दीया (diiyaa)
noun
A small oil lamp, traditionally made of clay, used in worship and festive lighting (most famously at दिवाली (divaalii)). One core sense, with a closely related figurative use in idioms about hope and life.
Sense
1
:
small clay oil lamp
noun, masculine
Synonyms: दीपक (diipak, literary), दीप (diip, literary)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: Every household in Delhi-NCR fills rows of these little clay lamps along windowsills and doorways at दिवाली (divaalii) -- the act of lighting them, called दीया जलाना (diiyaa jalaanaa, 'to light a lamp'), is itself a small ritual of welcoming light and prosperity. You'll also see them floating in rivers during आरती (aartii) or set out during other पूजा (poojaa) occasions.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes confuse दीया (diiyaa) with बल्ब (balb) or बिजली का लैंप (bijlii kaa laimp); दीया (diiyaa) specifically means the traditional wick-and-oil lamp, not any electric light. 2) Don't confuse with दिया (diyaa), the perfective form of देना (denaa, 'to give') -- they're spelled almost identically but the vowel length and meaning differ (दीया (diiyaa) has a long ई).
Sample Sentences:
दिवाली पर हम घर के बाहर दीये जलाते हैं।
On Diwali, we light oil lamps outside the house.
(divaalii par ham ghar ke baahar diiye jalaate hain।)
माँ ने खिड़की पर एक दीया रख दिया।
Mother placed an oil lamp on the windowsill.
(maan ne khidkii par ek diiyaa rakh diyaa।)
दरवाज़े के पास दीया जल रहा है।
An oil lamp is burning near the door.
(darvaaze ke paas diiyaa jal rahaa hai।)
कृपया आँगन में दीये जला दो।
Please light the oil lamps in the courtyard.
(kripyaa aangan men diiye jalaa do।)
पूजा के दौरान मंदिर में दीये जलाए जाते हैं।
During the puja, oil lamps are lit in the temple.
(poojaa ke dauraan mandir men diiye jalaae jaate hain।)
अगर बिजली न होती, तो हम दीये जलाते।
If there were no electricity, we would light oil lamps.
(agar bijlii n hotii, to ham diiye jalaate।)
नदी में दीये तैर रहे थे, हर एक में एक छोटी लौ थी।
Oil lamps were floating in the river, each with a tiny flame.
(nadii men diiye tair rahe the, har ek men ek chhotii lau thii।)
बाज़ार में मिट्टी के दीये बहुत सस्ते मिल रहे हैं।
Clay oil lamps are available very cheap in the market these days.
(baazaar men mittii ke diiye bahut saste mil rahe hain।)
शायद वो हर कमरे में एक दीया रख दे।
Maybe she'll place an oil lamp in every room.
(shaayad vo har kamre men ek diiyaa rakh de।)
आरती में पुजारी ने बड़े दीये से आरती की।
During the aarti, the priest performed it with a large oil lamp.
(aartii men pujaarii ne bade diiye se aartii kii।)
हर साल दिवाली पर हम नए दीये खरीदते हैं और पुराने फेंक देते हैं।
Every year on Diwali we buy new oil lamps and throw away the old ones.
(har saal divaalii par ham nae diiye khariidte hain aur puraane phenk dete hain।)
Sense
2
:
life/hope, figuratively (as something that can be lit or extinguished)
noun, masculine Occurs almost exclusively inside fixed phrases like दीया बुझना (diiyaa bujhnaa, 'the lamp to go out,' i.e. a life ending) or घर का दीया (ghar kaa diiyaa, 'the lamp of the house,' i.e. an heir/son) rather than as a freestanding literal noun.
Frequency: low
Cultural Note: Hindi often figures a person's life or a family's lineage as a दीया (diiyaa) that must be kept burning -- so घर का दीया (ghar kaa diiyaa) can mean 'the one who carries on the family line,' and a death is softened as दीया बुझ गया (diiyaa bujh gayaa, 'the lamp went out'). It's the same poetic instinct that gives English 'the flame of life.'
Common Mistakes: 1) This figurative sense only surfaces in set expressions -- learners shouldn't try to use दीया (diiyaa) alone to mean 'hope' the way they might use उम्मीद (ummiid); it needs the idiom's full frame to carry that meaning.
Sample Sentences:
उसकी मौत से घर का दीया बुझ गया।
With his death, the family's lamp went out.
(uskii maut se ghar kaa diiyaa bujh gayaa।)
वह अपने माँ-बाप का इकलौता दीया है।
He is his parents' only lamp -- the one who carries on their line.
(vah apne maan-baap kaa iklautaa diiyaa hai।)
भगवान करे, उसके घर का दीया कभी न बुझे।
God grant that his family's lamp never goes out.
(bhagvaan kare, uske ghar kaa diiyaa kabhii n bujhe।)
अगर वह बच जाता तो उसका दीया अभी जल रहा होता।
If he had survived, his lamp of life would still be burning.
(agar vah bach jaataa to uskaa diiyaa abhii jal rahaa hotaa।)
बुढ़ापे में भी उसकी आँखों का दीया रोशन था।
Even in old age, the lamp of life in her eyes still shone.
(budhaape men bhii uskii aankhon kaa diiyaa roshan thaa।)
युद्ध ने न जाने कितने घरों के दीये बुझा दिए।
The war extinguished the lamps of who knows how many households.
(yuddh ne n jaane kitne gharon ke diiye bujhaa die।)
बेटे के जन्म से घर का दीया फिर से जगमगा उठा।
With the son's birth, the family's lamp glowed bright once again.
(bete ke janm se ghar kaa diiyaa phir se jagamgaa uthaa।)
उम्मीद का दीया कभी मत बुझने दो।
Never let the lamp of hope go out.
(ummiid kaa diiyaa kabhii mat bujhne do।)
कहा जाता है कि इंसान के जीवन का दीया ऊपरवाले के हाथ में होता है।
It is said that the lamp of a person's life is in God's hands.
(kahaa jaataa hai ki insaan ke jiivan kaa diiyaa ooparvaale ke haath men hotaa hai।)
Morphology
Noun
(sg.m.direct):
दीया
(diiyaa)
(sg.m.oblique):
दीये
(diiye)
(pl.m.direct):
दीये
(diiye)
(pl.m.oblique):
दीयों
(diiyon)