रोटी (rotii)
noun
The everyday flatbread that anchors most North Indian meals, plus its extended sense of 'food/livelihood' in common idioms.
Sense
1
:
flatbread (roti/chapati)
noun, feminine
Synonyms: चपाती (chapaatii), फुल्का (phulkaa, thin soft roti)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: In most North Indian homes, रोटी (rotii) is made fresh at every meal, not stored -- asking 'क्या खाना बना है?' (kyaa khaanaa banaa hai, 'what's for the meal?') will very often get the answer 'रोटी-सब्ज़ी' (rotii-sabzii, 'bread and vegetables'), the default home dinner. The word so thoroughly stands for 'a proper meal' that a mother calling her kids in from playing will shout रोटी खा लो (rotii khaa lo, 'come eat!') regardless of what's actually on the table.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often translate 'bread' as रोटी (rotii) in all contexts, but sliced/loaf bread is ब्रेड (bred) or डबल रोटी (dabal rotii) -- रोटी (rotii) specifically means the round flatbread. 2) रोटी (rotii) is used as a generic word for 'a meal' in phrases like रोटी खाना (rotii khaanaa, 'to eat a meal'), even when the meal has no actual roti in it.
Sample Sentences:
माँ रोज़ सुबह गरम रोटी बनाती है।
Mother makes hot flatbread every morning.
(maan roz subah garam rotii banaatii hai।)
आज खाने में रोटी-सब्ज़ी बनी है।
Today it's bread and vegetables for the meal.
(aaj khaane men rotii-sabzii banii hai।)
रोटी खा लो, बहुत देर से खेल रहे हो!
Come eat, you've been playing for so long!
(rotii khaa lo, bahut der se khel rahe ho!)
पापा ने कहा कि रोटी थाली में रखी है, खा लो।
Dad said the bread is on the plate, eat it.
(paapaa ne kahaa ki rotii thaalii men rakhii hai, khaa lo।)
अगर आटा गूँधा होता, तो रोटी अभी तक तैयार हो जाती।
If the dough had been kneaded, the flatbread would have been ready by now.
(agar aataa goondhaa hotaa, to rotii abhii tak taiyaar ho jaatii।)
जब मैं छोटा था, दादी हाथ से रोटी बेलती थीं।
When I was little, grandmother used to roll flatbread by hand.
(jab main chhotaa thaa, daadii haath se rotii beltii thiin।)
रसोई में रोटी अभी भी बन रही है, थोड़ा रुक जाओ।
The flatbread is still being made in the kitchen, wait a little.
(rasoii men rotii abhii bhii ban rahii hai, thodaa ruk jaao।)
क्या तुम मेरे लिए दो रोटी और बना दोगी?
Will you make me two more flatbreads?
(kyaa tum mere lie do rotii aur banaa dogii?)
शादी की दावत में रोटी के साथ छोले परोसे गए।
At the wedding feast, chickpeas were served with flatbread.
(shaadii kii daavat men rotii ke saath chhole parose gae।)
मेहमानों के लिए काश थोड़ी और रोटी बन जाए।
I wish a little more flatbread could be made for the guests.
(mehmaanon ke lie kaash thodii aur rotii ban jaae।)
गरीब का घर था, फिर भी वे मेहमान को बिना रोटी खिलाए नहीं जाने देते थे।
It was a poor household, yet they never let a guest leave without feeding him bread.
(gariib kaa ghar thaa, phir bhii ve mehmaan ko binaa rotii khilaae nahiin jaane dete the।)
Sense
2
:
livelihood, one's daily bread/earnings
noun, feminine Almost always appears in the fixed pair रोटी-रोज़ी (rotii-rozii) or रोज़ी-रोटी (rozii-rotii), meaning 'livelihood/bread and butter.'
Synonyms: रोज़ी (rozii, as in रोज़ी-रोटी)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: Just like English 'bread and butter,' रोटी (rotii) stretches from the physical food to what puts food on the table at all -- अपनी रोटी चलाना (apnii rotii chalaanaa, 'to keep one's livelihood running') is a very common way to talk about making ends meet.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes miss that रोटी कमाना (rotii kamaanaa, 'to earn one's bread') is about earning a living in general, not literally earning bread -- it works even for someone in a completely unrelated profession.
Sample Sentences:
वह मेहनत करके अपनी रोटी कमाता है।
He earns his livelihood through hard work.
(vah mehnat karke apnii rotii kamaataa hai।)
इस शहर में रोटी कमाना आसान नहीं है।
Earning a living in this city is not easy.
(is shahar men rotii kamaanaa aasaan nahiin hai।)
पिछले साल फैक्टरी बंद होने के बाद उसकी रोटी का सहारा छिन गया।
After the factory closed last year, his source of livelihood was taken away.
(pichhle saal phaiktrii band hone ke baad uskii rotii kaa sahaaraa chhin gayaa।)
वह किसी तरह अपनी रोटी चला रहा है।
He is somehow keeping his livelihood running.
(vah kisii tarah apnii rotii chalaa rahaa hai।)
अगर यह नौकरी चली जाए, तो मेरी रोटी का क्या होगा?
If I lose this job, what will happen to my livelihood?
(agar yah naukrii chalii jaae, to merii rotii kaa kyaa hogaa?)
अपनी रोटी खुद कमाओ, किसी और पर निर्भर मत रहो।
Earn your own living, don't depend on anyone else.
(apnii rotii khud kamaao, kisii aur par nirbhar mat raho।)
अगर उसे यह काम मिल जाता, तो उसकी रोटी की चिंता खत्म हो जाती।
If he had gotten this job, his worries about livelihood would have ended.
(agar use yah kaam mil jaataa, to uskii rotii kii chintaa khatm ho jaatii।)
सरकार को गरीबों की रोटी का इंतज़ाम करना चाहिए।
The government should arrange for the livelihood of the poor.
(sarkaar ko gariibon kii rotii kaa intzaam karnaa chaahie।)
बरसों की मेहनत से उन्होंने अपने परिवार की रोटी का जुगाड़ किया।
Through years of hard work, he arranged for his family's livelihood.
(barson kii mehnat se unhonne apne parivaar kii rotii kaa jugaad kiyaa।)
जब तक हाथ-पैर चलते हैं, इंसान अपनी रोटी का बंदोबस्त कर ही लेता है।
As long as one's limbs can move, a person manages to arrange his livelihood somehow.
(jab tak haath-pair chalte hain, insaan apnii rotii kaa bandobast kar hii letaa hai।)
Morphology
Noun
(sg.f.direct):
रोटी
(rotii)
(sg.f.oblique):
रोटी
(rotii)
(pl.f.direct):
रोटियाँ
(rotiyaan)
(pl.f.oblique):
रोटियों
(rotiyon)