What Is Khata? Khata Meaning, Khata Book and Khata App Explained
Few words carry as much of South Asian trade as khata. Here is what it means, how shopkeepers use a khata book, and what changes when the khata moves into an app.
Quick answer
Khata (Urdu کھاتہ, Hindi खाता) means an account or ledger. In shops across Pakistan, India and Afghanistan, the khata is the book where a shopkeeper records what each customer takes on credit, known as udhaar, and what they pay back. A khata app is the digital version: it keeps a separate page for every customer and supplier and works out each balance automatically. MobiKhata is a free khata app for Android, iPhone and the web.
Key takeaways
- Khata simply means account. A khata book is a ledger with one page per customer.
- The same word is used for a bank account in Hindi and for a property record in Karnataka, which can confuse searches.
- A khata app keeps the familiar khata, but adds automatic balances, backup, search and statements you can share.
- If your customers buy on credit, a khata is the single most useful record your shop keeps.
Khata meaning
The word khata comes from Hindustani, the shared root of Urdu and Hindi, and it means an account. You will hear it in everyday phrases: khata kholna is to open an account, khata band karna is to close one, and khate mein likh do (“write it in the account”) is what a regular customer says when they will pay later. You will also see it spelled khaata, khatha or khata book, which all refer to the same idea.
One note for Urdu, Pashto and Dari speakers: the account word کھاتہ is different from خطا, also pronounced khata, which means a mistake. In writing they never get confused; in a Roman-letter search they sometimes do.
The khata book: how shops have kept accounts for generations
Walk into a grocery store in Lahore, a pharmacy in Peshawar or a wholesale shop in Kabul and you will usually find the same notebook behind the counter. Each regular customer has a page. When they take goods without paying, the shopkeeper writes the date, the items and the amount. When they pay, that is written down too, and the remaining balance is carried forward.
That notebook is the khata book. It is the record behind udhaar, the informal credit that lets families buy what they need today and pay on salary day. It is built on trust rather than contracts, which is exactly why a clear, dated record matters so much. When both sides can see every entry, there is nothing to argue about. Our guide to the khata book format shows the standard columns, and the older Indian tradition of the red, cloth-bound bahi khata has its own story.
Other meanings of khata
Because khata simply means account, the word turns up in places that have nothing to do with shops. If you are searching for it, it helps to know which khata you mean.
| Context | What khata means | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Shop or trade | The ledger of customer or supplier accounts | Writing a customer’s credit purchase in the khata |
| Banking (Hindi) | A bank account | Bank khata kholna, to open a bank account |
| Property in Karnataka, India | A municipal property record used for property tax | A “khata certificate” for a home in Bengaluru |
| Personal finance | Any running account between two people | A family member’s loan noted in a personal khata |
This article, and the MobiKhata app, are about the first meaning: the business ledger that tracks who owes what.
The khata across the region
The habit of keeping a running account for every trusted customer is shared from Kabul to Dhaka, even where the words change. If you trade across borders, or serve customers from more than one community, it helps to know them.
| Country | Words shopkeepers use | Usual currency |
|---|---|---|
| Pakistan | khata, hisab kitab, udhaar | Pakistani rupee (PKR) |
| India | khata, bahi khata, udhar | Indian rupee (INR) |
| Afghanistan | hisab (حساب), qarz in Dari, por in Pashto | Afghani (AFN), often US dollars too |
| Bangladesh | khata, hishab (হিসাব) | Taka (BDT) |
Whatever the word, the record is the same: a name, a list of dated entries and a balance both sides agree on. That is why a good khata app works in several languages and lets each business choose its own currency. Shops in Afghanistan have their own needs, which we cover in the best khata app in Afghanistan.
What is a khata app?
A khata app is the same ledger on your phone. Instead of a page, each customer or supplier is a party. Instead of writing in two columns and doing the sums yourself, you record an entry and the app updates the balance. In MobiKhata, money or goods you give a party are recorded as Cash Out, and money you receive from them as Cash In. The home screen totals everything you will receive (To Receive) and everything you have to pay (To Pay).
Most shopkeepers who switch say the same thing: the arithmetic was never the hard part. The hard part was finding last month’s entry, proving an amount to a customer, and the fear of losing the book. A good khata app solves those three problems first.
How a khata app works: a one-minute example
Bilal runs a small general store. His neighbour Sana buys groceries on credit through the month.
- On 2 October Sana takes Rs. 1,500 of groceries. Bilal opens her party and records a Cash Out of 1,500 with the note “flour, oil, sugar”. Her balance shows Rs. 1,500 to receive.
- On 9 October she pays Rs. 1,000. Bilal records a Cash In of 1,000. Her balance drops to Rs. 500.
- At the end of the month Bilal creates a PDF statement and sends it to Sana on WhatsApp. She sees every entry with its date, and pays the remaining Rs. 500.
Nothing in that process is new. It is the khata Bilal has always kept, minus the adding up, the lost pages and the awkward conversation. If you are still on paper, our mobile khata guide shows how to move across in about an hour.
Khata book, khata app or accounting software?
| Paper khata book | Khata app | Accounting software | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Very few customers | Shops and small businesses that sell on credit | Companies with accountants and tax filing |
| Learning time | None | Minutes | Days to weeks |
| Balances | Added by hand | Automatic | Automatic |
| Backup | None | Cloud sync | Usually cloud |
| Sharing with customers | Read out or photograph pages | PDF statement on WhatsApp or SMS | Invoices and statements |
| Typical cost | A notebook | Often free | Monthly subscription |
For most small shops, a khata app is the sweet spot: as easy as the notebook, with the safety of software. You can read more in our comparison of paper and digital khata.
Who uses a khata app?
- Grocery and kiryana stores, where monthly credit for regular families is normal.
- Pharmacies that give medicines on account to patients they know.
- Wholesalers and distributors who supply retailers and are paid later.
- Mobile, electronics and hardware shops that sell on instalments.
- Tailors, mechanics and service providers who bill regular customers monthly.
- Families and friends who lend and borrow and want a clear record.
Try a free khata app
MobiKhata keeps every customer’s khata on your phone, works offline and is free on Android and iPhone.
On a computer? Use the same account in the MobiKhata web app.
How to choose a khata app
The right app depends on where you work, the language you read and the currency you use. Start with three questions: does it work in your language, does it support your currency, and does it keep working without internet? Our guide to which khata app is best turns those questions into a five-minute decision, and free khata apps compared explains which apps are free and which charge for features. If you prefer to work in Urdu, see our guide to the khata app in Urdu.
Frequently asked questions
What does khata mean?
Khata means an account or ledger. In shops, the khata is the book that records what each customer takes on credit and what they pay back.
What is a khata book?
A khata book is a ledger with one page for each customer or supplier. Every credit sale and payment is written with its date, and the balance is carried forward.
What is a khata app?
A khata app is a digital khata book on your phone. You record what you give and receive for each party, and the app calculates every balance, backs up your records and creates statements you can share.
Is khata the same as udhaar?
Not quite. Udhaar is the credit itself: goods or money given now and paid for later. The khata is the record of that credit.
Is there a free khata app?
Yes. MobiKhata is a free khata app for Android, iPhone and the web, with no subscription.
Related reading
- Khata Book Format: How to Write a Customer Ledger
- Bahi Khata: Meaning, Traditional Format and the Digital Bahi Khata App
- Which Khata App Is Best? How to Choose in 5 Minutes
- What Is Udaar? Choosing the Best Digital Udaar Book App
Keep your khata on your phone
Download MobiKhata free and record your first entry in minutes.
Free on Android and iPhone. Also on the web.