हाथी (haathii)

noun A single, straightforward sense: 'elephant' -- both the literal animal and a small set of common figurative uses built on the image of an elephant's size and grandeur.

Sense 1 : elephant (the animal)

noun, masculine

Synonyms: गज (gaj, literary), हस्ती (hastii, literary)

Frequency: high

Cultural Note: Elephants are woven into everyday Indian life, not just zoos and forests -- from temple processions in the south to wedding baraats in the north, and of course Ganesh ji's (ganesh jii) head. In Delhi you're most likely to meet हाथी (haathii) in idioms, kids' rhymes, or the chess piece (the 'elephant' is actually the bishop in Indian chaupar/chess terminology).

Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes forget हाथी (haathii) is masculine even when referring to a female elephant -- gender here tracks the word, not the animal's biological sex, unlike some animal names in English usage.

Sample Sentences:

चिड़ियाघर में बच्चों ने हाथी देखा। The children saw an elephant at the zoo.

(chidiyaaghar men bachchon ne haathii dekhaa।)

हाथी बहुत बड़ा जानवर होता है। The elephant is a very large animal.

(haathii bahut badaa jaanvar hotaa hai।)

शादी की बारात में एक सजा हुआ हाथी आगे-आगे चल रहा था। A decorated elephant was walking at the front of the wedding procession.

(shaadii kii baaraat men ek sajaa huaa haathii aage-aage chal rahaa thaa।)

मंदिर के बाहर एक हाथी खड़ा है। An elephant is standing outside the temple.

(mandir ke baahar ek haathii khadaa hai।)

अगर चिड़ियाघर खुला होता, तो हम हाथी को खाना खिलाते। If the zoo had been open, we would have fed the elephant.

(agar chidiyaaghar khulaa hotaa, to ham haathii ko khaanaa khilaate।)

हाथी को मत छेड़ो, वरना वह गुस्सा हो जाएगा। Don't tease the elephant, or it will get angry.

(haathii ko mat chhedo, varnaa vah gussaa ho jaaegaa।)

चौपड़ में हाथी की चाल तिरछी होती है। In chaupar, the elephant piece moves diagonally.

(chaupad men haathii kii chaal tirchhii hotii hai।)

मुझे उम्मीद है कि जंगल में हाथियों की संख्या बढ़े। I hope that the number of elephants in the forest increases.

(mujhe ummiid hai ki jangal men haathiyon kii sankhyaa badhe।)

जंगल में शिकारियों द्वारा एक हाथी मार दिया गया। An elephant was killed by poachers in the forest.

(jangal men shikaariyon dvaaraa ek haathii maar diyaa gayaa।)

बचपन में मुझे 'हाथी राजा' वाला गाना बहुत पसंद था। As a child, I really liked the 'Elephant King' rhyme.

(bachpan men mujhe 'haathii raajaa' vaalaa gaanaa bahut pasand thaa।)

गणेश जी का सिर हाथी का है। Ganesh ji's head is that of an elephant.

(ganesh jii kaa sir haathii kaa hai।)

Sense 2 : something huge, unwieldy, or hard to maintain (figurative)

noun, masculine Used attributively or in comparison to describe something oversized or costly to upkeep, often in the set phrase सफ़ेद हाथी (safed haathii, 'white elephant' -- a costly, useless burden), which is a direct calque of the English idiom.

Frequency: medium

Cultural Note: You'll hear सफ़ेद हाथी (safed haathii) used in news and everyday griping about government projects -- a big stadium or scheme that costs a fortune to maintain and does nobody much good.

Common Mistakes: 1) सफ़ेद हाथी (safed haathii) is borrowed from English idiom, so learners sometimes assume it is a native Hindi image -- worth knowing it isn't a coincidence if you already know the English phrase.

Sample Sentences:

यह प्रोजेक्ट तो सफ़ेद हाथी बन गया है। This project has turned into a white elephant.

(yah projekt to safed haathii ban gayaa hai।)

सरकार के पास ऐसे कई सफ़ेद हाथी पड़े हैं जिन पर हर साल करोड़ों खर्च होते हैं। The government has several such white elephants on which crores are spent every year.

(sarkaar ke paas aise kaii safed haathii pade hain jin par har saal karodon kharch hote hain।)

यह स्टेडियम बनने से पहले ही सफ़ेद हाथी साबित होने लगा था। This stadium had started proving to be a white elephant even before it was finished.

(yah stediyam banne se pahle hii safed haathii saabit hone lagaa thaa।)

अगर योजना पर ठीक से सोचा नहीं गया तो यह भी सफ़ेद हाथी बन जाएगी। If the scheme isn't thought through properly, this too will become a white elephant.

(agar yojnaa par thiik se sochaa nahiin gayaa to yah bhii safed haathii ban jaaegii।)

उस बंगले को मत खरीदो, वह तो एक हाथी है जिसे पालना मुश्किल होगा। Don't buy that bungalow, it's an elephant that will be hard to maintain.

(us bangle ko mat khariido, vah to ek haathii hai jise paalnaa mushkil hogaa।)

काश हमने वह पुरानी फैक्ट्री न खरीदी होती, वह तो हाथी निकली। I wish we hadn't bought that old factory, it turned out to be a white elephant.

(kaash hamne vah puraanii phaiktrii n khariidii hotii, vah to haathii niklii।)

अखबार वाले हर सरकारी योजना को सफ़ेद हाथी कहने से नहीं चूकते। The newspapers never miss a chance to call every government scheme a white elephant.

(akhbaar vaale har sarkaarii yojnaa ko safed haathii kahne se nahiin chookte।)

क्या यह हवाई अड्डा सचमुच सफ़ेद हाथी है या इसका भविष्य में फ़ायदा होगा? Is this airport really a white elephant, or will it be useful in the future?

(kyaa yah havaaii addaa sachmuch safed haathii hai yaa iskaa bhavishy men faaydaa hogaa?)

इतने बड़े मकान को अकेले संभालना तो हाथी पालने जैसा है। Managing such a huge house alone is like keeping an elephant.

(itne bade makaan ko akele sambhaalnaa to haathii paalne jaisaa hai।)

यह योजना करदाताओं के पैसे पर पलता एक सफ़ेद हाथी बन चुकी है। This scheme has become a white elephant feeding on taxpayers' money.

(yah yojnaa kardaataaon ke paise par paltaa ek safed haathii ban chukii hai।)

Morphology

Noun

(sg.m.direct): हाथी (haathii)

(sg.m.oblique): हाथी (haathii)

(pl.m.direct): हाथी (haathii)

(pl.m.oblique): हाथीयों (haathiiyon)