नाड़ी (naadii)

noun Primarily means 'pulse' (as checked at the wrist), with a related but less common sense of 'vein/artery' in traditional medicine, and a technical/traditional sense referring to a unit of time or a tube/duct.
Sense 1 : pulse (the beat felt at the wrist)
noun, feminine
Synonyms: धड़कन (dhadkan, heartbeat, related but not identical)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: When a doctor -- especially one practicing Ayurveda or a traditional hakim -- wants to check your pulse, they say नाड़ी देखना (naadii dekhnaa, 'to check the pulse'), and this phrase carries a slightly traditional, hands-on medical feel compared to the more clinical, modern-hospital ring of pल्स (pals), the English loanword many younger, urban Hindi speakers use instead.
Common Mistakes: 1) नाड़ी (naadii) refers to the pulse felt at the wrist or elsewhere on the body (used with देखना dekhnaa or जांचना jaanchnaa, 'to check the pulse'); it is not used for 'heartbeat' in the chest, which is धड़कन (dhadkan).
Sample Sentences:
वैद्य जी ने मेरी नाड़ी देखी। The Ayurvedic doctor checked my pulse.
(vaidy jii ne merii naadii dekhii।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
डॉक्टर हमेशा पहले नाड़ी देखते हैं, फिर बाकी जाँच करते हैं। The doctor always checks the pulse first, then does the rest of the examination.
(doktar hameshaa pahle naadii dekhte hain, phir baakii jaanch karte hain।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
नर्स मरीज़ की नाड़ी देख रही है। The nurse is checking the patient's pulse.
(nars mariiz kii naadii dekh rahii hai।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Continuous -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
उसकी नाड़ी बहुत धीमी चल रही थी। His pulse was running very slow.
(uskii naadii bahut dhiimii chal rahii thii।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Continuous -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
ज़रा मेरी नाड़ी देखो तो, तेज़ चल रही है क्या? Just check my pulse, is it running fast?
(zaraa merii naadii dekho to, tez chal rahii hai kyaa?)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Imperative -- Voice: Active
अगर मरीज़ बेहोश हो जाए, तो सबसे पहले उसकी नाड़ी देखी जानी चाहिए। If the patient becomes unconscious, their pulse should be checked first.
(agar mariiz behosh ho jaae, to sabse pahle uskii naadii dekhii jaanii chaahie।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Subjunctive -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Passive
हादसे के बाद सबसे पहले उसकी नाड़ी जाँची गई। After the accident, his pulse was checked first of all.
(haadse ke baad sabse pahle uskii naadii jaanchii gaii।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Passive
अगर वैद्य ने समय रहते नाड़ी देखी होती, तो बीमारी पहले ही पकड़ में आ जाती। If the physician had checked the pulse in time, the illness would have been caught earlier.
(agar vaidy ne samay rahte naadii dekhii hotii, to biimaarii pahle hii pakad men aa jaatii।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Counterfactual -- Aspect: Perfective -- Voice: Active
पुराने ज़माने में हकीम नाड़ी देखकर ही बीमारी बता देते थे। In olden times, hakims used to diagnose the illness just by checking the pulse.
(puraane zamaane men hakiim naadii dekhkar hii biimaarii bataa dete the।)
Register: Literary -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
कल जब मैं अस्पताल जाऊँगा, तो डॉक्टर मेरी नाड़ी ज़रूर देखेगा। When I go to the hospital tomorrow, the doctor will surely check my pulse.
(kal jab main asptaal jaaoongaa, to doktar merii naadii zaroor dekhegaa।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Future -- Voice: Active
Sense 2 : vein or artery (traditional/anatomical sense)
noun, feminine
Synonyms: रक्तवाहिनी (raktvaahinii, technical/medical)
Frequency: low
Cultural Note: This sense overlaps with the 'pulse' meaning because in traditional thinking the नाड़ी (naadii) is the vessel itself, and 'checking the pulse' really means feeling the pulse through that vessel at the wrist; in everyday conversation, Hindi speakers reach for नस (nas) when they specifically mean a vein.
Sample Sentences:
आयुर्वेद में शरीर की नाड़ियों का विशेष महत्व होता है। In Ayurveda, the body's veins have special importance.
(aayurved men shariir kii naadiyon kaa vishesh mahatv hotaa hai।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
वैद्य ने कहा कि यह नाड़ी हृदय से सीधे जुड़ी है। The physician said that this vein is directly connected to the heart.
(vaidy ne kahaa ki yah naadii hriday se siidhe judii hai।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
प्राचीन ग्रंथों में शरीर की नाड़ियों का विस्तार से वर्णन मिलता है। In ancient texts, one finds a detailed description of the body's veins.
(praachiin granthon men shariir kii naadiyon kaa vistaar se varnan miltaa hai।)
Register: Literary -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
यदि कोई नाड़ी अवरुद्ध हो जाए, तो रक्त प्रवाह रुक सकता है। If some vein gets blocked, the flow of blood can stop.
(yadi koii naadii avruddh ho jaae, to rakt pravaah ruk saktaa hai।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Subjunctive -- Voice: Active
योग में कहा जाता है कि शरीर में हज़ारों नाड़ियाँ होती हैं। In yoga it is said that there are thousands of veins in the body.
(yog men kahaa jaataa hai ki shariir men hazaaron naadiyaan hotii hain।)
Register: Literary -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Passive
इस प्राचीन शल्य-चिकित्सा में नाड़ी को काटकर उपचार किया जाता था। In this ancient surgery, treatment was done by cutting the vein.
(is praachiin shaly-chikitsaa men naadii ko kaatkar upchaar kiyaa jaataa thaa।)
Register: Literary -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Passive
यदि उस समय नाड़ी न काटी जाती, तो शायद रोगी बच जाता। If the vein had not been cut at that time, perhaps the patient would have survived.
(yadi us samay naadii n kaatii jaatii, to shaayad rogii bach jaataa।)
Register: Literary -- Mood: Counterfactual -- Aspect: Perfective -- Voice: Passive
सूक्ष्म शरीर की तीन प्रमुख नाड़ियाँ इड़ा, पिंगला और सुषुम्ना कहलाती हैं। The three principal channels of the subtle body are called ida, pingala, and sushumna.
(sookshm shariir kii tiin pramukh naadiyaan idaa, pinglaa aur sushumnaa kahlaatii hain।)
Register: Literary -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
Sense 3 : a traditional unit of time (about 24 minutes) or a tube/pipe/duct
noun, feminine
Frequency: literary
Cultural Note: This older sense survives mainly in astrology (जन्म नाड़ी janm naadii, used in matching horoscopes for marriage) and in classical/technical writing about the body's channels (as in yoga texts describing नाड़ी (naadii) as subtle energy channels); a learner is unlikely to need this outside those specific contexts.
Sample Sentences:
ज्योतिष में एक नाड़ी लगभग चौबीस मिनट की होती है। In astrology, one nadi is about twenty-four minutes long.
(jyotish men ek naadii lagbhag chaubiis minat kii hotii hai।)
Register: Literary -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
विवाह से पहले वर-वधू की जन्म नाड़ी का मिलान किया जाता है। Before marriage, the birth nadi of the bride and groom is matched.
(vivaah se pahle var-vadhoo kii janm naadii kaa milaan kiyaa jaataa hai।)
Register: Literary -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Passive
पंडित जी ने कुंडली देखकर बताया कि दोनों की नाड़ी एक ही है। The priest looked at the horoscope and said that both have the same nadi.
(pandit jii ne kundlii dekhkar bataayaa ki donon kii naadii ek hii hai।)
Register: Literary -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
योग शास्त्रों में शरीर की सूक्ष्म नाड़ियों का वर्णन मिलता है। In the yogic scriptures, one finds descriptions of the subtle nadis of the body.
(yog shaastron men shariir kii sookshm naadiyon kaa varnan miltaa hai।)
Register: Literary -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
इड़ा, पिंगला और सुषुम्ना को प्रमुख नाड़ियाँ माना जाता है। Ida, Pingala, and Sushumna are considered the principal nadis.
(idaa, pinglaa aur sushumnaa ko pramukh naadiyaan maanaa jaataa hai।)
Register: Literary -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Passive
यदि जन्म नाड़ी न मिले, तो कुछ ज्योतिषी विवाह की सलाह नहीं देते। If the birth nadi does not match, some astrologers do not advise the marriage.
(yadi janm naadii n mile, to kuchh jyotishii vivaah kii salaah nahiin dete।)
Register: Literary -- Mood: Subjunctive -- Voice: Active
प्राचीन काल में समय को नाड़ी और घड़ी जैसी इकाइयों में मापा जाता था। In ancient times, time was measured in units like the nadi and the ghadi.
(praachiin kaal men samay ko naadii aur ghadii jaisii ikaaiyon men maapaa jaataa thaa।)
Register: Literary -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Passive
काश उस पंडित को दोनों की नाड़ी का सही ज्ञान होता, तो यह विवाह न रुकता। If only that priest had had proper knowledge of both their nadis, this marriage would not have been stopped.
(kaash us pandit ko donon kii naadii kaa sahii gyaan hotaa, to yah vivaah n ruktaa।)
Register: Literary -- Mood: Counterfactual -- Aspect: Habitual -- Voice: Active
साधक को प्राणायाम के माध्यम से नाड़ियों को शुद्ध करना चाहिए। The practitioner should purify the nadis through pranayama.
(saadhak ko praanaayaam ke maadhyam se naadiyon ko shuddh karnaa chaahie।)
Register: Literary -- Mood: Subjunctive -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
Morphology
Noun
(sg.f.direct): नाड़ी (naadii)
(sg.f.oblique): नाड़ी (naadii)
(pl.f.direct): नाड़ियाँ (naadiyaan)
(pl.f.oblique): नाड़ियों (naadiyon)