गाय (gaay)
noun
A simple, single-sense word: the female cow. No hidden complexity here, but plenty of cultural weight, which you'll see in the note below.
Sense
1
:
cow
noun, feminine
Synonyms: गौ (gau, literary/devotional), गौमाता (gaumaataa, reverential term)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: The cow holds a special place in Hindu culture as a sacred and maternal figure, often called गौमाता (gaumaataa, 'cow mother'), and you will see cows wandering freely on streets even in busy Delhi neighborhoods, generally left undisturbed out of respect. This reverence also shows up in everyday speech and idiom, so don't be surprised to hear गाय (gaay) invoked in comparisons about gentleness or innocence.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes assume गाय (gaay) is grammatically neutral like English 'cow', but it is strictly feminine, which matters for adjective and verb agreement -- 'a black cow' is काली गाय (kaalii gaay) not काला गाय (kaalaa gaay).
Sample Sentences:
गाय एक शांत जानवर है।
The cow is a calm animal.
(gaay ek shaant jaanvar hai।)
सुबह-सुबह गली में एक गाय खड़ी थी।
Early in the morning, a cow was standing in the lane.
(subah-subah galii men ek gaay khadii thii।)
वह लड़की बिल्कुल गाय जैसी भोली है।
That girl is as innocent as a cow.
(vah ladkii bilkul gaay jaisii bholii hai।)
हमारे गाँव में हर घर के आगे एक गाय बंधी रहती है।
In our village, a cow stays tied in front of every house.
(hamaare gaanv men har ghar ke aage ek gaay bandhii rahtii hai।)
कृपया गाय को रास्ते से हटाइए, ट्रैफिक रुक गया है।
Please move the cow out of the way, the traffic has stopped.
(kripyaa gaay ko raaste se hataaie, traiphik ruk gayaa hai।)
अगर घर में गाय होती, तो हमें ताज़ा दूध मिलता।
If there were a cow at home, we would get fresh milk.
(agar ghar men gaay hotii, to hamen taazaa doodh miltaa।)
हिंदू धर्म में गाय को माता के समान पूजा जाता है।
In Hinduism, the cow is worshipped like a mother.
(hindoo dharm men gaay ko maataa ke samaan poojaa jaataa hai।)
मंदिर के पास कई गायें घास चर रही थीं।
Several cows were grazing on grass near the temple.
(mandir ke paas kaii gaayen ghaas char rahii thiin।)
किसान चाहता है कि उसकी गाय ज़्यादा दूध दे।
The farmer wants his cow to give more milk.
(kisaan chaahtaa hai ki uskii gaay zyaadaa doodh de।)
गौशाला में बीमार गायों का इलाज किया जाता है।
Sick cows are treated at the cow shelter.
(gaushaalaa men biimaar gaayon kaa ilaaj kiyaa jaataa hai।)
गौमाता की सेवा करना हमारा कर्तव्य है।
Serving the cow mother is our duty.
(gaumaataa kii sevaa karnaa hamaaraa kartavy hai।)
Morphology
Noun
(sg.f.direct):
गाय
(gaay)
(sg.f.oblique):
गाय
(gaay)
(pl.f.direct):
गायें
(gaayen)
(pl.f.oblique):
गायों
(gaayon)