चोरी (chorii)
noun
A feminine noun meaning 'theft/stealing,' used both literally (a stolen object/act of stealing) and inside a very common idiom for sneaking around or doing something secretly. Related to चोर (chor, 'thief').
Sense
1
:
theft, stealing (the act or crime)
noun, feminine Functions as the object of करना (karnaa) in the standard verb phrase चोरी करना (chorii karnaa, 'to steal'), where चोरी stays uninflected and करना carries the tense/agreement.
Synonyms: चोरी करना (chorii karnaa, the verb phrase 'to steal'), डकैती (dakaitii, dacoity/armed robbery, not a true synonym but nearby in meaning)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: Every Delhi kid has heard a parent say किसने चोरी की? (kisne chorii kii?, 'who stole it?') over a missing sweet or a few rupees from a purse -- it is the go-to word for household-scale theft as much as for a legal crime reported in the news.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes try to conjugate चोरी (chorii) itself as if it were the verb; remember it is the noun and करना (karnaa) does the conjugating in चोरी करना (chorii karnaa). 2) चोरी (chorii) names the act/crime; the person is चोर (chor), not चोरी.
Sample Sentences:
किसने चोरी की?
Who committed the theft?
(kisne chorii kii?)
रात को हमारे घर में चोरी हो गई।
There was a theft at our house last night.
(raat ko hamaare ghar men chorii ho gaii।)
इस मोहल्ले में आजकल चोरियाँ बहुत बढ़ गई हैं।
Thefts have increased a lot in this neighborhood these days.
(is mohalle men aajkal choriyaan bahut badh gaii hain।)
पुलिस को चोरी की रिपोर्ट लिखानी चाहिए।
The theft should be reported to the police.
(pulis ko chorii kii riport likhaanii chaahie।)
अगर तुमने खिड़की बंद रखी होती, तो चोरी नहीं होती।
If you had kept the window closed, the theft wouldn't have happened.
(agar tumne khidkii band rakhii hotii, to chorii nahiin hotii।)
दुकान से चोरी करने के इल्ज़ाम में उसे गिरफ़्तार किया गया।
He was arrested on the charge of theft from the shop.
(dukaan se chorii karne ke ilzaam men use giraftaar kiyaa gayaa।)
बैंक में चोरी करना कोई मामूली अपराध नहीं है।
Committing theft in a bank is no ordinary crime.
(baink men chorii karnaa koii maamoolii apraadh nahiin hai।)
चोरी मत करो, वरना जेल हो जाएगी।
Don't steal, or you'll end up in jail.
(chorii mat karo, varnaa jel ho jaaegii।)
गाँव में जब भी कोई चोरी होती थी, सब उसी लड़के पर शक करते थे।
Whenever a theft happened in the village, everyone would suspect the same boy.
(gaanv men jab bhii koii chorii hotii thii, sab usii ladke par shak karte the।)
चोरी का मामला अदालत में तीन साल से चल रहा है।
The theft case has been going on in court for three years.
(chorii kaa maamlaa adaalat men tiin saal se chal rahaa hai।)
शायद उसने ही चोरी की हो, पर सबूत नहीं है।
Maybe he's the one who committed the theft, but there's no proof.
(shaayad usne hii chorii kii ho, par saboot nahiin hai।)
Sense
2
:
a stolen item (the thing that was stolen)
noun, feminine
Synonyms: माल (maal, colloquial, 'stolen goods/loot')
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: Used when the focus shifts from the act to the object itself, as in yah चोरी का सामान है (yah chorii kaa saamaan hai, 'this is stolen goods') -- the phrase चोरी का (chorii kaa) acts almost like an adjective meaning 'stolen,' modifying whatever noun follows.
Sample Sentences:
यह चोरी का सामान है।
This is stolen goods.
(yah chorii kaa saamaan hai।)
पुलिस ने उसके घर से चोरी का सारा सामान बरामद कर लिया।
The police recovered all the stolen goods from his house.
(pulis ne uske ghar se chorii kaa saaraa saamaan baraamad kar liyaa।)
यह मोबाइल चोरी का निकला।
This mobile turned out to be a stolen item.
(yah mobaail chorii kaa niklaa।)
अगर तुम्हें पता होता कि यह साइकिल चोरी की है, तो क्या तुम फिर भी खरीदते?
If you had known this bicycle was a stolen item, would you still have bought it?
(agar tumhen pataa hotaa ki yah saaikil chorii kii hai, to kyaa tum phir bhii khariidte?)
चोरी का माल कभी घर में मत रखो।
Never keep stolen items at home.
(chorii kaa maal kabhii ghar men mat rakho।)
दुकानदार ने चोरी का गहना पहचान लिया।
The shopkeeper recognized the stolen jewelry.
(dukaandaar ne chorii kaa gahnaa pahchaan liyaa।)
अगर यह घड़ी चोरी की निकले, तो हम पर भी शक होगा।
If this watch turns out to be a stolen item, we too will be suspected.
(agar yah ghadii chorii kii nikle, to ham par bhii shak hogaa।)
बाज़ार में चोरी का सामान भी बिकता है, बस पता होना चाहिए कहाँ जाना है।
Stolen goods are sold in the market too, you just need to know where to go.
(baazaar men chorii kaa saamaan bhii biktaa hai, bas pataa honaa chaahie kahaan jaanaa hai।)
यह टीवी चोरी का बताया गया था, इसलिए हमने पुलिस को सूचना दे दी।
This TV was reported to be a stolen item, so we informed the police.
(yah tiivii chorii kaa bataayaa gayaa thaa, islie hamne pulis ko soochnaa de dii।)
Sense
3
:
doing something secretly, on the sly (figurative, as in चोरी-चोरी or चोरी से)
noun, feminine Common as the adverbial phrase चोरी से (chorii se, 'secretly, on the sly') and in the doubled form चोरी-चोरी (chorii-chorii), both describing an action done without others' knowledge, not necessarily theft.
Synonyms: छुप-छुप कर (chhup-chhup kar, on the sly), गुपचुप (gupchup, quietly/secretly)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: This figurative sense powers the classic scolding chori-chori chupke-chupke (chorii-chorii chhupke-chhupke, 'secretly, on the sly') -- also a beloved Bollywood film title -- capturing that very Indian family drama of doing something behind someone's back, whether it's eating a snack before dinner or meeting someone the family disapproves of.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners can miss that चोरी से (chorii se) often has nothing to do with stealing -- मैंने चोरी से देखा (mainne chorii se dekhaa, 'I peeked secretly') is about sneaking a look, not taking anything.
Sample Sentences:
उसने चोरी से मेरा फोन उठाकर देख लिया।
He secretly picked up my phone and looked through it.
(usne chorii se meraa phon uthaakar dekh liyaa।)
बच्चे चोरी-चोरी छुपके-छुपके छत पर मिलते रहे।
The kids kept meeting on the terrace secretly, on the sly.
(bachche chorii-chorii chhupke-chhupke chhat par milte rahe।)
तुम चोरी से घर से बाहर मत जाना।
Don't go out of the house sneaking around.
(tum chorii se ghar se baahar mat jaanaa।)
अगर वह चोरी से सिगरेट न पीता तो पापा को पता ही न चलता।
If he hadn't been smoking on the sly, Papa would never have found out.
(agar vah chorii se sigret n piitaa to paapaa ko pataa hii n chaltaa।)
मुझे शक है कि वह चोरी से किसी से मिल रही है।
I suspect she is secretly seeing someone.
(mujhe shak hai ki vah chorii se kisii se mil rahii hai।)
शायद वह चोरी से पैसे बचा रहा हो अपने लिए।
Maybe he's secretly saving up some money for himself.
(shaayad vah chorii se paise bachaa rahaa ho apne lie।)
पूरा मामला इतनी चोरी-छुपे निपटाया गया कि किसी को खबर ही नहीं हुई।
The whole matter was handled so secretly that no one even got wind of it.
(pooraa maamlaa itnii chorii-chhupe niptaayaa gayaa ki kisii ko khabar hii nahiin huii।)
क्या तुम हमेशा चोरी से यह सब करोगे या कभी सामने आकर बताओगे?
Will you always do all this on the sly, or will you ever come out and tell us?
(kyaa tum hameshaa chorii se yah sab karoge yaa kabhii saamne aakar bataaoge?)
घरवालों को यह रिश्ता पसंद नहीं था, इसलिए दोनों चोरी-चोरी मिलते थे।
The family didn't approve of this relationship, so the two of them used to meet secretly.
(gharvaalon ko yah rishtaa pasand nahiin thaa, islie donon chorii-chorii milte the।)
बेहतर होगा कि तुम चोरी-छुपे काम न करो, सब कुछ खुलकर बताओ।
It would be better if you didn't do things on the sly and told everyone openly.
(behtar hogaa ki tum chorii-chhupe kaam n karo, sab kuchh khulkar bataao।)
Morphology
Noun
(sg.f.direct):
चोरी
(chorii)
(sg.f.oblique):
चोरी
(chorii)
(pl.f.direct):
चोरियाँ
(choriyaan)
(pl.f.oblique):
चोरियों
(choriyon)