चावल (chaaval)

noun A single everyday sense: the grain, rice -- either uncooked or cooked. No split needed here.
Sense 1 : rice (the grain, raw or cooked)
noun, masculine
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: In most North Indian homes, चावल (chaaval) plays second fiddle to रोटी (rotii) at the everyday dinner table, but it takes center stage for special dishes like बिरयानी (biryaanii) or खीर (khiir). Notice how Hindi treats it grammatically like a countable-plural mass noun ('the rice are lying...') rather than singular the way English does -- that's just how grains and cereals behave in Hindi, so don't overthink the agreement.
Common Mistakes: 1) चावल (chaaval) is usually treated as masculine plural in ordinary speech ("चावल पड़े हैं" (chaaval pade hain, 'the rice is lying there')) even when talking about one pot of cooked rice as a mass, so learners who force it into a strict masculine singular pattern end up sounding slightly off; treat it like a mass noun that defaults to plural agreement. 2) Don't confuse चावल (chaaval, uncooked or cooked rice as a substance) with भात (bhaat) or पके हुए चावल (pake hue chaaval, 'cooked rice'), which some regional speech uses more specifically for the cooked dish; in Delhi-NCR speech चावल (chaaval) alone comfortably covers both raw grain and the cooked food on your plate.
Sample Sentences:
माँ चावल पका रही है। Mom is cooking rice.
(maan chaaval pakaa rahii hai।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Continuous -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
हम रोज़ रात को चावल खाते हैं। We eat rice every night.
(ham roz raat ko chaaval khaate hain।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
चावल फ़र्श पर बिखरे पड़े हैं। The rice is scattered on the floor.
(chaaval farsh par bikhre pade hain।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
कल रात के बचे हुए चावल फेंक दिए गए। Last night's leftover rice was thrown away.
(kal raat ke bache hue chaaval phenk die gae।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Passive
पहले चावल धो लो, फिर पानी डालना। First wash the rice, then add water.
(pahle chaaval dho lo, phir paanii daalnaa।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Imperative -- Voice: Active
अगर चावल गीले होते तो पुलाव बनाना मुश्किल हो जाता। If the rice were damp, making the pulao would have become difficult.
(agar chaaval giile hote to pulaav banaanaa mushkil ho jaataa।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Counterfactual -- Aspect: Habitual -- Voice: Active
शायद बाज़ार में अच्छी क़िस्म के चावल मिल जाएँ। Maybe good-quality rice will be available in the market.
(shaayad baazaar men achchhii qism ke chaaval mil jaaen।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Subjunctive -- Voice: Active
इस साल फ़सल अच्छी हुई तो चावल की क़ीमतें गिरेंगी। If the harvest is good this year, the price of rice will fall.
(is saal fasal achchhii huii to chaaval kii qiimten girengii।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Future -- Voice: Active
बासमती चावल की ख़ुशबू पूरे घर में फैल गई। The aroma of basmati rice spread through the whole house.
(baasamtii chaaval kii khushboo poore ghar men phail gaii।)
Register: Literary -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
भारत चावल का एक बड़ा निर्यातक देश है। India is a major exporter country of rice.
(bhaarat chaaval kaa ek badaa niryaatak desh hai।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
दाल के साथ चावल परोसे जाते हैं। Rice is served with lentils.
(daal ke saath chaaval parose jaate hain।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Passive
Morphology
Noun
(sg.m.direct): चावल (chaaval)
(sg.m.oblique): चावल (chaaval)
(pl.m.direct): चावल (chaaval)
(pl.m.oblique): चावलों (chaavlon)