चाँदनी (chaandnii)
noun/adjective
Primarily a noun meaning 'moonlight,' with a secondary noun sense for the white cotton sheet spread on the floor at gatherings; a rarer adjective sense describes something moonlit or silvery-white. Related to चाँद (chaand, 'moon').
Sense
1
:
moonlight
noun, feminine
Synonyms: चंद्रिका (chandrikaa, literary), चांद्रिका (chaandrikaa, literary)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: चाँदनी रात (chaandnii raat, 'moonlit night') is a staple image in Hindi film songs and poetry, often paired with romance or nostalgia -- think of terrace conversations or Mughal-era gardens described in old ghazals. Delhi's own Chandni Chowk (chaandnii chauk) literally means 'moonlight square,' named for how the moon supposedly reflected off a water channel that once ran through the market.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes confuse चाँदनी (chaandnii) with चाँद (chaand, 'moon') itself -- चाँदनी (chaandnii) is the light, not the moon. 2) The common phrase चाँदनी रात (chaandnii raat, 'moonlit night') uses चाँदनी (chaandnii) as a modifier before रात (raat), which can look like an adjective use but is a noun-noun compound-style pairing rather than an inflecting adjective.
Sample Sentences:
आज रात चाँदनी बहुत तेज़ है।
The moonlight is very bright tonight.
(aaj raat chaandnii bahut tez hai।)
छत पर बैठकर हम चाँदनी में बातें करते थे।
We used to sit on the terrace and talk in the moonlight.
(chhat par baithkar ham chaandnii men baaten karte the।)
पूरा बगीचा चाँदनी से जगमगा रहा था।
The whole garden was glowing with moonlight.
(pooraa bagiichaa chaandnii se jagamgaa rahaa thaa।)
काश आज चाँदनी होती, तो हम बाहर घूमते।
If only there were moonlight tonight, we would go out for a walk.
(kaash aaj chaandnii hotii, to ham baahar ghoomte।)
नदी का पानी चाँदनी में चमक उठा।
The river water sparkled in the moonlight.
(nadii kaa paanii chaandnii men chamak uthaa।)
शायद आज बादलों की वजह से चाँदनी न दिखे।
Maybe the moonlight won't be visible today because of the clouds.
(shaayad aaj baadlon kii vajah se chaandnii n dikhe।)
गाने में शायर ने चाँदनी रात का ज़िक्र किया है।
The poet has mentioned a moonlit night in the song.
(gaane men shaayar ne chaandnii raat kaa zikr kiyaa hai।)
चाँदनी को देखो, कितनी खूबसूरत लग रही है!
Look at the moonlight, how beautiful it looks!
(chaandnii ko dekho, kitnii khoobsoorat lag rahii hai!)
हिमालय की चोटियाँ चाँदनी में चांदी जैसी दिखती हैं।
The Himalayan peaks look like silver in the moonlight.
(himaalay kii chotiyaan chaandnii men chaandii jaisii dikhtii hain।)
उस रात की चाँदनी अब तक मुझे याद है।
I still remember the moonlight of that night.
(us raat kii chaandnii ab tak mujhe yaad hai।)
पूरे आसमान में चाँदनी बिखरी हुई थी।
Moonlight was spread across the entire sky.
(poore aasmaan men chaandnii bikhrii huii thii।)
Sense
2
:
white sheet or cloth spread on the floor
noun, feminine
Synonyms: दरी (darii, thicker floor covering, not identical), बिछावन (bichhaavan, rare)
Frequency: low
Cultural Note: At weddings and other functions in North India, a plain white चाँदनी (chaandnii) is spread under a tent (shamiana) for guests to sit on -- the name likely comes from its pale, moonlight-like color. If you hear someone say चाँदनी बिछा दो (chaandnii bichhaa do, 'spread out the sheet'), this is the sense in play, not moonlight.
Common Mistakes: 1) This sense is easy to miss entirely since most learners only meet the 'moonlight' meaning first; context (a wedding tent, a shamiana, seating for guests) is the giveaway.
Sample Sentences:
शादी के लिए टेंट में चाँदनी बिछा दो।
Spread out the floor sheet in the tent for the wedding.
(shaadii ke lie tent men chaandnii bichhaa do।)
मजदूरों ने पूरे पंडाल में चाँदनी बिछा दी।
The workers spread the floor sheet across the whole pandal.
(majdooron ne poore pandaal men chaandnii bichhaa dii।)
चाँदनी पर बैठकर सब मेहमान खाना खा रहे थे।
All the guests were eating while sitting on the floor sheet.
(chaandnii par baithkar sab mehmaan khaanaa khaa rahe the।)
शामियाने के नीचे सफेद चाँदनी बिछी हुई थी।
A white floor sheet was spread out under the shamiana.
(shaamiyaane ke niiche saphed chaandnii bichhii huii thii।)
क्या तुमने चाँदनी के नीचे दरी भी लगाई है?
Did you also put a mat under the floor sheet?
(kyaa tumne chaandnii ke niiche darii bhii lagaaii hai?)
अगर बारिश होती तो चाँदनी गीली हो जाती।
If it had rained, the floor sheet would have gotten wet.
(agar baarish hotii to chaandnii giilii ho jaatii।)
टेंट वाले हर फंक्शन में चाँदनी लगाते हैं।
The tent-decorators put down the floor sheet at every function.
(tent vaale har phankshan men chaandnii lagaate hain।)
कृपया चाँदनी को साफ रखें ताकि मेहमानों को सुविधा हो।
Please keep the floor sheet clean so that the guests are comfortable.
(kripyaa chaandnii ko saaph rakhen taaki mehmaanon ko suvidhaa ho।)
Sense
3
:
moonlit, silvery-white
adjective Used almost exclusively in fixed descriptive pairings like चाँदनी रात (chaandnii raat, 'moonlit night') rather than freely modifying any noun.
Synonyms: चांदी जैसा (chaandii jaisaa, silver-colored, descriptive phrase not a true synonym)
Frequency: literary
Cultural Note: This adjectival use is rare outside a small set of poetic phrases, so learners will meet it mostly in songs and literary description rather than everyday conversation.
Sample Sentences:
चाँदनी रात में सारा शहर सो रहा था।
The whole city was asleep on that moonlit night.
(chaandnii raat men saaraa shahar so rahaa thaa।)
चाँदनी रातों में नदी का पानी चाँदी जैसा दिखता है।
On moonlit nights the river's water looks silvery, like silver.
(chaandnii raaton men nadii kaa paanii chaandii jaisaa dikhtaa hai।)
कवि ने चाँदनी रात का ऐसा वर्णन किया कि आँखों के आगे दृश्य खिंच गया।
The poet described the moonlit night so vividly that the scene appeared before the eyes.
(kavi ne chaandnii raat kaa aisaa varnan kiyaa ki aankhon ke aage drishy khinch gayaa।)
काश आज भी वह चाँदनी रात लौट आती।
If only that moonlit night would return today too.
(kaash aaj bhii vah chaandnii raat laut aatii।)
चाँदनी छत पर बैठकर वे दोनों घंटों बातें करते थे।
Sitting on the moonlit rooftop, the two of them would talk for hours.
(chaandnii chhat par baithkar ve donon ghanton baaten karte the।)
यह गीत किसी चाँदनी रात में ही लिखा गया होगा।
This song must have been written on some moonlit night.
(yah giit kisii chaandnii raat men hii likhaa gayaa hogaa।)
चाँदनी वादियों में उसकी याद और गहरी हो जाती है।
In the moonlit valleys, the memory of her grows even deeper.
(chaandnii vaadiyon men uskii yaad aur gahrii ho jaatii hai।)
चाँदनी रात में समुद्र किनारे घूमना, बस यही तो चाहिए था।
Walking along the seashore on a moonlit night -- that was all one needed.
(chaandnii raat men samudr kinaare ghoomnaa, bas yahii to chaahie thaa।)
Morphology
Noun
(sg.f.direct):
चाँदनी
(chaandnii)
(sg.f.oblique):
चाँदनी
(chaandnii)
(pl.f.direct):
चाँदनियाँ
(chaandniyaan)
(pl.f.oblique):
चाँदनियों
(chaandniyon)
Adjective (invariant)
invariant:
चाँदनी
(chaandnii)