A hobby is considered to be a regular activity that is done for enjoyment, typically during one's leisure time. Hobbies include collecting themed items and objects, engaging in creative and artistic pursuits, playing sports, or pursuing other amusements. Participation in hobbies encourages acquiring substantial skills and knowledge in that area. A list of hobbies changes with renewed interests and developing fashions, making it diverse and lengthy. Hobbies tend to follow trends in society. For example, stamp collecting was popular during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries as postal systems were the main means of communication; as of 2023, video games became more popular following technological advances. The advancing production and technology of the nineteenth century provided workers with more leisure time to engage in hobbies. Because of this, the efforts of people investing in hobbies has increased with time.

रुचि या शौक़ ऐसी क्रियाएँ होती हैं जो आनंद के लिये अवकाश (फ़ुर्सत) के समय की जाएँ। इनमें खेल, मनोरंजन, कला, संगीत, किसी विषय का अध्ययन या उस से सम्बन्धित चीज़ें इकठ्ठी करना, इत्यादि शामिल हैं। यह क्रियाएँ व्यवसायिक रूप से या पैसे कमाने की चाह में नहीं करी जाती बल्कि केवल व्यक्तिगत दिलचस्पी के अधार पर इनपर समय ख़र्च करा जाता है। रूचि वह प्रेरक शक्ति हैं जो हमे किसी व्यक्ति ,वस्तु, या क्रिया के प्रति ध्यान देने के लिए प्रेरित करता है।