चींटी (chiintii)

noun A common everyday noun meaning 'ant' -- one straightforward sense, frequently met in idioms about smallness and effort.
Sense 1 : ant (the insect)
noun, feminine
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: चींटी (chiintii) shows up constantly in Hindi proverbs and parental scoldings about patience and persistence -- for example the idea that even a tiny ant, working steadily, can carry loads far bigger than itself. It is also the go-to image for 'something so small you almost missed it,' much like 'ant' in English.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes mishear or misspell this as चिट्ठी (chitthii, 'letter') -- the words look and sound similar on paper but are unrelated. 2) The long ई and nasalization (chii-with-candrabindu) at the start are easy to drop; saying it flat can make it harder for listeners to catch.
Sample Sentences:
रसोई में चींटियाँ आ गई हैं। Ants have come into the kitchen.
(rasoii men chiintiyaan aa gaii hain।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
एक चींटी मेरे पैर पर चढ़ रही थी। An ant was climbing up my foot.
(ek chiintii mere pair par chadh rahii thii।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Continuous -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
चींटियाँ अपने से कई गुना बड़ा बोझ उठा लेती हैं। Ants pick up loads many times bigger than themselves.
(chiintiyaan apne se kaii gunaa badaa bojh uthaa letii hain।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
अगर चींटी लगातार मेहनत कर सकती है तो तुम क्यों नहीं? If an ant can work steadily and hard, then why can't you?
(agar chiintii lagaataar mehnat kar saktii hai to tum kyon nahiin?)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
मीठा गिरा नहीं कि चींटियाँ आ गईं। The sugar had barely spilled before the ants showed up.
(miithaa giraa nahiin ki chiintiyaan aa gaiin।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
अगर मैं चींटी होता, तो इतनी आसानी से दीवार पर चढ़ जाता। If I were an ant, I would climb up the wall this easily.
(agar main chiintii hotaa, to itnii aasaanii se diivaar par chadh jaataa।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Counterfactual -- Aspect: Habitual -- Voice: Active
मिठाई के डब्बे को ढँक दो, वरना चींटियाँ लग जाएँगी। Cover the sweet box, or else ants will swarm it.
(mithaaii ke dabbe ko dhank do, varnaa chiintiyaan lag jaaengii।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Future -- Voice: Active
डिब्बे को इतने ढंग से बंद करो कि उसमें चींटी न घुस सके। Close the container in such a way that not even an ant can get inside.
(dibbe ko itne dhang se band karo ki usmen chiintii n ghus sake।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Imperative -- Voice: Active
पत्तों के नीचे चींटियों की एक पूरी कतार बनी हुई थी। A whole line of ants had formed under the leaves.
(patton ke niiche chiintiyon kii ek poorii kataar banii huii thii।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
बगीचे में चींटियों को देखकर बच्चा बहुत खुश हुआ। The child was very happy seeing the ants in the garden.
(bagiiche men chiintiyon ko dekhkar bachchaa bahut khush huaa।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
शायद यह घोंसला किसी चींटी ने ही खोखला कर दिया हो। Perhaps it was some ant that hollowed out this nest.
(shaayad yah ghonslaa kisii chiintii ne hii khokhlaa kar diyaa ho।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Subjunctive -- Voice: Active
Morphology
Noun
(sg.f.direct): चींटी (chiintii)
(sg.f.oblique): चींटी (chiintii)
(pl.f.direct): चींटियाँ (chiintiyaan)
(pl.f.oblique): चींटियों (chiintiyon)