चिड़िया (chidiyaa)
noun
Mainly means 'bird' (a small bird, often a sparrow-type), grammatically feminine no matter the bird's actual sex; it also has a colloquial extension meaning an easy target or dupe, chiefly heard in con-artist/underworld slang.
Sense
1
:
bird (especially a small bird, e.g. sparrow)
noun, feminine
Synonyms: पंछी (panchhii), पक्षी (pakshii, formal/written), परिंदा (parindaa, common in poetry and film songs)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: चिड़िया (chidiyaa) is the word every Hindi-speaking kid learns in the same breath as कव्वा (kavvaa, crow) and तोता (totaa, parrot) -- it is the generic 'little bird' of nursery rhymes and school essays, not a scientific term. You will also hear चिड़िया रानी (chidiyaa raanii) as a term of endearment for a little girl, likening her to a sweet, flitting bird.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes reach for पक्षी (pakshii) in ordinary speech; it sounds bookish there -- चिड़िया (chidiyaa) is what people actually say when pointing at a sparrow on the balcony. 2) The word stays grammatically feminine even when talking about a male bird, so adjectives and verbs agree with the feminine form regardless of the bird's real sex.
Sample Sentences:
आँगन में एक चिड़िया दाना खा रही थी।
A bird was eating grain in the courtyard.
(aangan men ek chidiyaa daanaa khaa rahii thii।)
सुबह-सुबह चिड़ियाँ चहचहाने लगती हैं।
Early in the morning, the birds start chirping.
(subah-subah chidiyaan chahchahaane lagtii hain।)
पेड़ की डाल पर एक छोटी सी चिड़िया बैठी है।
A little bird is sitting on the tree's branch.
(ped kii daal par ek chhotii sii chidiyaa baithii hai।)
चिड़िया, उड़ जा!
Bird, fly away!
(chidiyaa, ud jaa!)
चिड़िया रानी, आज तुम कहाँ जा रही हो?
Little bird princess, where are you off to today?
(chidiyaa raanii, aaj tum kahaan jaa rahii ho?)
अगर पेड़ नहीं कटते, तो यहाँ इतनी चिड़ियाँ न होतीं।
If the trees weren't cut down, there wouldn't be so few birds here.
(agar ped nahiin katte, to yahaan itnii chidiyaan n hotiin।)
बचपन में हम चिड़िया घर बनाकर खेलते थे।
In childhood, we used to play by building a birdhouse.
(bachpan men ham chidiyaa ghar banaakar khelte the।)
क्या तुमने वह चिड़िया देखी, जो अभी-अभी उड़ी?
Did you see that bird which just flew away?
(kyaa tumne vah chidiyaa dekhii, jo abhii-abhii udii?)
कहते हैं कि जब चिड़िया चुग गई खेत, तो पछताने से क्या फायदा।
They say once the bird has pecked the field bare, there's no use regretting it.
(kahte hain ki jab chidiyaa chug gaii khet, to pachhtaane se kyaa phaaydaa।)
बच्चों को स्कूल में चिड़िया, कव्वा और तोता जैसे शब्द सिखाए जाते हैं।
Children are taught words like bird, crow, and parrot in school.
(bachchon ko skool men chidiyaa, kavvaa aur totaa jaise shabd sikhaae jaate hain।)
काश मैं भी चिड़िया होता और आसमान में उड़ पाता।
If only I were a bird too and could fly in the sky.
(kaash main bhii chidiyaa hotaa aur aasmaan men ud paataa।)
Sense
2
:
an easy target, dupe, or mark (slang)
noun, feminine Used as the object of verbs like फँसाना (phansaanaa, to trap) or फँसना (phansnaa, to get trapped) -- e.g. चिड़िया फँसाना (chidiyaa phansaanaa, 'to trap a mark') is a set phrase in con-artist slang.
Synonyms: शिकार (shikaar, prey/victim)
Frequency: low
Cultural Note: This usage comes straight out of the imagery of trapping a bird: in Hindi crime dramas and street slang, the con man's victim is the चिड़िया (chidiyaa) waiting to be netted, and the swindle itself is often called फँसाना (phansaanaa).
Common Mistakes: 1) This sense only makes sense in context involving scams, gambling, or cons -- using it about a random unlucky person outside that frame will just sound confusing rather than clever. 2) Don't confuse this with the literal bird sense; nothing about feathers or flight survives into the slang meaning, only the idea of something small and easily caught.
Sample Sentences:
वो चिड़िया फँस गई है, अब बस पैसे निकालने हैं।
That mark is hooked now, we just have to get the money out of him.
(vo chidiyaa phans gaii hai, ab bas paise nikaalne hain।)
नई चिड़िया ढूँढो, ये वाला तो शक करने लगा है।
Find a new mark, this one's started getting suspicious.
(naii chidiyaa dhoondho, ye vaalaa to shak karne lagaa hai।)
इस बार की चिड़िया तो एकदम मोटी निकली, लाखों उड़ा दिए उसने।
This time's mark turned out to be a real fat one, he blew away lakhs.
(is baar kii chidiyaa to ekdam motii niklii, laakhon udaa die usne।)
अगर चिड़िया को शक हो गया तो सारा खेल बिगड़ जाएगा।
If the mark gets suspicious, the whole game will fall apart.
(agar chidiyaa ko shak ho gayaa to saaraa khel bigad jaaegaa।)
चिड़िया को फँसाने से पहले पूरी रेकी कर ली गई थी।
Before trapping the mark, a full recon had been done.
(chidiyaa ko phansaane se pahle poorii rekii kar lii gaii thii।)
गैंग रोज़ नई चिड़िया ढूँढता है, कभी बैंक के बाहर, कभी स्टेशन पर।
The gang hunts for a new mark every day, sometimes outside the bank, sometimes at the station.
(gaing roz naii chidiyaa dhoondhtaa hai, kabhii baink ke baahar, kabhii steshan par।)
अगर वो थोड़ा होशियार होता तो चिड़िया नहीं बनता।
If he had been a bit smarter, he wouldn't have become the mark.
(agar vo thodaa hoshiyaar hotaa to chidiyaa nahiin bantaa।)
पुलिस वाले ने कहा, "ये तो पक्की चिड़िया लग रही है, इसे मत छोड़ना।"
The cop said, "This one really looks like an easy mark, don't let this go."
(pulis vaale ne kahaa, "ye to pakkii chidiyaa lag rahii hai, ise mat chhodnaa।")
फिल्म में हीरो ठग को पहचान लेता है और उसकी चिड़िया बनने से इनकार कर देता है।
In the film, the hero recognizes the con man and refuses to become his mark.
(philm men hiiro thag ko pahchaan letaa hai aur uskii chidiyaa banne se inkaar kar detaa hai।)
Morphology
Noun
(sg.f.direct):
चिड़िया
(chidiyaa)
(sg.f.oblique):
चिड़िया
(chidiyaa)
(pl.f.direct):
चिड़ियाएँ
(chidiyaaen)
(pl.f.oblique):
चिड़ियाओं
(chidiyaaon)