तौलिया (tauliyaa)

noun A simple, everyday noun meaning 'towel' -- one sense, borrowed into Hindi and fully naturalized.
Sense 1 : towel
noun, masculine
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: You will hear this word constantly around bathing, swimming pools, and gyms -- a typical Indian household keeps a designated नहाने का तौलिया (nahaane kaa tauliyaa, 'bathing towel') separate from the one used to dry hands or dishes, so context often decides which तौलिया (tauliyaa) someone means rather than a fresh noun.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes forget it is masculine and pair it with feminine agreement -- watch for मेरा तौलिया (meraa tauliyaa) not मेरी तौलिया (merii tauliyaa). 2) In casual speech people often just say तौलिया दो (tauliyaa do, 'give [me] a towel') without a determiner, which can feel abrupt to an English speaker expecting 'the/a towel' -- that bareness is normal here, not rudeness.
Sample Sentences:
बाथरूम में मेरा तौलिया कहाँ है? Where is my towel in the bathroom?
(baathroom men meraa tauliyaa kahaan hai?)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
नहाने के बाद वह हमेशा तौलिये से बाल सुखाती है। After bathing, she always dries her hair with a towel.
(nahaane ke baad vah hameshaa tauliye se baal sukhaatii hai।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
प्लीज़ मुझे एक साफ तौलिया दे दो। Please give me a clean towel.
(pliiz mujhe ek saaph tauliyaa de do।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Imperative -- Voice: Active
उसने गीला तौलिया पंखे के नीचे टांग दिया। He hung the wet towel under the fan.
(usne giilaa tauliyaa pankhe ke niiche taang diyaa।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
स्विमिंग पूल जाते वक्त तौलिया लेना मत भूलना। Don't forget to bring a towel when you go to the swimming pool.
(sviming pool jaate vakt tauliyaa lenaa mat bhoolnaa।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Imperative -- Voice: Active
अगर होटल में तौलिया न होता, तो हमें दिक्कत होती। If there hadn't been a towel in the hotel, we would have had trouble.
(agar hotal men tauliyaa n hotaa, to hamen dikkat hotii।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Counterfactual -- Aspect: Habitual -- Voice: Active
बर्तन पोंछने वाला तौलिया अलग रखा जाता है। The towel used for wiping dishes is kept separately.
(bartan ponchhne vaalaa tauliyaa alag rakhaa jaataa hai।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Passive
जिम में हर किसी के पास अपना तौलिया होना चाहिए। Everyone should have their own towel at the gym.
(jim men har kisii ke paas apnaa tauliyaa honaa chaahie।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Subjunctive -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
क्या तुम मुझे वह नीला तौलिया पकड़ा सकते हो? Can you hand me that blue towel?
(kyaa tum mujhe vah niilaa tauliyaa pakdaa sakte ho?)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
माँ ने नए तौलिये अलमारी में रख दिए हैं। Mom has put the new towels in the cupboard.
(maan ne nae tauliye almaarii men rakh die hain।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
क्या आप कृपया मेहमानों के लिए एक अतिरिक्त तौलिया भेज सकते हैं? Could you please send an extra towel for the guests?
(kyaa aap kripyaa mehmaanon ke lie ek atirikt tauliyaa bhej sakte hain?)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Subjunctive -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
Morphology
Noun
(sg.m.direct): तौलिया (tauliyaa)
(sg.m.oblique): तौलिये (tauliye)
(pl.m.direct): तौलिये (tauliye)
(pl.m.oblique): तौलियों (tauliyon)