Kim · Characters
Character guide
Key figures in Kim by Rudyard Kipling.
Skim names here — open a free preview to see character cards and Character Web beside the page as you read.
Kim
major
Also known as Kimball O'Hara, Kim Rishti Ke, Kim of the Rishti, young O'Hara, Mister O'Hara
Kim is a bazaar child who speaks Urdu better than English and belongs fully to neither the colonizers nor the colonized. When he attaches himself to a Tibetan lama as a chela, his talent for disguise and mimicry draws the attention of British intelligence agents who see a perfect operative. His central tension is between the freedom of the road and the discipline of the spy trade, between being 'Kim' and being 'Mister O'Hara.' His journey through India becomes both an espionage education and a quest to answer the question he asks himself: 'Who is Kim?'
Teshoo Lama
major
Also known as Venerable Teshoo Lama, Lama, Holy One, the Holy One, Old Red Hat
The lama has left his monastery in the Himalayas to find the river that will cleanse him of sin and free him from the Wheel of Life. His serene otherworldliness contrasts sharply with Kim's street cunning, yet the two form an unlikely family bound by mutual care. The lama's search gives the novel its spiritual dimension, while his innocence makes him vulnerable to the very world Kim knows how to navigate. His presence transforms Kim's adventures from mere intrigue into a pilgrimage.
Mahbub Ali
supporting
Also known as Mahbub, Ali Beg, old Mahbub Ali, Old Mahbub
Mahbub Ali operates in the borderlands where commerce and espionage blur, selling horses to Rajahs while carrying coded messages for Colonel Creighton. He recognizes Kim's potential as a spy and becomes both mentor and employer, though he treats the boy with the wary respect of one professional to another. His fierce Pathan pride and his pragmatic loyalty to the British paymaster create a tension he manages through careful indirection. He represents the possibility that loyalty in the Great Game is always a matter of degrees.
Hurree Chunder Mookerjee
supporting
Also known as Babu, Hurree Babu, Hurree, the Babu
Hurree Babu is a man caught between worlds, a Western-educated Bengali who serves the British while feeling the pull of Indian nationalism. He plays the fool to disarm suspicion, but beneath the buffoonery lies a shrewd and sometimes fearful operative who knows the cost of failure. His relationship with Kim is one of professional camaraderie tinged with something like paternal concern. He embodies the ambiguous position of the Indian in the colonial intelligence apparatus, useful yet never fully trusted.
Colonel Creighton
supporting
Also known as Creighton, Creighton Sahib, the Colonel, Colonel Creighton Sahib
Colonel Creighton moves through the novel with the quiet authority of a man who knows more than he says, treating espionage as a branch of scientific inquiry. He recognizes Kim's value precisely because the boy can go where no white agent could, and he arranges the education that will make Kim useful to the Survey of India. His manner with Kim is neither warm nor cold but professionally respectful, treating the boy as a promising recruit rather than a child. He represents the impersonal machinery of empire, efficient and calculating, for which individuals are instruments to be deployed.
Lurgan Sahib
supporting
Also known as Lurgan, Mr. Lurgan, the Sahib
Lurgan Sahib inhabits a world of sick pearls and devil-masks, where the boundaries between commerce, magic, and espionage dissolve. He trains Kim in the skills of the trade through games and exercises that feel like initiation into a secret order, testing the boy's memory and his ability to see what others miss. His methods are unorthodox and his manner unsettling, yet he treats Kim as an equal in a way that neither Father Victor nor the schoolmasters ever did. He is the novel's most enigmatic figure, a man whose true loyalties remain as opaque as the jewels he sells.
Father Victor
minor
Also known as Victor, the priest
A Catholic priest who helps arrange Kim's education at St. Xavier's.
Mr. Bennett
minor
Also known as Bennett, Neither Bennett
A Church of England missionary who initially takes charge of Kim.
The Old Soldier
minor
Also known as the old soldier, the Jat
A retired Sikh soldier who befriends Kim and the lama on the Grand Trunk Road.
The Old Lady
minor
Also known as the old lady, the Sahiba
A wealthy widow who hosts Kim and the lama at her estate.
Huneefa
minor
A sorceress who performs a protective ritual over Kim before his spy mission.
E.23
minor
A British spy in disguise who seeks Kim's help to escape enemies.
The English Memsahib
minor
Also known as an English Memsahib, the English
A British woman who interacts with Kim at the hill station.
The Oorya
minor
Also known as the Ooryas, Oorya
A servant from Orissa who assists at the old lady's house.
The Family Priest
minor
A priest serving the old lady's household.
The Bull
minor
Also known as the Red Bull, that Red Bull
A prophetic symbol in Kim's destiny.
The Frenchman
minor
A French spy working with the Russians.
The Kamboh
minor
Also known as the admiring Kamboh, the hooded Kamboh
A farmer who travels with Kim and the lama, telling stories.
Abdullah
minor
A friend of Kim's from the Lahore streets.
Chota Lal
minor
Also known as little Chota Lal
A Hindu boy who plays with Kim in Lahore.
The Rajputni
minor
A Rajput woman who travels with the old soldier's family.
Yankling Sahib
minor
A British officer mentioned in the Great Game context.
The Russians
minor
Also known as the Frenchman
Foreign spies encountered by Kim and the lama in the Himalayas.
The Mavericks
minor
An Irish regiment stationed in India, involved in the Great Game.
The Hajji
minor
Also known as Hajji
A Muslim pilgrim met briefly on the road.
The Pathan
minor
Also known as Pathan
A generic Pathan tribesman encountered in the bazaar.
The Saddhu
minor
Also known as Saddhu, no Saddhu
A holy man who appears briefly in the narrative.
The Akali
minor
Also known as an Akali
A Sikh warrior met on the road.
The Umballa Brahmin
minor
Also known as Umballa
A Brahmin from Umballa who interacts with the lama.
The Big Punjabi
minor
Also known as Punjabi
A large Punjabi man encountered on the road.
Young Martin
minor
A young British soldier in the Mavericks.
Ressaldar Sahib
minor
A retired Indian cavalry officer met on the road.
The Mahratta
minor
Also known as Mahratta
A Maratha man encountered during the journey.
The Hindus
minor
Also known as Hindus, Little Hindu
Generic Hindu characters in the background.
The Sikhs
minor
Also known as Sikhs, the Ludhiana Sikhs
Sikh soldiers encountered in the narrative.
The Bengali
minor
Also known as Bengali
A Bengali man who discusses religion with the lama.
The Oswal
minor
Also known as Oswal
A Jain merchant met on the road.
The Jain Priests
minor
Also known as a little knot of Jain priests
Jain priests encountered during the journey.
The Padre
minor
Also known as Padre
A Christian priest at St. Xavier's school.
Sikandar Khan
minor
A local ruler or nobleman mentioned in passing.
The Hill Rajah
minor
Also known as Hill Rajah, Rajah
A hill rajah who interacts with the British.
The Serpent
minor
A symbolic serpent in the lama's spiritual discourse.
The Arrow
minor
The River of the Arrow sought by the lama.
The Flower
minor
A symbolic flower in the lama's teachings.
Gunga
minor
A servant or minor character in the narrative.
The Kaisar-i-Hind
minor
Also known as Hind, a Kaisar
The Emperor of India, a symbolic figure.
The Europeans
minor
Also known as Europeans
Generic European characters in the background.
The Babus
minor
Also known as Babus
Generic Bengali clerks in the narrative.
The Gods
minor
Also known as the Sahibs' Gods
Various deities referenced in the story.
Buddha
minor
Also known as the Lord Buddha
The founder of Buddhism, central to the lama's quest.
Krishna
minor
A Hindu deity mentioned in the narrative.
Allah
minor
Also known as Allah kerim
The Islamic deity invoked by characters.
The Tirthankars
minor
Jain spiritual teachers referenced in the story.
The Stars
minor
Astrological symbols mentioned in the narrative.
The Wishing-Caps
minor
A symbolic item in the lama's stories.
The Blessed Feet
minor
A sacred object in the lama's quest.
Zam-Zammah
minor
Also known as Zam - Zammah
The cannon in Lahore where Kim plays.
Shamlegh
minor
Also known as Shamlegh kitchen - midden
A village in the Himalayas where Kim and the lama stay.
Nikal Seyn
minor
A legendary figure mentioned in the narrative.
R17
minor
A code name for a British spy.
IX S'doaks
minor
A coded reference in the Great Game.
The Chela
minor
Also known as chela
Kim's role as the lama's disciple.
Hai Mai
minor
Also known as Hai
An exclamation used by characters.
The Rough Pashtu
minor
A Pashtu-speaking character encountered briefly.
The Red Bull
minor
The emblem on Kim's father's regiment.
The English
minor
Generic English characters in the narrative.
Faith
minor
A concept discussed by the lama.
Thy Servant
minor
A humble address used by characters.
Sister
minor
A nun at St. Xavier's school.
Mister Rajah Sahib
minor
A minor nobleman encountered in the story.
Hil
minor
Also known as Hil ├бs
A minor character in the narrative.
Young O'Hara
minor
Kim's formal name used by the British.
Mister O'Hara
minor
Kim's formal name at school.
Old Mahbub
minor
An alternate reference to Mahbub Ali.
Mahbub Ali (he)
minor
A pronominal reference to Mahbub Ali.
Hurree Chunder
minor
Hurree Babu's full name.
Young Martin
minor
A young soldier in the Mavericks.
Ressaldar
minor
A retired Indian cavalry officer.
The Mahratta Man
minor
A Maratha traveler on the road.
