दवाई (davaaii)

noun Everyday word for medicine or medication, whether a pill, syrup, ointment, or dose. Closely related to दवा (davaa), which means the same thing and is used interchangeably.
Sense 1 : medicine, medication
noun, feminine
Synonyms: दवा (davaa)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: In everyday Delhi households, दवाई (davaaii) is the word you will hear far more than the more formal-sounding औषधि (aushdhi), which belongs to written or classical contexts like Ayurveda. A mother telling a child दवाई खा लो (davaaii khaa lo, 'go take your medicine') is a near-universal household scene, and khaanaa here treats swallowing a pill the same way as eating food, reflecting how Hindi often groups ingestion verbs together rather than distinguishing 'eat' from 'take.'
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes reach for इलाज (ilaaj) when they mean दवाई (davaaii) -- इलाज (ilaaj) is the treatment or course of therapy as a whole, while दवाई (davaaii) is the actual medicine you take. 2) The verb used with दवाई (davaaii) is usually लेना (lenaa, 'to take') or खाना (khaanaa, 'to eat/take'), as in दवाई खाना (davaaii khaanaa, 'to take medicine') -- learners fluent in English sometimes default only to लेना (lenaa) and miss how naturally खाना (khaanaa) is used here, even for liquids and injections in casual speech.
Sample Sentences:
अपनी दवाई खा लो, वरना ठीक नहीं होगे। Take your medicine, or you won't get better.
(apnii davaaii khaa lo, varnaa thiik nahiin hoge।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Imperative -- Voice: Active
माँ रोज़ शाम को मुझे दवाई देती है। Mom gives me medicine every evening.
(maan roz shaam ko mujhe davaaii detii hai।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
वह अभी दवाई खा रहा है, थोड़ी देर बाद बात करना। He is taking his medicine right now, talk to him after a while.
(vah abhii davaaii khaa rahaa hai, thodii der baad baat karnaa।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Continuous -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
मैंने आज सुबह की दवाई खा ली है। I have taken today's morning medicine.
(mainne aaj subah kii davaaii khaa lii hai।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
डॉक्टर ने कहा है कि यह दवाई खाली पेट नहीं लेनी चाहिए। The doctor has said that this medicine should not be taken on an empty stomach.
(doktar ne kahaa hai ki yah davaaii khaalii pet nahiin lenii chaahie।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Subjunctive -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
अगर वह समय पर दवाई खाता तो इतना बीमार नहीं पड़ता। If he had taken his medicine on time, he wouldn't have fallen so ill.
(agar vah samay par davaaii khaataa to itnaa biimaar nahiin padtaa।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Counterfactual -- Aspect: Habitual -- Voice: Active
बच्चे को बुखार की दवाई पिलाई गई। The child was given fever medicine to drink.
(bachche ko bukhaar kii davaaii pilaaii gaii।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Passive
क्या तुम मेरे लिए दवाई की दुकान से एक पत्ता ला सकते हो? Can you bring me a strip from the medicine shop?
(kyaa tum mere lie davaaii kii dukaan se ek pattaa laa sakte ho?)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
यह दवाई दिन में तीन बार लेनी होगी। This medicine will have to be taken three times a day.
(yah davaaii din men tiin baar lenii hogii।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Future -- Voice: Active
काश कोई ऐसी दवाई होती जो सारी बीमारियाँ ठीक कर दे। I wish there were a medicine that could cure all diseases.
(kaash koii aisii davaaii hotii jo saarii biimaariyaan thiik kar de।)
Register: Literary -- Mood: Counterfactual -- Aspect: Habitual -- Voice: Active
नानी की दवाई की अलमारी में हमेशा कुछ न कुछ पड़ा रहता है। There's always something or the other lying in grandma's medicine cabinet.
(naanii kii davaaii kii almaarii men hameshaa kuchh n kuchh padaa rahtaa hai।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
Morphology
Noun
(sg.f.direct): दवाई (davaaii)
(sg.f.oblique): दवाई (davaaii)
(pl.f.direct): दवाईएँ (davaaiien)
(pl.f.oblique): दवाईओं (davaaiion)