चवालीस (chavaaliis)

numeral The cardinal number 44 (forty-four).
Sense 1 : the number 44
numeral
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: Hindi numbers from 21 to 99 are famously irregular, and चवालीस (chavaaliis) is a good example -- there's no clean rule linking it to चार (chaar) and चालीस (chaaliis), so native speakers just know it as a whole unit from childhood counting drills. Most Delhi-NCR learners eventually memorize these numbers in blocks of ten rather than trying to derive each one logically.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often try to build this compositionally from चालीस (chaaliis, forty) plus चार (chaar, four), but like most Hindi numbers 21-99, चवालीस (chavaaliis) is a fused, unpredictable form that just has to be memorized rather than derived. 2) It is easy to mix up with similar-sounding numbers in the forties and other decades (e.g. चौवालीस-adjacent numbers); when precision matters, confirm the digit rather than guessing from sound alone.
Sample Sentences:
मेरे पापा की उम्र चवालीस साल है। My dad is forty-four years old.
(mere paapaa kii umr chavaaliis saal hai।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
इस बस में चवालीस सीटें हैं। This bus has forty-four seats.
(is bas men chavaaliis siiten hain।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
पिछले साल हमारी टीम ने चवालीस मैच खेले थे। Last year our team played forty-four matches.
(pichhle saal hamaarii tiim ne chavaaliis maich khele the।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
अगले महीने वह चवालीस का हो जाएगा। Next month he will turn forty-four.
(agle mahiine vah chavaaliis kaa ho jaaegaa।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Future -- Voice: Active
कृपया चवालीस नंबर की रसीद मुझे दे दीजिए। Please give me the receipt numbered forty-four.
(kripyaa chavaaliis nambar kii rasiid mujhe de diijie।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Imperative -- Voice: Active
अगर उसके पास चवालीस रुपये होते, तो वह वह किताब खरीद लेता। If he had had forty-four rupees, he would have bought that book.
(agar uske paas chavaaliis rupye hote, to vah vah kitaab khariid letaa।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Counterfactual -- Aspect: Perfective -- Voice: Active
क्या इस डिब्बे में चवालीस पेंसिलें हैं? Are there forty-four pencils in this box?
(kyaa is dibbe men chavaaliis pensilen hain?)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
स्कूल में हर साल कक्षा में चवालीस बच्चे भर्ती किए जाते हैं। Every year forty-four children are admitted to the class in this school.
(skool men har saal kakshaa men chavaaliis bachche bhartii kie jaate hain।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Passive
शायद उसकी उम्र चवालीस के आसपास हो। Perhaps his age is around forty-four.
(shaayad uskii umr chavaaliis ke aaspaas ho।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Subjunctive -- Voice: Active