पानी (paanii)
noun
Mainly means 'water' in everyday speech, with extended figurative uses covering shine/quality of a gemstone and, in idioms, courage or self-respect.
Sense
1
:
water
noun, masculine
Synonyms: जल (jal, formal/literary)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: Offering a guest पानी (paanii) the moment they sit down is such a basic hospitality reflex in most Indian homes that its absence would be noticed. You will also hear पानी (paanii) used loosely for any drinkable liquid in context, like नारियल का पानी (naariyal kaa paanii, 'coconut water').
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often reach for जल (jal) by default because it looks like a 'dictionary' word, but in daily speech पानी (paanii) is what people actually ask for, order, or offer -- जल (jal) shows up mainly in religious, formal, or written contexts (like गंगाजल (gangaajal)). 2) पानी पीना (paanii piinaa, 'to drink water') is the everyday phrase; learners sometimes overthink the verb choice here when पीना (piinaa) is simply the right one.
Sample Sentences:
मुझे प्यास लगी है, क्या आप पानी दे सकते हैं?
I'm thirsty, can you give me some water?
(mujhe pyaas lagii hai, kyaa aap paanii de sakte hain?)
जैसे ही मेहमान बैठे, उसने उन्हें पानी दिया।
As soon as the guests sat down, she gave them water.
(jaise hii mehmaan baithe, usne unhen paanii diyaa।)
गर्मियों में हम रोज़ आठ गिलास पानी पीते हैं।
In summer, we drink eight glasses of water every day.
(garmiyon men ham roz aath gilaas paanii piite hain।)
कृपया मुझे थोड़ा पानी दीजिए।
Please give me a little water.
(kripyaa mujhe thodaa paanii diijie।)
नल का पानी उबल रहा है।
The tap water is boiling.
(nal kaa paanii ubal rahaa hai।)
अगर बारिश और होती तो नदी का पानी घरों में घुस जाता।
If it had rained more, the river water would have flooded into the houses.
(agar baarish aur hotii to nadii kaa paanii gharon men ghus jaataa।)
बच्चे को नारियल का पानी बहुत पसंद है।
The child really likes coconut water.
(bachche ko naariyal kaa paanii bahut pasand hai।)
इस इलाके में पानी बहुत गंदा है, इसे उबाल कर पीना चाहिए।
The water in this area is very dirty, it should be boiled before drinking.
(is ilaake men paanii bahut gandaa hai, ise ubaal kar piinaa chaahie।)
बाढ़ में पूरा गाँव पानी से भर गया था।
During the flood, the whole village had filled up with water.
(baadh men pooraa gaanv paanii se bhar gayaa thaa।)
पानी को साफ करने के लिए फिल्टर लगाया जाता है।
A filter is installed to purify the water.
(paanii ko saaph karne ke lie philtar lagaayaa jaataa hai।)
कल तक बारिश का सारा पानी सूख जाएगा।
By tomorrow all the rainwater will have dried up.
(kal tak baarish kaa saaraa paanii sookh jaaegaa।)
Sense
2
:
self-respect, honor, courage
noun, masculine Lives inside idioms such as पानी उतर जाना (paanii utar jaanaa, 'to lose one's honor/be disgraced') and पानी भरना (paanii bharnaa, 'to be far inferior to someone,' literally 'to fetch water for someone').
Synonyms: इज़्ज़त (izzat), ग़ैरत (ghairat)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: Hindi ties self-respect to पानी (paanii) the way English ties it to 'face' -- so किसी का पानी उतार देना (kisii kaa paanii utaar denaa, 'to strip someone of their dignity') is a vivid, commonly heard insult in arguments and dramatic dialogue alike.
Common Mistakes: 1) पानी भरना (paanii bharnaa) does not mean literally fetching water in its idiomatic use -- it means someone doesn't even measure up to another person, as in किसी के आगे पानी भरना (kisii ke aage paanii bharnaa, 'to be no match for someone'). 2) पानी उतरना (paanii utarnaa) for 'losing face' can confuse learners who only know पानी (paanii) as liquid water; this sense is entirely figurative.
Sample Sentences:
उसने सबके सामने मेरा पानी उतार दिया।
He stripped me of my dignity in front of everyone.
(usne sabke saamne meraa paanii utaar diyaa।)
जिसमें इतना पानी न हो, वह ऐसी बात कैसे कह सकता है?
How can someone with so little mettle say a thing like that?
(jismen itnaa paanii n ho, vah aisii baat kaise kah saktaa hai?)
अगर उसमें थोड़ा भी पानी होता, तो वह माफी माँगने नहीं आता।
If he had even a little self-respect, he wouldn't have come to apologize.
(agar usmen thodaa bhii paanii hotaa, to vah maaphii maangne nahiin aataa।)
अपना पानी बनाए रखो, चाहे कुछ भी हो जाए।
Keep your honor intact, no matter what happens.
(apnaa paanii banaae rakho, chaahe kuchh bhii ho jaae।)
उस आदमी में इतना पानी है कि वह कभी झुकता नहीं।
That man has so much mettle that he never bows down.
(us aadmii men itnaa paanii hai ki vah kabhii jhuktaa nahiin।)
पंचायत में उसका सारा पानी उतर गया था।
His honor had been completely stripped away at the village council meeting.
(panchaayat men uskaa saaraa paanii utar gayaa thaa।)
क्या उसमें इतना पानी बचा है कि वह सच बोल सके?
Does he still have enough backbone left to speak the truth?
(kyaa usmen itnaa paanii bachaa hai ki vah sach bol sake?)
बेटे के सामने बाप का पानी उतारना कोई बड़प्पन नहीं है।
Stripping a father's dignity in front of his son is no mark of greatness.
(bete ke saamne baap kaa paanii utaarnaa koii badappan nahiin hai।)
समाज में उसका पानी अब भी कायम है।
His standing in society still remains intact.
(samaaj men uskaa paanii ab bhii kaayam hai।)
Sense
3
:
luster, quality (of a gem)
noun, masculine Used almost exclusively in the fixed phrase किसी पानी का हीरा होना (kisii paanii kaa hiiraa honaa) or similar constructions describing quality/caliber of a person or gem.
Synonyms: चमक (chamak)
Frequency: low
Cultural Note: This comes from the old jeweler's practice of grading diamonds by their 'water' or clarity -- पहले पानी का हीरा (pahle paanii kaa hiiraa, 'a first-water diamond') still gets used to praise a person as top-notch, much like the English idiom.
Common Mistakes: 1) This sense only survives in set expressions like पहले पानी का (pahle paanii kaa, 'first-rate, top quality') -- learners shouldn't try to use पानी (paanii) alone to mean 'shine' outside such fixed phrases.
Sample Sentences:
यह हीरा पहले पानी का है।
This diamond is of the first water.
(yah hiiraa pahle paanii kaa hai।)
वह अपने काम का पहले पानी का कारीगर है।
He is a first-rate craftsman at his work.
(vah apne kaam kaa pahle paanii kaa kaariigar hai।)
जौहरी ने हीरे का पानी परखा।
The jeweler assessed the diamond's luster.
(jauhrii ne hiire kaa paanii parkhaa।)
पुराने समय में जौहरी रत्नों का पानी देखकर उनकी कीमत लगाते थे।
In olden times, jewelers used to set the price of gems by judging their luster.
(puraane samay men jauhrii ratnon kaa paanii dekhkar unkii kiimat lagaate the।)
समय के साथ इस मोती का पानी कम हो गया है।
Over time, this pearl's luster has diminished.
(samay ke saath is motii kaa paanii kam ho gayaa hai।)
अगर तुम असली हीरे पहचानना चाहते हो तो पहले उनका पानी परखना सीखो।
If you want to recognize real diamonds, first learn to judge their luster.
(agar tum aslii hiire pahchaannaa chaahte ho to pahle unkaa paanii parakhnaa siikho।)
क्या इस पत्थर का पानी असली हीरे जैसा है?
Does this stone have a luster like a real diamond?
(kyaa is patthar kaa paanii aslii hiire jaisaa hai?)
यदि यह मोती पहले पानी का होता, तो इसकी कीमत लाखों में होती।
If this pearl were of the first water, its price would be in the lakhs.
(yadi yah motii pahle paanii kaa hotaa, to iskii kiimat laakhon men hotii।)
इस हार में लगे नगीनों का पानी देखकर सब मुग्ध हो गए।
Seeing the luster of the gems set in this necklace, everyone was enchanted.
(is haar men lage nagiinon kaa paanii dekhkar sab mugdh ho gae।)
Morphology
Noun
(sg.m.direct):
पानी
(paanii)
(sg.m.oblique):
पानी
(paanii)
(pl.m.direct):
पानी
(paanii)
(pl.m.oblique):
पानीयों
(paaniiyon)