हथौड़ी (hathaudii)

noun A small hammer or mallet -- the everyday hand tool, as distinct from the heavier हथौड़ा (hathaudaa).
Sense 1 : small hammer
noun, feminine
Synonyms: हथौड़ा (hathaudaa, larger/heavier tool)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: Think of the small hammer a mistri (mistrii, handyman/craftsman) pulls out of his bag to fix a loose nail or hang a picture frame -- that is हथौड़ी (hathaudii). The ी ending here works like a diminutive, marking it as the smaller, lighter cousin of हथौड़ा (hathaudaa), a pattern you will see again with other tool-name pairs in Hindi.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often use हथौड़ा (hathaudaa) and हथौड़ी (hathaudii) interchangeably, but size matters: हथौड़ी (hathaudii) is the light tool you'd keep in a home toolbox or use for small carpentry/craft jobs, while हथौड़ा (hathaudaa) is the heavy sledgehammer-type tool used for breaking things or construction work.
Sample Sentences:
मिस्त्री ने बैग से हथौड़ी निकाली। The handyman took out the small hammer from his bag.
(mistrii ne baig se hathaudii nikaalii।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
मुझे एक हथौड़ी दे दो, कील ठोकनी है। Give me a hammer, I need to knock in a nail.
(mujhe ek hathaudii de do, kiil thoknii hai।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Imperative -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
वह हमेशा अपने टूलबॉक्स में एक छोटी हथौड़ी रखता है। He always keeps a small hammer in his toolbox.
(vah hameshaa apne toolboks men ek chhotii hathaudii rakhtaa hai।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
फ्रेम टांगने के लिए हथौड़ी से दीवार में कील ठोकी जा रही है। A nail is being hammered into the wall with the small hammer to hang the frame.
(phrem taangne ke lie hathaudii se diivaar men kiil thokii jaa rahii hai।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Continuous -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Passive
अगर घर में हथौड़ी होती, तो यह शेल्फ अभी लग जाता। If there were a small hammer at home, this shelf would already be up.
(agar ghar men hathaudii hotii, to yah shelph abhii lag jaataa।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Counterfactual -- Aspect: Habitual -- Voice: Active
क्या तुम्हारे पास कोई हथौड़ी है जो मैं उधार ले सकूँ? Do you have a small hammer that I could borrow?
(kyaa tumhaare paas koii hathaudii hai jo main udhaar le sakoon?)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Subjunctive -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
उसने हथौड़ी से पेंटिंग टांगने वाली कील ठोक दी। She hammered in the nail for hanging the painting with the small hammer.
(usne hathaudii se penting taangne vaalii kiil thok dii।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
क्या आप कृपया मुझे एक हथौड़ी दिला सकते हैं, दुकान से? Could you please get me a small hammer from the shop?
(kyaa aap kripyaa mujhe ek hathaudii dilaa sakte hain, dukaan se?)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Subjunctive -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
हथौड़ी मेज़ पर रखी है, वहीं से उठा लो। The small hammer is lying on the table, just pick it up from there.
(hathaudii mez par rakhii hai, vahiin se uthaa lo।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
कल तक सारी कीलें इस हथौड़ी से ठोक दी जाएँगी। All the nails will be hammered in with this small hammer by tomorrow.
(kal tak saarii kiilen is hathaudii se thok dii jaaengii।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Future -- Voice: Passive
Morphology
Noun
(sg.f.direct): हथौड़ी (hathaudii)
(sg.f.oblique): हथौड़ी (hathaudii)
(pl.f.direct): हथौड़ियाँ (hathaudiyaan)
(pl.f.oblique): हथौड़ियों (hathaudiyon)