चंदा (chandaa)
noun
Two distinct senses: (1) a collected contribution or donation (as for a community event), and (2) an affectionate, poetic word for the moon, often used with children. Also spelled चांदा (chaandaa) in some regions, though चंदा (chandaa) is dominant in Delhi-NCR.
Sense
1
:
collection/donation of money
noun, masculine
Synonyms: दान (daan), अनुदान (anudaan, formal, often for larger/institutional grants), योगदान (yogdaan, contribution in a broader sense, not always money)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: This is the word you will hear when neighborhood boys knock on your door before a festival asking for चंदा (chandaa) for the pandal or the loudspeaker system -- it has a slightly informal, community-organizing flavor that दान (daan) lacks. It is also the everyday word for a magazine or newspaper subscription fee in some contexts, though that use is less common now.
Common Mistakes: 1) चंदा (chandaa) specifically implies money collected from a group of people for a shared cause (a wedding gift pool, a Durga Puja pandal, a local cricket tournament) -- it is not used for a single person's personal charity to a beggar or temple, where दान (daan) is preferred. 2) The common verb pairing is चंदा इकट्ठा करना (chandaa ikatthaa karnaa, 'to collect contributions') or चंदा देना (chandaa denaa, 'to give a contribution') -- learners sometimes reach for दान देना (daan denaa) here, which sounds oddly formal/religious for a casual neighborhood collection.
Sample Sentences:
होली के लिए चंदा इकट्ठा करने वाले लड़के फिर आ गए हैं।
The boys collecting contributions for Holi have come around again.
(holii ke lie chandaa ikatthaa karne vaale ladke phir aa gae hain।)
पिछले साल हमने पूरी गली से चंदा माँगा था।
Last year we asked for contributions from the whole street.
(pichhle saal hamne poorii galii se chandaa maangaa thaa।)
क्या आप गणेश पंडाल के लिए कुछ चंदा देंगे?
Will you give some contribution for the Ganesh pandal?
(kyaa aap ganesh pandaal ke lie kuchh chandaa denge?)
हर साल दुर्गा पूजा के वक्त वे घर-घर जाकर चंदा माँगते हैं।
Every year at the time of Durga Puja, they go door to door asking for contributions.
(har saal durgaa poojaa ke vakt ve ghar-ghar jaakar chandaa maangte hain।)
अगर सबने थोड़ा-थोड़ा चंदा दिया तो लाउडस्पीकर का इंतज़ाम हो जाएगा।
If everyone gives a little contribution, the loudspeaker arrangement will get sorted out.
(agar sabne thodaa-thodaa chandaa diyaa to laaudaspiikar kaa intzaam ho jaaegaa।)
कृपया इस चंदे की रसीद ज़रूर लें।
Please do make sure to take the receipt for this contribution.
(kripyaa is chande kii rasiid zaroor len।)
अगर उस समय हमारे पास ज़्यादा चंदा होता तो पंडाल इतना छोटा न होता।
If we had had more contributions at that time, the pandal wouldn't have been so small.
(agar us samay hamaare paas zyaadaa chandaa hotaa to pandaal itnaa chhotaa n hotaa।)
समिति द्वारा इकट्ठा किया गया चंदा मंदिर के जीर्णोद्धार में लगाया जाएगा।
The contribution collected by the committee will be used for the temple's renovation.
(samiti dvaaraa ikatthaa kiyaa gayaa chandaa mandir ke jiirnoddhaar men lagaayaa jaaegaa।)
मैं इस बार पत्रिका का चंदा भरना भूल गया।
I forgot to pay the magazine subscription fee this time.
(main is baar patrikaa kaa chandaa bharnaa bhool gayaa।)
चंदा वसूल करने का काम इस बार रमेश को दिया गया है।
The task of collecting contributions has this time been given to Ramesh.
(chandaa vasool karne kaa kaam is baar ramesh ko diyaa gayaa hai।)
बच्चों से भी दो-दो रुपए चंदा वसूला जा रहा है।
Even two rupees each is being collected as contribution from the children.
(bachchon se bhii do-do rupae chandaa vasoolaa jaa rahaa hai।)
Sense
2
:
the moon (affectionate/poetic)
noun, masculine
Synonyms: चाँद (chaand), चंद्रमा (chandrmaa, literary/formal), चंद्र (chandr, literary)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: This is the moon of lullabies -- चंदा मामा (chandaa maamaa, 'Uncle Moon') is how generations of Hindi-speaking children have been taught to address the moon, treating it as a beloved family elder who might come down and play. It carries none of the collection-money sense above; the two are unrelated homonyms that happen to share a form.
Common Mistakes: 1) चंदा (chandaa) is the diminutive, endearing form -- it is what you say to a baby or in a lullaby, not what you'd use in a weather report or a scientific sentence about the moon's orbit, where चाँद (chaand) or चंद्रमा (chandrmaa) fits better.
Sample Sentences:
देखो, चंदा मामा कितने प्यारे लग रहे हैं!
Look, how sweet Uncle Moon looks!
(dekho, chandaa maamaa kitne pyaare lag rahe hain!)
दादी हर रात बच्चों को चंदा मामा की कहानी सुनाती थीं।
Grandma used to tell the children a story about Uncle Moon every night.
(daadii har raat bachchon ko chandaa maamaa kii kahaanii sunaatii thiin।)
चंदा आज बादलों के पीछे छिपा हुआ है।
The moon is hidden behind the clouds today.
(chandaa aaj baadlon ke piichhe chhipaa huaa hai।)
बच्ची ने चंदा से पूछा, "तुम मुझसे मिलने कब आओगे?"
The little girl asked the moon, "When will you come to meet me?"
(bachchii ne chandaa se poochhaa, "tum mujhse milne kab aaoge?")
चंदा मामा, आओ ना, थोड़ी देर मेरे साथ खेलो!
Uncle Moon, come on, play with me for a little while!
(chandaa maamaa, aao naa, thodii der mere saath khelo!)
यह लोरी सदियों से गाई जाती है, जिसमें चंदा को मामा कहा जाता है।
This lullaby has been sung for centuries, in which the moon is called Uncle.
(yah lorii sadiyon se gaaii jaatii hai, jismen chandaa ko maamaa kahaa jaataa hai।)
काश चंदा सच में आसमान से उतरकर हमारे आँगन में आ जाता।
If only the moon would really come down from the sky into our courtyard.
(kaash chandaa sach men aasmaan se utarkar hamaare aangan men aa jaataa।)
अगर चंदा हर रात इतना बड़ा दिखता, तो रातें और भी सुंदर लगतीं।
If the moon looked this big every night, the nights would seem even more beautiful.
(agar chandaa har raat itnaa badaa dikhtaa, to raaten aur bhii sundar lagtiin।)
माँ बोली, "सो जाओ बेटा, चंदा मामा भी सो गए हैं।"
Mother said, "Go to sleep, dear, Uncle Moon has gone to sleep too."
(maan bolii, "so jaao betaa, chandaa maamaa bhii so gae hain।")
शायद चंदा आज इसीलिए इतना चमक रहा हो कि त्योहार है।
Maybe the moon is shining so brightly today because it's a festival.
(shaayad chandaa aaj isiilie itnaa chamak rahaa ho ki tyohaar hai।)
Morphology
Noun
(sg.m.direct):
चंदा
(chandaa)
(sg.m.oblique):
चंदे
(chande)
(pl.m.direct):
चंदे
(chande)
(pl.m.oblique):
चंदों
(chandon)