गिलहरी (gilahrii)

noun A single-sense concrete noun meaning 'squirrel'; occasionally used affectionately or descriptively for someone quick and fidgety.
Sense 1 : squirrel
noun, feminine
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: Squirrels are everywhere in Delhi parks and gardens, darting up neem and peepal trees, so this is a word children learn very early -- often from the popular Hindi rhyme 'गिलहरी गिलहरी' (gilahrii gilahrii) sung to toddlers. In Hindu tradition, the striped markings on a squirrel's back are said to come from Lord Ram gently stroking one that helped build the bridge to Lanka, so the animal carries a small devotional resonance beyond its everyday use.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes assume the word is masculine because it ends in an -ई sound pattern unfamiliar to them, but गिलहरी (gilahrii) is always feminine regardless of the animal's actual sex, like most small-animal nouns in Hindi.
Sample Sentences:
गिलहरी पेड़ पर चढ़ रही है। The squirrel is climbing up the tree.
(gilahrii ped par chadh rahii hai।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Continuous -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
बगीचे में एक गिलहरी दौड़ रही थी। A squirrel was running around in the garden.
(bagiiche men ek gilahrii daud rahii thii।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Continuous -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
गिलहरियाँ अक्सर नीम के पेड़ों पर दिख जाती हैं। Squirrels are often spotted on neem trees.
(gilahriyaan aksar niim ke pedon par dikh jaatii hain।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
देखो, वो गिलहरी कितनी छोटी है! Look, how tiny that squirrel is!
(dekho, vo gilahrii kitnii chhotii hai!)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Imperative -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
बच्चों को गिलहरी गिलहरी वाली कविता बहुत पसंद है। Children love the 'gilahrii gilahrii' rhyme.
(bachchon ko gilahrii gilahrii vaalii kavitaa bahut pasand hai।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
कहते हैं कि गिलहरी की पीठ पर धारियाँ भगवान राम के हाथ के स्पर्श से बनी थीं। It is said that the stripes on a squirrel's back were formed by Lord Ram's touch.
(kahte hain ki gilahrii kii piith par dhaariyaan bhagvaan raam ke haath ke sparsh se banii thiin।)
Register: Devotional -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Passive
अगर तुम शांत बैठो, तो गिलहरी पास आ जाएगी। If you sit still, the squirrel will come near.
(agar tum shaant baitho, to gilahrii paas aa jaaegii।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Subjunctive -- Tense: Future -- Voice: Active
काश यहाँ भी कोई गिलहरी होती। I wish there were a squirrel here too.
(kaash yahaan bhii koii gilahrii hotii।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Counterfactual -- Aspect: Habitual -- Voice: Active
गिलहरी ने पूरा अखरोट अपने बिल में छुपा लिया। The squirrel hid the whole walnut in its burrow.
(gilahrii ne pooraa akhrot apne bil men chhupaa liyaa।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
उद्यान में गिलहरियों के लिए अलग से दाना रखा जाता है। Grain is kept separately for the squirrels in the garden.
(udyaan men gilahriyon ke lie alag se daanaa rakhaa jaataa hai।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Passive
Morphology
Noun
(sg.f.direct): गिलहरी (gilahrii)
(sg.f.oblique): गिलहरी (gilahrii)
(pl.f.direct): गिलहरियाँ (gilahriyaan)
(pl.f.oblique): गिलहरियों (gilahriyon)