इक्कीस (ikkiis)

numeral The number 21 (twenty-one), used both for counting and as an ordinal-like quantity marker before nouns.
Sense 1 : the number twenty-one
numeral
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: Hindi numbers from 1 to 100 each have their own distinct form rather than following a clean base-ten pattern like English, so इक्कीस (ikkiis) just has to be learned as its own word. It shows up constantly in everyday contexts like ages, prices, and dates -- for instance, इक्कीस साल का (ikkiis saal kaa, '21 years old') is a common way to state someone's age.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes try to build this compositionally from बीस (biis, 'twenty') plus एक (ek, 'one') the way English does with 'twenty' + 'one' -- Hindi numerals 1-99 are mostly memorized as single unpredictable words, and इक्कीस (ikkiis) is one of these, not a transparent compound.
Sample Sentences:
मेरा भाई इक्कीस साल का है। My brother is twenty-one years old.
(meraa bhaaii ikkiis saal kaa hai।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
इस किताब की कीमत इक्कीस रुपये है। This book costs twenty-one rupees.
(is kitaab kii kiimat ikkiis rupye hai।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
वह इक्कीस तारीख को दिल्ली जाएगा। He will go to Delhi on the twenty-first.
(vah ikkiis taariikh ko dillii jaaegaa।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Future -- Voice: Active
पिछले साल वह इक्कीस साल की हो गई थी। Last year she turned twenty-one.
(pichhle saal vah ikkiis saal kii ho gaii thii।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
क्या तुम्हारी उम्र इक्कीस साल हो गई है? Have you turned twenty-one years old?
(kyaa tumhaarii umr ikkiis saal ho gaii hai?)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
अगर उसकी उम्र इक्कीस होती, तो वह वोट डाल सकता। If he were twenty-one years old, he could vote.
(agar uskii umr ikkiis hotii, to vah vot daal saktaa।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Counterfactual -- Aspect: Habitual -- Voice: Active
कृपया इक्कीस नंबर की सीट पर बैठिए। Please sit in seat number twenty-one.
(kripyaa ikkiis nambar kii siit par baithie।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Imperative -- Voice: Active
इक्कीस तोपों की सलामी दी गई। A twenty-one gun salute was given.
(ikkiis topon kii salaamii dii gaii।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Passive
शायद उसकी उम्र इक्कीस साल की हो। Perhaps he is twenty-one years old.
(shaayad uskii umr ikkiis saal kii ho।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Subjunctive -- Voice: Active
इक्कीस दिन में यह काम पूरा हो जाएगा। This work will be completed in twenty-one days.
(ikkiis din men yah kaam pooraa ho jaaegaa।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Future -- Voice: Active
हमारी टीम ने इक्कीस रन बनाए। Our team scored twenty-one runs.
(hamaarii tiim ne ikkiis ran banaae।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active