कीचड़ (kiichad)

noun A concrete noun for the mud/muck/slush that forms after rain or near water, with a common figurative extension to moral filth or a degrading situation.
Sense 1 : mud, slush, muck
noun, masculine
Synonyms: गाद (gaad, sediment/silt), दलदल (daldal, marshy mud/bog)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: This is the word every Delhi-NCR parent yells about the moment monsoon starts -- गली में कीचड़ हो गया है (galii men kiichad ho gayaa hai, 'the lane has turned to mud') is a near-daily complaint from July to September. It's also the word used for the grimy street-corner puddles that motorbikes splash through.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often try to pluralize it like a count noun; कीचड़ (kiichad) is normally treated as a mass noun, so quantity is expressed with phrases like बहुत कीचड़ (bahut kiichad, 'a lot of mud') rather than a plural form. 2) Don't confuse with धूल (dhool, 'dust'), which is dry -- कीचड़ (kiichad) specifically implies wetness.
Sample Sentences:
बारिश के बाद गली में बहुत कीचड़ हो गया है। After the rain, the lane has turned into a lot of mud.
(baarish ke baad galii men bahut kiichad ho gayaa hai।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
बाइक कीचड़ में फिसल गई। The bike skidded in the mud.
(baaik kiichad men phisal gaii।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
मानसून में यह गली रोज़ कीचड़ से भर जाती है। During the monsoon, this lane fills up with mud every day.
(maansoon men yah galii roz kiichad se bhar jaatii hai।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
अपने जूते साफ़ कर लो, कीचड़ लगा हुआ है। Clean your shoes, they've got mud on them.
(apne joote saaf kar lo, kiichad lagaa huaa hai।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Imperative -- Voice: Active
बच्चे कीचड़ में खेल रहे थे। The children were playing in the mud.
(bachche kiichad men khel rahe the।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Continuous -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
अगर नगर निगम सड़क ठीक कर देता, तो यहाँ कीचड़ न होता। If the municipal corporation had fixed the road, there wouldn't be mud here.
(agar nagar nigam sadak thiik kar detaa, to yahaan kiichad n hotaa।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Counterfactual -- Aspect: Habitual -- Voice: Active
सड़क किनारे कीचड़ जमा हो गया है, संभलकर चलिए। Mud has piled up along the roadside, walk carefully.
(sadak kinaare kiichad jamaa ho gayaa hai, sambhalkar chalie।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
पूरा मैदान कीचड़ से भरा पड़ा है। The whole field is lying covered in mud.
(pooraa maidaan kiichad se bharaa padaa hai।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
गाड़ी कीचड़ में इतनी धँस गई कि निकालना मुश्किल हो गया। The car sank so deep in the mud that it became hard to get it out.
(gaadii kiichad men itnii dhans gaii ki nikaalnaa mushkil ho gayaa।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
उम्मीद है कि नाली साफ़ होने के बाद यहाँ कीचड़ न हो। Hopefully there won't be mud here once the drain is cleaned.
(ummiid hai ki naalii saaf hone ke baad yahaan kiichad n ho।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Subjunctive -- Voice: Active
मज़दूरों ने ईंटें बिछाकर कीचड़ पर रास्ता बना दिया। The workers laid bricks and made a path over the mud.
(mazdooron ne iinten bichhaakar kiichad par raastaa banaa diyaa।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
Sense 2 : figurative: moral filth, degrading mess
noun, masculine Common in the set idiom कीचड़ में फंसना (kiichad men phansnaa, 'to get stuck in the muck') and the transitive कीचड़ फेंकना (kiichad phenknaa, 'to fling mud/mudsling at someone').
Synonyms: गंदगी (gandgii, filth/dirt, broader sense)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: You'll hear this constantly in Indian political commentary: एक-दूसरे पर कीचड़ फेंकना (ek-doosre par kiichad phenknaa, 'to fling mud at each other') is the standard phrase for politicians trading accusations, much like English 'mudslinging' -- the metaphor maps almost perfectly across the two languages.
Common Mistakes: 1) कीचड़ फेंकना (kiichad phenknaa) means to sling mud at someone's reputation, not literal mud-throwing -- learners sometimes miss the idiomatic, character-attacking sense in news and political contexts.
Sample Sentences:
चुनाव के समय नेता एक-दूसरे पर कीचड़ उछालने लगते हैं। At election time, leaders start flinging mud at each other.
(chunaav ke samay netaa ek-doosre par kiichad uchhaalne lagte hain।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
दोनों पार्टियाँ एक-दूसरे पर कीचड़ फेंक रही हैं। Both parties are flinging mud at each other.
(donon paartiyaan ek-doosre par kiichad phenk rahii hain।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Continuous -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
उसने अपने प्रतिद्वंद्वी पर तरह-तरह के आरोपों का कीचड़ उछाला। He flung all kinds of accusations, like mud, at his rival.
(usne apne pratidvandvii par tarah-tarah ke aaropon kaa kiichad uchhaalaa।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
इस घोटाले ने पूरे परिवार के नाम पर कीचड़ पोत दिया है। This scandal has smeared the whole family's name with muck.
(is ghotaale ne poore parivaar ke naam par kiichad pot diyaa hai।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
कृपया बहस को इस स्तर तक मत गिराइए कि एक-दूसरे पर कीचड़ उछालने लगें। Please don't lower the debate to the level of flinging mud at each other.
(kripyaa bahas ko is star tak mat giraaie ki ek-doosre par kiichad uchhaalne lagen।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Imperative -- Voice: Active
अगर मीडिया थोड़ा जिम्मेदार होता, तो नेताओं का कीचड़ यूँ हर शाम टीवी पर न फैलता। If the media were a bit more responsible, the leaders' muck wouldn't get spread across TV every evening like this.
(agar miidiyaa thodaa jimmedaar hotaa, to netaaon kaa kiichad yoon har shaam tiivii par n phailtaa।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Counterfactual -- Aspect: Habitual -- Voice: Active
अपने भाषण में उसने विरोधी दल पर जमकर कीचड़ उछाला। In his speech, he really slung mud at the opposition party.
(apne bhaashan men usne virodhii dal par jamkar kiichad uchhaalaa।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
मुझे नहीं लगता कि इस कीचड़ भरी राजनीति में कोई ईमानदार आदमी टिक पाएगा। I don't think any honest man will be able to survive in this muck-filled politics.
(mujhe nahiin lagtaa ki is kiichad bharii raajniiti men koii iimaandaar aadmii tik paaegaa।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Future -- Voice: Active
समाचार चैनल चाहते हैं कि नेता आपस में और कीचड़ उछालें, ताकि टीआरपी बढ़े। The news channels want the leaders to fling more mud at each other so the TRP goes up.
(samaachaar chainal chaahte hain ki netaa aapas men aur kiichad uchhaalen, taaki tiiaarpii badhe।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Subjunctive -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
एक-दूसरे पर कीचड़ फेंकने से पहले अपने गिरेबान में झाँक लेना चाहिए। Before flinging mud at each other, one should look inward at oneself.
(ek-doosre par kiichad phenkne se pahle apne girebaan men jhaank lenaa chaahie।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Subjunctive -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
इस भ्रष्टाचार के कीचड़ में पूरा प्रशासन डूब चुका है। The whole administration has already sunk into this muck of corruption.
(is bhrashtaachaar ke kiichad men pooraa prashaasan doob chukaa hai।)
Register: Literary -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
Morphology
Noun
(sg.m.direct): कीचड़ (kiichad)
(sg.m.oblique): कीचड़ (kiichad)
(pl.m.direct): कीचड़ (kiichad)
(pl.m.oblique): कीचड़ों (kiichdon)