नाव (naav)

noun A simple, everyday word for a small boat -- the kind rowed or paddled on a river, pond, or lake, as opposed to a large ship.
Sense 1 : boat
noun, feminine
Synonyms: किश्ती (kishtii, also spelled क़िश्ती with nuqta), बेड़ा (bedaa, raft/fleet, not exact synonym)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: Think of the small wooden rowboats you see ferrying people across the Ganga (gangaa) at Varanasi (vaaraansii) or across a village pond -- that mental image is exactly what नाव (naav) evokes for a Hindi speaker, unlike the grander जहाज़ (jahaaz).
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes reach for जहाज़ (jahaaz) when they mean a small boat -- जहाज़ (jahaaz) is a ship or even an airplane, while नाव (naav) is specifically the small, human-powered kind. 2) The idiom एक ही नाव में सवार होना (ek hii naav men savaar honaa, 'to be riding in the same boat') is used just like the English idiom, for shared fate -- learners often try to translate 'boat' idioms word for word instead of using this set phrase.
Sample Sentences:
मल्लाह नाव खे रहा है। The boatman is rowing the boat.
(mallaah naav khe rahaa hai।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Continuous -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
हम वाराणसी में गंगा पर नाव में बैठे थे। We were sitting in a boat on the Ganga in Varanasi.
(ham vaaraansii men gangaa par naav men baithe the।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
गाँव के तालाब में एक पुरानी नाव पड़ी रहती है। An old boat usually lies in the village pond.
(gaanv ke taalaab men ek puraanii naav padii rahtii hai।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
नाव मत हिलाओ, हम डूब जाएँगे! Don't rock the boat, we'll drown!
(naav mat hilaao, ham doob jaaenge!)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Imperative -- Voice: Active
अगर बारिश तेज़ होती तो नाव नदी में नहीं उतारी जाती। If the rain had been heavy, the boat would not have been launched into the river.
(agar baarish tez hotii to naav nadii men nahiin utaarii jaatii।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Counterfactual -- Aspect: Perfective -- Voice: Passive
नाव को किनारे पर बाँधा गया है। The boat has been tied to the shore.
(naav ko kinaare par baandhaa gayaa hai।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Passive
शायद वह नाव किराए पर मिल जाए। Maybe that boat will be available on rent.
(shaayad vah naav kiraae par mil jaae।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Subjunctive -- Voice: Active
मैं चाहता हूँ कि हम सूर्योदय के समय नाव में गंगा पार करें। I want us to cross the Ganga in a boat at sunrise.
(main chaahtaa hoon ki ham sooryoday ke samay naav men gangaa paar karen।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Subjunctive -- Voice: Active
कवि ने जीवन को एक डगमगाती नाव की तरह बताया है। The poet has described life as being like a swaying boat.
(kavi ne jiivan ko ek dagamgaatii naav kii tarah bataayaa hai।)
Register: Literary -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
नाव धीरे-धीरे घाट की ओर बढ़ रही थी। The boat was slowly moving towards the ghat.
(naav dhiire-dhiire ghaat kii or badh rahii thii।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Continuous -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
क्या आप हमें नाव में सैर करवाएँगे? Will you take us for a boat ride?
(kyaa aap hamen naav men sair karvaaenge?)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Future -- Voice: Active
Morphology
Noun
(sg.f.direct): नाव (naav)
(sg.f.oblique): नाव (naav)
(pl.f.direct): नावें (naaven)
(pl.f.oblique): नावों (naavon)