baharan	جشنِ بہاراں	“Celebration of spring”, another name for Basant.
Basanti	بسنتی	The yellow of Basant, the colour of mustard flowers; also a yellow garment.
Sarson	سرسوں	Mustard, whose fields flower yellow at Basant time.
Kotha	کوٹھا	A flat roof or upper storey, where Basant is flown.
Munder	منڈیر	The parapet wall around a roof; for Basant it must be at least 3.5 feet high.
Androon Shehr	اندرون شہر	The Walled City, Lahore's old town, famous for its Basant rooftops.
Mochi Gate	موچی دروازہ	A Walled City gate known for its kite and string market.
Patang	پتنگ	Urdu for kite; in Lahore, also the city's own curved fighter kite.
Guddi	گڈی	Punjabi for kite; also a light diamond kite with a small paper tassel.
Gudda	گڈا	A heavier diamond kite with a paper triangle (patta) at the tail.
Kup	کُپ	A larger, elongated patang.
Tukkal	تکل	A traditional fighter-kite design, sold alongside the patang and kup.
Pari	پری	“Fairy”: a star-shaped kite.
Machhar	مچھر	“Mosquito”: a traditional fighter-kite design.
Patta	پتا	The paper triangle at the tail of a gudda.
Phumman	پھمن	The bell-shaped paper tassel at the tail of a patang.
Tawa	تاوا	A size unit based on a sheet of kite paper.
Adha / pauna tawa	آدھا / پونا تاوا	Half and three-quarter tawa: small and medium kites.
Dedh tawa	ڈیڑھ تاوا	One and a half tawa, the largest legal gudda.
Githi	گٹھی	A hand span of about 9 inches, used to size the patang.
Dhadda	ڈھڈا	The straight bamboo spine of a kite; Lahore's makers also call it the gaz.
Kaman	کمان	“Bow”: the curved bamboo cross-stick.
Tilli	تیلی	A thin bamboo stick or splint.
Kanni	کنی	The bridle: thread tied through the spine at two points, to which the dor is tied.
Kanni khana	کنی کھانا	Said of a kite that leans or drifts to one side.
Lei	لئی	Kite makers' paste, made from wheat flour or cooked rice.
Chaipi	چیپی	Small pieces of paper tape that seal weak spots and corners.
Guddi kagaz	گڈی کاغذ	Thin, light kite paper.
Dor	ڈور	Kite string; for Basant it must be cotton.
Pinna	پنا	A tight round ball of dor, the only legal form of kite string.
Tar	تار	A thread in the dor; legal dor has at most 9.
Count	کاؤنٹ	The yarn's fineness number; legal dor must be at least 28.
Piece	پیس	How pinnas are sold: a 2-piece or 4-piece pinna holds more dor than a single one.
QR code	کیو آر کوڈ	The code on every legal pinna that traces it to a registered manufacturer.
Patang baz	پتنگ باز	A kite flyer.
Patang bazi	پتنگ بازی	Kite flying.
Pecha	پیچا	When two flyers' strings cross and each tries to cut the other's kite.
Bo kata	بو کاٹا	The cry when a kite's string is cut: “cut and lost”.
Dheel	ڈھیل	Slack: letting dor out (dheel dena).
Khinch	کھینچ	Pulling the dor in.
Thumka	ٹھمکا	A quick jerk on the string to move the kite.
Lootna	لوٹنا	Grabbing a cut kite as it drifts down; never chase one across roofs or roads.
Ustad	استاد	A master kite flyer who leads a team.
Khalifa	خلیفہ	The senior flyer who referees kite-fighting matches.
Dhara	دھڑا	A team of kite fighters.
Charkhi	چرخی	A spool reel for winding string. Banned: wind dor on a pinna instead.
Maanjha	مانجھا	The coating on kite string. Sharp maanjha (glass, metal or chemical) is banned; legal dor carries only the approved coating.
Tandi	تندی	Nylon kite string: banned.
Dhaati taar	دھاتی تار	Metal wire or metal-coated string: banned.
Baja	باجا	A noise-making horn: banned at Basant, as are whistles and DJ sound systems.

Which Basant words name banned items?

Charkhi, sharp maanjha, tandi, metal wire, glass- or chemically coated dor, the baja and oversize kites all name things that are banned at Basant.

If a seller offers any of them, don't buy, and report sellers of banned string to the police helpline 15. Our shop will never stock them.

Where do Basant words come from?

Most are everyday Punjabi and Urdu words, some with Persian or Sanskrit roots, and kite makers have passed their trade terms down by word of mouth.

Basant comes from vasant, the Sanskrit word for spring, and basanti is its yellow.
Guddi and gudda are Punjabi for a girl doll and a boy doll, and the two kites are treated as a pair.
Kaman is the Persian and Urdu word for a bow, which is just what the curved stick looks like.
Tawa sizes are based on the sheet of kite paper, and Urdu dictionaries list tao as a sheet of paper.
Workshop words such as chaipi and phumman have been passed down by word of mouth, which is why spellings vary.

In Roman Urdu, pecha, paicha and pench are the same word, as are dor and dorr.

Where can you learn more before Basant?

Start with our Basant 2027 guide, then read the kite size, pinna, kanni and balance guides, and check market prices on the price tracker.

Frequently asked questions

What does the name Basant mean?

Basant means spring: the word comes from vasant, the Sanskrit for spring, and the festival is also called Jashn-e-Baharan, the celebration of spring.

How do you write Basant in Urdu?

Basant is written بسنت in Urdu. Its yellow is basanti (بسنتی), the colour of mustard flowers.

What does bo kata mean?

It is the cry when a kite's string is cut, meaning roughly “cut and lost”. The flyer who made the cut shouts it from the roof.

What does pinna mean in Urdu?

Pinna (پنا) is the tight round ball of cotton dor (ڈور) that kite string is wound into, and the only legal form of kite string for Basant.

Is maanjha banned?

Sharp maanjha, whether glass, metal or chemical, is banned. Legal dor is cotton on a QR-coded pinna, with only the approved coating.