के नीचे (ke niiche)
postposition
A compound postposition meaning 'under, below, beneath' -- built from के (ke, the oblique genitive linker) plus नीचे (niiche, 'down/below'). Functions as a single unit governing the noun before it.
Sense
1
:
physical location: under, beneath
postposition Takes the oblique form of the preceding noun, as with all compound postpositions built on के (ke): मेज़ के नीचे (mez ke niiche, 'under the table').
Synonyms: तले (tale, literary)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: You will hear this constantly in daily life: बिस्तर के नीचे (bistar ke niiche, 'under the bed') for lost slippers, कुर्सी के नीचे (kursii ke niiche, 'under the chair') for a dropped pen. It pairs naturally with ऊपर (oopar, 'above/on top') as its opposite.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes use में (men) or पर (par) instead, since English 'under' can blur with 'inside' or 'on the ground near' -- के नीचे (ke niiche) specifically means directly beneath something, not just nearby or low down. 2) For feminine or plural nouns, only के (ke) is used here, never की (kii) or के (ke) variants agreeing with the noun -- के नीचे (ke niiche) never changes form.
Sample Sentences:
मेरी चप्पल बिस्तर के नीचे पड़ी है।
My slipper is lying under the bed.
(merii chappal bistar ke niiche padii hai।)
पेन कुर्सी के नीचे गिर गया था।
The pen had fallen under the chair.
(pen kursii ke niiche gir gayaa thaa।)
बच्चे पेड़ के नीचे बैठे हैं।
The children are sitting under the tree.
(bachche ped ke niiche baithe hain।)
अपना सामान मेज़ के नीचे मत रखो।
Don't keep your stuff under the table.
(apnaa saamaan mez ke niiche mat rakho।)
अगर बारिश होती, तो हम छाते के नीचे खड़े होते।
If it had rained, we would have stood under an umbrella.
(agar baarish hotii, to ham chhaate ke niiche khade hote।)
पुल के नीचे एक नदी बहती है।
A river flows under the bridge.
(pul ke niiche ek nadii bahtii hai।)
क्या तुमने चटाई के नीचे पैसे रखे थे?
Had you kept the money under the mat?
(kyaa tumne chataaii ke niiche paise rakhe the?)
बर्फ के नीचे दबा हुआ शहर धीरे-धीरे नज़र आने लगा।
The city buried under the snow slowly began to appear.
(barph ke niiche dabaa huaa shahar dhiire-dhiire nazar aane lagaa।)
सीढ़ियों के नीचे एक छोटा-सा कमरा बनाया गया है।
A small room has been built under the staircase.
(siidhiyon ke niiche ek chhotaa-saa kamraa banaayaa gayaa hai।)
शायद चाबी सोफ़े के नीचे हो।
Maybe the key is under the sofa.
(shaayad chaabii sofe ke niiche ho।)
छत के नीचे बैठकर हम बारिश देख रहे थे।
Sitting under the roof, we were watching the rain.
(chhat ke niiche baithkar ham baarish dekh rahe the।)
Sense
2
:
figurative: under someone's authority, influence, or burden
postposition Common with abstract nouns like दबाव (dabaav, 'pressure'), नियंत्रण (niyantran, 'control'), or किसी के आदेश (kisii ke aadesh, 'someone's orders') to express being subject to or governed by something.
Synonyms: अधीन (adhiin, formal)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: This figurative extension mirrors English quite closely -- 'under pressure,' 'under someone's thumb' -- so it tends to feel intuitive once a learner already has the literal spatial sense down.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often reach for अधीन (adhiin) by default for 'under someone's control,' but in casual speech के नीचे (ke niiche) is far more natural and commonly heard, e.g. उसके दबाव के नीचे (uske dabaav ke niiche, 'under his pressure').
Sample Sentences:
वह हमेशा अपने बॉस के दबाव के नीचे काम करता है।
He always works under his boss's pressure.
(vah hameshaa apne bos ke dabaav ke niiche kaam kartaa hai।)
यह पूरा इलाका नगर निगम के नीचे आता है।
This entire area falls under the municipal corporation.
(yah pooraa ilaakaa nagar nigam ke niiche aataa hai।)
वह अपनी सास के नीचे दबी रहती थी।
She used to remain suppressed under her mother-in-law's thumb.
(vah apnii saas ke niiche dabii rahtii thii।)
इतने कर्ज के नीचे दबे होने से नींद नहीं आती।
Being buried under so much debt, sleep doesn't come.
(itne karj ke niiche dabe hone se niind nahiin aatii।)
अगर तुम उसके प्रभाव के नीचे रहते, तो कभी अपना फैसला नहीं ले पाते।
If you had stayed under his influence, you would never have been able to make your own decisions.
(agar tum uske prabhaav ke niiche rahte, to kabhii apnaa phaislaa nahiin le paate।)
काम के बोझ के नीचे मत दबो, थोड़ा आराम भी करो।
Don't get crushed under the burden of work, rest a little too.
(kaam ke bojh ke niiche mat dabo, thodaa aaraam bhii karo।)
यह मंत्रालय प्रधानमंत्री कार्यालय के नीचे काम करता है।
This ministry operates under the Prime Minister's Office.
(yah mantraalay pradhaanmantrii kaaryaalay ke niiche kaam kartaa hai।)
शायद वह किसी के दबाव के नीचे यह बयान दे रहा हो।
Perhaps he is giving this statement under someone's pressure.
(shaayad vah kisii ke dabaav ke niiche yah bayaan de rahaa ho।)
कर्मचारी सब कुछ अपने मैनेजर के नीचे रहकर सीखते हैं।
Employees learn everything while staying under their manager's authority.
(karmchaarii sab kuchh apne mainejar ke niiche rahkar siikhte hain।)
इतने बड़े कर्ज के नीचे दबकर आखिर उसने कारोबार बंद कर दिया।
Crushed under such a huge debt, he finally shut down the business.
(itne bade karj ke niiche dabkar aakhir usne kaarobaar band kar diyaa।)