मीठा (miithaa)
adjective/noun
Primarily an adjective meaning 'sweet' (of taste), with a common figurative extension to speech/behavior, and a related noun sense meaning 'something sweet, dessert.'
Sense
1
:
sweet (in taste)
adjective
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: Ask for चाय (chaay, 'tea') at a Delhi dhaba and you will often be asked कम मीठी या ज़्यादा मीठी? (kam miithii yaa zyaadaa miithii, 'less sweet or more sweet') -- sweetness level is a real conversational variable here, not an afterthought.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners forget this adjective agrees with the noun it describes: मीठा (miithaa) for masculine singular, मीठी (miithii) for feminine, मीठे (miithe) for masculine plural/oblique -- e.g. मीठी चाय (miithii chaay, 'sweet tea') not मीठा चाय (miithaa chaay).
Sample Sentences:
यह आम बहुत मीठा है।
This mango is very sweet.
(yah aam bahut miithaa hai।)
मुझे मीठी चाय पसंद नहीं है।
I don't like sweet tea.
(mujhe miithii chaay pasand nahiin hai।)
कम मीठी या ज़्यादा मीठी?
Less sweet or more sweet?
(kam miithii yaa zyaadaa miithii?)
यह दही थोड़ा मीठा होता है।
This yogurt is a bit sweet (generally).
(yah dahii thodaa miithaa hotaa hai।)
अगर तुम चीनी डालोगे तो शरबत मीठा हो जाएगा।
If you add sugar, the sherbet will become sweet.
(agar tum chiinii daaloge to sharbat miithaa ho jaaegaa।)
थोड़ी और चीनी डाल दो ताकि खीर और मीठी हो जाए।
Add a bit more sugar so that the kheer becomes even sweeter.
(thodii aur chiinii daal do taaki khiir aur miithii ho jaae।)
अगर यह मिठाई ज़्यादा मीठी होती तो मुझे पसंद न आती।
If this sweet were too sweet, I wouldn't have liked it.
(agar yah mithaaii zyaadaa miithii hotii to mujhe pasand n aatii।)
यह फल पहले कच्चा था, अब मीठा हो गया है।
This fruit was unripe before, now it has become sweet.
(yah phal pahle kachchaa thaa, ab miithaa ho gayaa hai।)
चाय ज़रा मीठी बनाना।
Make the tea a little sweet.
(chaay zaraa miithii banaanaa।)
इस मिठाई को इतना मीठा नहीं बनाया जाना चाहिए था।
This sweet shouldn't have been made this sweet.
(is mithaaii ko itnaa miithaa nahiin banaayaa jaanaa chaahie thaa।)
क्या यह जूस बहुत मीठा है?
Is this juice very sweet?
(kyaa yah joos bahut miithaa hai?)
Sense
2
:
sweet, gentle, pleasant (of speech, voice, or manner)
adjective
Synonyms: मधुर (madhur, literary)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: मीठी बातें (miithii baaten, 'sweet talk') carries a double edge in Hindi just like in English: it can mean genuine warmth, but often implies flattery or buttering someone up before asking a favor -- मीठी-मीठी बातें करके (miithii-miithii baaten karke, 'by talking sweetly') is a classic setup phrase for a request.
Sample Sentences:
उसकी आवाज़ बहुत मीठी है।
Her voice is very sweet.
(uskii aavaaz bahut miithii hai।)
वह हमेशा इतनी मीठी बातें करता है कि लोग उस पर भरोसा कर लेते हैं।
He always talks so sweetly that people end up trusting him.
(vah hameshaa itnii miithii baaten kartaa hai ki log us par bharosaa kar lete hain।)
वह मीठी-मीठी बातें करके मुझसे पैसे मांगने वाला था।
He was about to sweet-talk me into lending him money.
(vah miithii-miithii baaten karke mujhse paise maangne vaalaa thaa।)
मीठी बातों में मत आना, वह सिर्फ काम निकालना चाहता है।
Don't fall for the sweet talk, he just wants to get something out of you.
(miithii baaton men mat aanaa, vah sirph kaam nikaalnaa chaahtaa hai।)
काश वह मुझसे थोड़ा मीठा बोलता।
I wish he spoke to me a bit more gently.
(kaash vah mujhse thodaa miithaa boltaa।)
अगर तुम मीठे स्वर में बात करते तो शायद वह मान जाता।
If you had spoken in a gentle tone, he might have agreed.
(agar tum miithe svar men baat karte to shaayad vah maan jaataa।)
गुरुजी का स्वभाव इतना मीठा था कि हर विद्यार्थी उनसे प्रभावित हो जाता।
The teacher's manner was so gentle that every student was won over by him.
(gurujii kaa svabhaav itnaa miithaa thaa ki har vidyaarthii unse prabhaavit ho jaataa।)
माँ ने इतने मीठे लहजे में समझाया कि बच्चा रोना भूल गया।
Mother explained it in such a sweet tone that the child forgot to cry.
(maan ne itne miithe lahje men samjhaayaa ki bachchaa ronaa bhool gayaa।)
क्या तुम थोड़ा मीठा बोलकर उसे शांत कर सकती हो?
Can you calm him down by speaking a bit more sweetly?
(kyaa tum thodaa miithaa bolkar use shaant kar saktii ho?)
यह ज़रूरी है कि ग्राहकों से हमेशा मीठे स्वर में बात की जाए।
It is necessary that customers always be spoken to in a gentle tone.
(yah zaroorii hai ki graahkon se hameshaa miithe svar men baat kii jaae।)
उसकी मीठी बातों से पूरा दफ़्तर खुश रहता है।
The whole office stays happy because of his sweet manner of speaking.
(uskii miithii baaton se pooraa daftar khush rahtaa hai।)
Sense
3
:
something sweet, a sweet dish/dessert
noun, masculine Used as a noun typically in the set phrase खाने के बाद मीठा (khaane ke baad miithaa, 'something sweet after the meal'), referring to whatever closes out a meal, not a specific dish.
Synonyms: मिठाई (mithaaii, usually specifically a sweet confection rather than a general sweet course)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: At the end of a meal, someone might ask मीठा है क्या? (miithaa hai kyaa, 'is there anything sweet?') -- in most Indian households, a meal without मीठा (miithaa) at the end feels incomplete, the way a Western meal might feel bare without dessert.
Sample Sentences:
खाने के बाद मीठा है क्या?
Is there anything sweet after the meal?
(khaane ke baad miithaa hai kyaa?)
मुझे खाने के बाद थोड़ा मीठा चाहिए।
I want a little something sweet after the meal.
(mujhe khaane ke baad thodaa miithaa chaahie।)
बिना मीठे के खाना अधूरा लगता है।
The meal feels incomplete without something sweet.
(binaa miithe ke khaanaa adhooraa lagtaa hai।)
माँ ने त्योहार के लिए घर पर मीठा बनाया।
Mom made a sweet dish at home for the festival.
(maan ne tyohaar ke lie ghar par miithaa banaayaa।)
पहले मीठा खा लो, फिर बाकी खाना खाना।
Eat the sweet first, then eat the rest of the food.
(pahle miithaa khaa lo, phir baakii khaanaa khaanaa।)
अगर घर में मीठा होता, तो मैं अभी खा लेता।
If there were something sweet at home, I would eat it right now.
(agar ghar men miithaa hotaa, to main abhii khaa letaa।)
शादी में तरह-तरह के मीठे परोसे जाएँगे।
All kinds of sweets will be served at the wedding.
(shaadii men tarah-tarah ke miithe parose jaaenge।)
रात के खाने में मीठा बनाया जा रहा है।
A sweet dish is being made for dinner.
(raat ke khaane men miithaa banaayaa jaa rahaa hai।)
क्या आपको मीठे में कुछ पसंद आएगा?
Would you like something for dessert?
(kyaa aapko miithe men kuchh pasand aaegaa?)
अच्छा होता अगर वेटर हमसे मीठे के बारे में पहले पूछता।
It would have been nice if the waiter had asked us about dessert earlier.
(achchhaa hotaa agar vetar hamse miithe ke baare men pahle poochhtaa।)
Morphology
Adjective (variable)
(sg.m):
मीठा
(miithaa)
(pl.m):
मीठे
(miithe)
(sg.f):
मीठी
(miithii)
(pl.f):
मीठी
(miithii)
Noun
(sg.m.direct):
मीठा
(miithaa)
(sg.m.oblique):
मीठे
(miithe)
(pl.m.direct):
मीठे
(miithe)
(pl.m.oblique):
मीठों
(miithon)