निचोड़ (nichod)

verb/noun Primarily the everyday verb 'to wring/squeeze out' (as with wet clothes or a lemon), plus a related noun sense meaning 'essence, gist, the squeezed-out substance of something'.
Sense 1 : to wring, squeeze out (liquid from something)
verb, transitive
Synonyms: दबाना (dabaanaa, to press/squeeze, broader meaning), निकालना (nikaalnaa, to extract, broader meaning)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: Think of wringing out a wet towel or squeezing a lemon over daal (daal) -- this is the classic kitchen/laundry image behind निचोड़ना (nichodnaa). It's a very physical, hands-on verb that Hindi speakers also stretch into the abstract (see the noun sense below).
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes confuse this with दबाना (dabaanaa): निचोड़ना (nichodnaa) specifically implies squeezing liquid *out* of something (a wet cloth, a lemon), while दबाना (dabaanaa) is just pressing, with no implication of extracting liquid.
Sample Sentences:
गीले कपड़े को निचोड़ो, फिर सूखने के लिए डाल दो। Wring out the wet cloth, then hang it up to dry.
(giile kapde ko nichodo, phir sookhne ke lie daal do।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Imperative -- Voice: Active
मैं दाल में नींबू निचोड़ रही हूँ। I am squeezing lemon into the daal.
(main daal men niimboo nichod rahii hoon।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Continuous -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
उसने तौलिया निचोड़कर रस्सी पर टाँग दिया। She wrung out the towel and hung it on the line.
(usne tauliyaa nichodkar rassii par taang diyaa।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
कपड़े धोने के बाद उन्हें अच्छी तरह निचोड़ना चाहिए, वरना ज़्यादा देर तक गीले रहते हैं। After washing clothes, they should be wrung out well, otherwise they stay wet for a long time.
(kapde dhone ke baad unhen achchhii tarah nichodnaa chaahie, varnaa zyaadaa der tak giile rahte hain।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Subjunctive -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
अगर तुम कपड़ा ठीक से निचोड़ते तो फर्श इतना गीला न होता। If you had wrung out the cloth properly, the floor wouldn't have gotten this wet.
(agar tum kapdaa thiik se nichodte to pharsh itnaa giilaa n hotaa।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Counterfactual -- Aspect: Habitual -- Voice: Active
संतरे को दबाकर उसका रस निचोड़ लो। Press the orange and squeeze out its juice.
(santre ko dabaakar uskaa ras nichod lo।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Imperative -- Voice: Active
गीला तौलिया निचोड़ा जा रहा है ताकि उसे अलमारी में रखा जा सके। The wet towel is being wrung out so that it can be put in the cupboard.
(giilaa tauliyaa nichodaa jaa rahaa hai taaki use almaarii men rakhaa jaa sake।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Continuous -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Passive
बच्चे ने खेल-खेल में गीली मिट्टी को निचोड़कर पानी निकाल दिया। While playing, the child squeezed the wet mud and let the water out.
(bachche ne khel-khel men giilii mittii ko nichodkar paanii nikaal diyaa।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
क्या तुम यह भीगा हुआ बालों वाला तौलिया निचोड़ोगी? Will you wring out this towel soaked from your hair?
(kyaa tum yah bhiigaa huaa baalon vaalaa tauliyaa nichodogii?)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Future -- Voice: Active
पहले चादर को निचोड़ा जाए, तभी वह जल्दी सूखेगी। The sheet should first be wrung out, only then will it dry quickly.
(pahle chaadar ko nichodaa jaae, tabhii vah jaldii sookhegii।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Subjunctive -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Passive
Sense 2 : essence, gist, summary/extract of something
noun, masculine Common in the fixed phrase बात का निचोड़ (baat kaa nichod, 'the gist of the matter') or इस किताब का निचोड़ (is kitaab kaa nichod, 'the essence of this book').
Synonyms: सार (saar), सारांश (saaraansh, more formal/written), लब्बोलुआब (labboluaab, colloquial idiom, 'the long and short of it')
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: This is a lovely example of Hindi turning a very physical verb into an abstract noun: just as you wring water out of a wet cloth, you 'wring out' the real meaning or point from a long conversation, article, or experience. A teacher might end a rambling explanation with निचोड़ यह है कि... (nichod yah hai ki..., 'the gist of it is that...').
Common Mistakes: 1) This noun sense is figurative, built on the image of 'squeezing out' the essential content from a larger mass -- learners should picture it as what remains after everything unnecessary has been wrung out, not as a neutral synonym for 'summary'.
Sample Sentences:
इस पूरी बहस का निचोड़ यह है कि हमें मिलकर काम करना होगा। The gist of this whole debate is that we will have to work together.
(is poorii bahas kaa nichod yah hai ki hamen milkar kaam karnaa hogaa।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
टीचर ने लंबा लेक्चर दिया, पर निचोड़ यह था कि रोज़ पढ़ाई करो। The teacher gave a long lecture, but the gist was to study every day.
(tiichar ne lambaa lekchar diyaa, par nichod yah thaa ki roz padhaaii karo।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
क्या तुम मुझे इस लेख का निचोड़ बता सकते हो? Can you tell me the gist of this article?
(kyaa tum mujhe is lekh kaa nichod bataa sakte ho?)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
अनुभवों का निचोड़ निकालकर ही असली सीख मिलती है। It's only by extracting the essence of experiences that true learning comes.
(anubhvon kaa nichod nikaalkar hii aslii siikh miltii hai।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
उसकी पूरी ज़िंदगी का निचोड़ इन कुछ पंक्तियों में समाया हुआ है। The essence of his entire life is contained in these few lines.
(uskii poorii zindgii kaa nichod in kuchh panktiyon men samaayaa huaa hai।)
Register: Literary -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
अगर तुम निचोड़ समझ लेते, तो पूरी किताब पढ़ने की ज़रूरत नहीं पड़ती। If you had understood the gist, you wouldn't have needed to read the whole book.
(agar tum nichod samajh lete, to poorii kitaab padhne kii zaroorat nahiin padtii।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Counterfactual -- Aspect: Perfective -- Voice: Active
रिपोर्ट का निचोड़ पहले पैराग्राफ़ में ही दे दिया गया है। The gist of the report has been given right in the first paragraph.
(riport kaa nichod pahle pairaagraaf men hii de diyaa gayaa hai।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Passive
भाषण खत्म होने से पहले वक्ता ने निचोड़ पेश किया। Before the speech ended, the speaker presented the gist.
(bhaashan khatm hone se pahle vaktaa ne nichod pesh kiyaa।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
कृपया मीटिंग का निचोड़ मुझे ईमेल में भेज दें। Please send me the gist of the meeting in an email.
(kripyaa miiting kaa nichod mujhe iimel men bhej den।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Imperative -- Voice: Active
शायद इस कहानी का निचोड़ यही हो कि सब्र का फल मीठा होता है। Perhaps the gist of this story is that patience bears sweet fruit.
(shaayad is kahaanii kaa nichod yahii ho ki sabr kaa phal miithaa hotaa hai।)
Register: Literary -- Mood: Subjunctive -- Voice: Active
Morphology
Verb
infinitive: निचोड़ (nichod)
infinitive oblique: निचोडने (nichodne)
habitual/simple (sg.m): निचोडता (nichodtaa)
habitual/simple (pl.m): निचोडते (nichodte)
habitual/simple (sg.f): निचोडती (nichodtii)
habitual/simple (pl.f): निचोडतीं (nichodtiin)
continuous (sg.m): निचोड रहा (nichod rahaa)
continuous (pl.m): निचोड रहे (nichod rahe)
continuous (sg.f): निचोड रही (nichod rahii)
continuous (pl.f): निचोड रहीं (nichod rahiin)
perfective (sg.m): निचोडा (nichodaa)
perfective (pl.m): निचोडे (nichode)
perfective (sg.f): निचोडी (nichodii)
perfective (pl.f): निचोडीं (nichodiin)
imperative (informal): निचोड (nichod)
imperative (neutral): निचोडो (nichodo)
imperative (formal): निचोडिए (nichodie)
future (1sg.m): निचोडूँगा (nichodoongaa)
future (1sg.f): निचोडूँगी (nichodoongii)
future (1pl.m): निचोडेंगे (nichodenge)
future (1pl.f): निचोडेंगी (nichodengii)
future (2sg.m): निचोडेगा (nichodegaa)
future (2sg.f): निचोडेगी (nichodegii)
future (2pl.m): निचोडोगे (nichodoge)
future (2pl.f): निचोडोगी (nichodogii)
future (3sg.m): निचोडेगा (nichodegaa)
future (3sg.f): निचोडेगी (nichodegii)
future (3pl.m): निचोडेंगे (nichodenge)
future (3pl.f): निचोडेंगी (nichodengii)
subjunctive (1sg): निचोडूँ (nichodoon)
subjunctive (1pl): निचोडें (nichoden)
subjunctive (2sg): निचोडे (nichode)
subjunctive (2pl): निचोडो (nichodo)
subjunctive (3sg): निचोडे (nichode)
subjunctive (3pl): निचोडें (nichoden)
Noun
(sg.m.direct): निचोड़ (nichod)
(sg.m.oblique): निचोड़ (nichod)
(pl.m.direct): निचोड़ (nichod)
(pl.m.oblique): निचोड़ों (nichodon)