सौतेला (sautelaa)
adjective
Adjective describing a step-relationship (step-brother, step-mother, etc.); always used attached to a kinship noun, never standing alone.
Sense
1
:
step- (kinship relation, e.g. step-brother, step-mother)
adjective Always precedes a kinship noun: सौतेला भाई (sautelaa bhaaii, 'step-brother'), सौतेली माँ (sautelii maan, 'step-mother'), सौतेला बाप (sautelaa baap, 'step-father'). Agrees in gender/number with the kinship noun it modifies.
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: The word carries real emotional weight in Hindi the way 'stepmother' does in English fairy tales -- सौतेली माँ (sautelii maan) is practically a stock villain figure in older Bollywood films and folk stories, so the phrase often shows up loaded with connotations of unfairness or neglect even outside literal family contexts, as in सौतेला व्यवहार (sautelaa vyavahaar, 'unfair/discriminatory treatment') used for any situation where someone is treated as a lesser priority.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes try to use सौतेला (sautelaa) as a standalone noun meaning 'step-relative' -- it only works glued to a kinship word like भाई (bhaaii) or माँ (maan). 2) Do not confuse with चचेरा/ममेरा/मौसेरा (chacheraa/mameraa/mauseraa), which describe cousins through specific relatives (paternal uncle, maternal uncle, maternal aunt) -- सौतेला (sautelaa) specifically marks a step-relationship arising from a parent's remarriage, not a cousin relationship.
Sample Sentences:
मेरा सौतेला भाई कनाडा में रहता है।
My step-brother lives in Canada.
(meraa sautelaa bhaaii kanaadaa men rahtaa hai।)
उसकी सौतेली माँ उसे बहुत तंग करती थी।
His stepmother used to harass him a lot.
(uskii sautelii maan use bahut tang kartii thii।)
क्या तुम्हारा कोई सौतेला भाई-बहन है?
Do you have any step-siblings?
(kyaa tumhaaraa koii sautelaa bhaaii-bahan hai?)
पिताजी की दूसरी शादी के बाद घर में एक सौतेली बहन आ गई।
After father's second marriage, a step-sister came into the house.
(pitaajii kii doosrii shaadii ke baad ghar men ek sautelii bahan aa gaii।)
कहानी में सौतेली माँ हमेशा खलनायिका की तरह दिखाई जाती है।
In the story, the stepmother is always shown as a villain.
(kahaanii men sautelii maan hameshaa khalnaayikaa kii tarah dikhaaii jaatii hai।)
अगर उसका सौतेला पिता ना होता, तो उसका बचपन शायद खुशहाल होता।
If he hadn't had a step-father, his childhood might have been happier.
(agar uskaa sautelaa pitaa naa hotaa, to uskaa bachpan shaayad khushahaal hotaa।)
बच्चों को अपने सौतेले भाई से यह बात छुपानी नहीं चाहिए थी।
The children shouldn't have hidden this thing from their step-brother.
(bachchon ko apne sautele bhaaii se yah baat chhupaanii nahiin chaahie thii।)
दादी हमेशा कहती थीं कि सौतेली बेटी भी अपनी ही बेटी जैसी होती है।
Grandmother always used to say that a step-daughter is just like one's own daughter.
(daadii hameshaa kahtii thiin ki sautelii betii bhii apnii hii betii jaisii hotii hai।)
उसने अपने सौतेले बेटे को गोद लेकर पूरा घर उसके नाम कर दिया।
He adopted his step-son and transferred the entire house to his name.
(usne apne sautele bete ko god lekar pooraa ghar uske naam kar diyaa।)
Sense
2
:
treated unfairly, discriminated against, neglected (figurative extension)
adjective Common in the fixed phrase सौतेला व्यवहार (sautelaa vyavahaar, 'stepmotherly/unfair treatment') and सौतेलापन (sautelaapan, the abstract noun for such treatment); also used to describe policies, departments, or children within a family being favored less than others.
Synonyms: उपेक्षित (upekshit, more formal, 'neglected')
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: You will hear this in everyday complaints -- a person might say their locality gets सौतेला व्यवहार (sautelaa vyavahaar) from the municipal corporation, or a sibling might joke that they got सौतेला प्यार (sautelaa pyaar, 'stepchild-like love') compared to a favored brother, extending the stepmother stereotype into ordinary favoritism talk.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners may not realize this figurative sense exists independently of literal step-relations -- a government scheme, a company department, or even a city can be described as getting सौतेला व्यवहार (sautelaa vyavahaar), meaning it is under-resourced or unfairly sidelined compared to others.
Sample Sentences:
नगर निगम हमारे इलाके के साथ हमेशा सौतेला व्यवहार करता है।
The municipal corporation always treats our locality like a stepchild.
(nagar nigam hamaare ilaake ke saath hameshaa sautelaa vyavahaar kartaa hai।)
मुझे लगता है मुझे घर में सौतेला प्यार मिला है।
I feel like I've received stepchild-like love at home.
(mujhe lagtaa hai mujhe ghar men sautelaa pyaar milaa hai।)
सरकार गांवों के साथ सौतेला रवैया मत अपनाओ।
Government, don't adopt a discriminatory attitude toward the villages.
(sarkaar gaanvon ke saath sautelaa ravaiyaa mat apnaao।)
क्रिकेट के आगे हॉकी के साथ हमेशा सौतेला सलूक हुआ है।
Compared to cricket, hockey has always been treated like a neglected stepchild.
(kriket ke aage hokii ke saath hameshaa sautelaa salook huaa hai।)
अगर हमारे साथ सौतेला व्यवहार न होता तो हम भी आगे बढ़ चुके होते।
If we hadn't been treated like stepchildren, we would have moved forward too.
(agar hamaare saath sautelaa vyavahaar n hotaa to ham bhii aage badh chuke hote।)
छोटे शहरों के साथ सौतेला व्यवहार क्यों किया जाता है?
Why are smaller cities treated with such neglect?
(chhote shahron ke saath sautelaa vyavahaar kyon kiyaa jaataa hai?)
दफ्तर में उसके साथ इतना सौतेला बरताव किया गया कि वह इस्तीफा दे बैठी।
She was treated with such discriminatory neglect at the office that she ended up resigning.
(daphtar men uske saath itnaa sautelaa bartaav kiyaa gayaa ki vah istiiphaa de baithii।)
काश हमारे मोहल्ले के साथ यह सौतेला रवैया न बरता जाए।
I wish this discriminatory attitude weren't practiced toward our neighborhood.
(kaash hamaare mohalle ke saath yah sautelaa ravaiyaa n bartaa jaae।)
भाई-भाई के बीच भी कभी-कभी सौतेला प्यार दिख जाता है।
Even between brothers, sometimes you see this kind of stepchild-like, unequal affection.
(bhaaii-bhaaii ke biich bhii kabhii-kabhii sautelaa pyaar dikh jaataa hai।)
साहित्य में हिंदी भाषा के साथ जो सौतेला व्यवहार हुआ, उसकी जड़ें औपनिवेशिक काल में खोजी जा सकती हैं।
The discriminatory treatment that the Hindi language received in literature -- its roots can be traced to the colonial era.
(saahity men hindii bhaashaa ke saath jo sautelaa vyavahaar huaa, uskii jaden aupniveshik kaal men khojii jaa saktii hain।)
Morphology
Adjective (variable)
(sg.m):
सौतेला
(sautelaa)
(pl.m):
सौतेले
(sautele)
(sg.f):
सौतेली
(sautelii)
(pl.f):
सौतेली
(sautelii)