What is BHK?
Also called: bedroom hall kitchen, 2BHK, 3BHK
BHK means bedroom, hall and kitchen. A 3 BHK has three bedrooms, one hall (the living-dining room) and a kitchen; bathrooms, balconies and utility areas aren't part of the count.
It's the first filter almost every Indian buyer applies, and the one that tells you least about the home. A 2 BHK in Kandivali or Ghatkopar may be 650 sq ft of carpet. A 2 BHK in Gurugram or on Sarjapur Road can be 1,000 sq ft or more. Same label, very different flats, and a very different price per room.
Variations have crept in over the years. A '2.5 BHK' has a third room too small to be a proper bedroom, usually marketed as a study. '3 BHK + servant' or '3 BHK + utility' in NCR means a small room near the kitchen with its own toilet. Some Chennai and Kolkata builders simply write '2 BR' or '3 BR'. None of these terms is regulated.
What is regulated is the minimum size of a habitable room. The National Building Code sets a floor of about 9.5 sq m for a room meant to be lived in, and local bye-laws follow it or go further. A room that falls short can't legally be called a bedroom on the sanctioned plan, however the brochure labels it.
So ask for the dimensions of each room, not the BHK count. A 10 by 11 foot second bedroom will take a double bed and not much else. Check where the bathrooms are, too: an attached bath for only one bedroom in a 3 BHK is a common way builders save space.
Two 2 BHKs at about ₹1.2 crore: one in Kandivali East with 680 sq ft carpet and one in Whitefield with 1,150 sq ft super area and about 850 sq ft carpet. The Bengaluru flat gives you roughly 25% more usable space for the same money.
Choosing between flats on BHK count and price alone. Compare carpet area and the actual size of each bedroom.
Questions people ask about BHK
What does 2.5 BHK mean?
Two full bedrooms, a hall and a kitchen, plus a smaller room usually sold as a study or guest room. It often can't fit a double bed comfortably.
Does BHK include bathrooms?
No. The number of bathrooms is stated separately, and it's worth checking because a 3 BHK can come with two or three.