ऋतु (ritu)

noun A single-sense noun meaning 'season' (of the year), used mainly in slightly formal, written, or descriptive contexts rather than casual chat.
Sense 1 : season (of the year)
noun, feminine
Synonyms: मौसम (mausam, everyday word, broader use)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: Traditional Hindu reckoning divides the year into six ऋतुएँ (rituen, 'seasons') -- वसंत (vasant, spring), ग्रीष्म (griishm, summer), वर्षा (varshaa, monsoon), शरद (sharad, autumn), हेमंत (hemant, early winter), and शिशिर (shishir, deep winter) -- a scheme you will still see referenced in poetry, festival names, and Ayurvedic diet advice, even though everyday speech usually just says गरमी (garmii), बरसात (barsaat), or सर्दी (sardii) for summer, monsoon, and winter respectively.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often reach for मौसम (mausam) in every context, which is fine for 'weather' and casual talk about seasons; ऋतु (ritu) is the word you meet in school textbooks, calendars, and formal descriptions of the six traditional seasons, so using it in casual chat can sound a bit bookish. 2) Its gender is feminine, which surprises some learners since many nouns ending in ु/उ pattern as masculine; you say ऋतु आती है (ritu aatii hai, 'the season comes'), not आता है (aataa hai).
Sample Sentences:
भारत में छह ऋतुएँ मानी जाती हैं। In India, six seasons are traditionally recognized.
(bhaarat men chhah rituen maanii jaatii hain।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Passive
वसंत ऋतु को ऋतुओं का राजा कहा जाता है। The spring season is called the king of seasons.
(vasant ritu ko rituon kaa raajaa kahaa jaataa hai।)
Register: Literary -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Passive
हर ऋतु अपने साथ अलग रंग लाती है। Every season brings its own colors along with it.
(har ritu apne saath alag rang laatii hai।)
Register: Literary -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
इस ऋतु में फूल खूब खिलते हैं। Flowers bloom abundantly in this season.
(is ritu men phool khoob khilte hain।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
पिछली ऋतु में बहुत बारिश हुई थी। It rained a lot during the last season.
(pichhlii ritu men bahut baarish huii thii।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
आयुर्वेद के अनुसार हर ऋतु में अलग आहार लेना चाहिए। According to Ayurveda, one should eat differently in each season.
(aayurved ke anusaar har ritu men alag aahaar lenaa chaahie।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Subjunctive -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
काश यह ऋतु कुछ और दिन रुकती। If only this season would stay a few more days.
(kaash yah ritu kuchh aur din ruktii।)
Register: Literary -- Mood: Counterfactual -- Aspect: Habitual -- Voice: Active
कवि ने अपनी कविता में हर ऋतु का वर्णन किया है। The poet has described every season in his poem.
(kavi ne apnii kavitaa men har ritu kaa varnan kiyaa hai।)
Register: Literary -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
अगली ऋतु में फसल की बुवाई होगी। The crop sowing will happen in the next season.
(aglii ritu men phasal kii buvaaii hogii।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Future -- Voice: Passive
यह त्योहार शरद ऋतु में मनाया जाता है। This festival is celebrated in the autumn season.
(yah tyohaar sharad ritu men manaayaa jaataa hai।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Passive
Morphology
Noun
(sg.f.direct): ऋतु (ritu)
(sg.f.oblique): ऋतु (ritu)
(pl.f.direct): ऋतुएँ (rituen)
(pl.f.oblique): ऋतुओं (rituon)