शैतान (shaitaan)
noun/adjective
Primarily a noun meaning 'devil, Satan' (from Arabic via Persian/Urdu), with a very common extended adjective/noun use for a mischievous or naughty person, especially a child.
Sense
1
:
a mischievous, naughty person (especially a child)
noun, masculine/feminine Used as a noun of address or description, often affectionately, most typically for children: वह बहुत शैतान है (vah bahut shaitaan hai, 'he/she is very naughty').
Synonyms: शरारती (sharaartii, adjective form, 'mischievous'), नटखट (natkhat, playfully naughty, used for children), बदमाश (badmaash, rascal, slightly stronger)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: This is the sense you will hear constantly around kids in any Indian household -- a grandmother calling a running-around toddler छोटा शैतान (chhotaa shaitaan, 'little devil') is one of the warmest, most common domestic scenes in Hindi. It has completely lost its religious edge in this use.
Common Mistakes: 1) This sense is affectionate far more often than it is scolding -- a parent calling a toddler शैतान (shaitaan) is usually smiling, not angry, which surprises learners who only know the 'devil' sense. 2) Don't confuse with शरारती (sharaartii), which is the adjective describing behavior; शैतान (shaitaan) here names the person.
Sample Sentences:
यह बच्चा बहुत शैतान है।
This child is a real little devil.
(yah bachchaa bahut shaitaan hai।)
अरे छोटे शैतान, इधर आ!
Hey, little devil, come here!
(are chhote shaitaan, idhar aa!)
दादी हमेशा उसे प्यार से शैतान बुलाती थीं।
Grandma always used to affectionately call him a rascal.
(daadii hameshaa use pyaar se shaitaan bulaatii thiin।)
ये शैतान फिर मिट्टी में खेल रहे हैं।
These little rascals are playing in the mud again.
(ye shaitaan phir mittii men khel rahe hain।)
उस शैतान ने पूरी रसोई उलट दी थी।
That little devil had turned the whole kitchen upside down.
(us shaitaan ne poorii rasoii ulat dii thii।)
अगर वह इतना शैतान न होता, तो मैं उसे और खेलने देती।
If he weren't such a little devil, I would let him play more.
(agar vah itnaa shaitaan n hotaa, to main use aur khelne detii।)
काश यह शैतान थोड़ी देर शांत बैठे।
I wish this little rascal would sit quietly for a while.
(kaash yah shaitaan thodii der shaant baithe।)
इस शैतान को स्कूल की बस पकड़नी है, फिर भी तैयार नहीं हो रहा।
This little devil has to catch the school bus, yet he still won't get ready.
(is shaitaan ko skool kii bas pakadnii hai, phir bhii taiyaar nahiin ho rahaa।)
मैडम ने कक्षा के सबसे बड़े शैतान को दरवाज़े के बाहर खड़ा कर दिया।
The teacher made the biggest rascal in the class stand outside the door.
(maidam ne kakshaa ke sabse bade shaitaan ko darvaaze ke baahar khadaa kar diyaa।)
छोटे शैतानों को संभालना कोई आसान काम नहीं है।
Handling little rascals is no easy task.
(chhote shaitaanon ko sambhaalnaa koii aasaan kaam nahiin hai।)
पार्क में शैतानों की पूरी टोली इकट्ठी हो गई थी।
A whole gang of little rascals had gathered in the park.
(paark men shaitaanon kii poorii tolii ikatthii ho gaii thii।)
Sense
2
:
the devil, Satan (as a religious/mythological figure)
noun, masculine
Synonyms: इबलीस (ibliis, literary/Islamic tradition), दानव (daanav, demon, not identical but overlapping), शैतान की औलाद (shaitaan kii aulaad, idiomatic, 'spawn of Satan')
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: This word comes from Arabic shaytaan (shaitaan) via Persian and Urdu, and is shared across Hindi, Urdu, and Islamic religious vocabulary generally. In everyday Delhi speech you will hear it applied to naughty kids far more often than to any actual devil -- that extended sense is its own entry below.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes treat this as identical to अंग्रेज़ी 'devil' in every context, but in casual speech it almost never carries heavy theological weight -- see the far more common extended sense below for a naughty person.
Sample Sentences:
इस्लामी मान्यता में शैतान ने आदम को बहकाने की कोशिश की थी।
In Islamic belief, Satan tried to lead Adam astray.
(islaamii maanytaa men shaitaan ne aadam ko bahkaane kii koshish kii thii।)
मौलवी साहब ने कहा कि शैतान इंसान को हमेशा गुमराह करना चाहता है।
The maulvi sahib said that Satan always wants to mislead humans.
(maulvii saahab ne kahaa ki shaitaan insaan ko hameshaa gumraah karnaa chaahtaa hai।)
कहा जाता है कि शैतान को अल्लाह ने स्वर्ग से निकाल दिया था।
It is said that Allah cast Satan out of paradise.
(kahaa jaataa hai ki shaitaan ko allaah ne svarg se nikaal diyaa thaa।)
शैतान से बचने के लिए दुआ पढ़ो।
Recite a prayer to protect yourself from Satan.
(shaitaan se bachne ke lie duaa padho।)
अगर शैतान न होता, तो बुराई की यह कहानी अधूरी रहती।
If Satan did not exist, this story of evil would remain incomplete.
(agar shaitaan n hotaa, to buraaii kii yah kahaanii adhoorii rahtii।)
धर्मगुरु ने समझाया कि शैतान इंसान के दिल में वसवसे डालता है।
The religious teacher explained that Satan plants whispers of doubt in a person's heart.
(dharmguru ne samjhaayaa ki shaitaan insaan ke dil men vasavse daaltaa hai।)
क्या तुम मानते हो कि शैतान सचमुच वजूद में है?
Do you believe that Satan truly exists?
(kyaa tum maante ho ki shaitaan sachmuch vajood men hai?)
उलेमा का कहना है कि शैतान से लड़ने का सबसे बड़ा हथियार सब्र है।
The scholars say that patience is the greatest weapon in the fight against Satan.
(ulemaa kaa kahnaa hai ki shaitaan se ladne kaa sabse badaa hathiyaar sabr hai।)
अल्लाह हमें शैतान के वार से बचाए।
May Allah protect us from Satan's assaults.
(allaah hamen shaitaan ke vaar se bachaae।)
Sense
3
:
mischievous, naughty, devilish (describing a person's nature)
adjective
Synonyms: शरारती (sharaartii), नटखट (natkhat, especially for children), चंचल (chanchal, restless/playful, softer)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: As an adjective it slides easily between describing a child's harmless pranks and, in a harder tone, an adult's genuinely troublesome or cunning streak -- context and tone of voice do the work of distinguishing the two.
Sample Sentences:
मेरा बेटा बहुत शैतान है।
My son is very naughty.
(meraa betaa bahut shaitaan hai।)
बचपन में मैं भी बहुत शैतान था।
I was also very naughty in my childhood.
(bachpan men main bhii bahut shaitaan thaa।)
उसकी शैतान मुस्कान देखकर मुझे शक हो गया कि वह कुछ छिपा रहा है।
Seeing his devilish smile, I got suspicious that he was hiding something.
(uskii shaitaan muskaan dekhkar mujhe shak ho gayaa ki vah kuchh chhipaa rahaa hai।)
इतना शैतान मत बनो, कोई तो चीज़ ठीक जगह रखा करो।
Don't be so naughty, at least keep something in its proper place.
(itnaa shaitaan mat bano, koii to chiiz thiik jagah rakhaa karo।)
अगर तुम इतने शैतान न होते तो टीचर तुम्हें रोज़ न डाँटती।
If you weren't so naughty, the teacher wouldn't scold you every day.
(agar tum itne shaitaan n hote to tiichar tumhen roz n daanttii।)
व्यापार में वह इतना शैतान है कि हर सौदे में कोई न कोई चाल चल देता है।
In business he is so cunning and devious that he pulls some trick in every deal.
(vyaapaar men vah itnaa shaitaan hai ki har saude men koii n koii chaal chal detaa hai।)
वह इतना शैतान निकला कि सबकी नज़रों में धोखेबाज़ बन गया।
He turned out to be so devilishly cunning that he became a fraud in everyone's eyes.
(vah itnaa shaitaan niklaa ki sabkii nazron men dhokhebaaz ban gayaa।)
क्लास में सबसे शैतान बच्चा वही है, फिर भी सब उसे प्यार करते हैं।
He is the naughtiest child in the class, yet everyone loves him.
(klaas men sabse shaitaan bachchaa vahii hai, phir bhii sab use pyaar karte hain।)
महोदय, आपका सहकर्मी वास्तव में बहुत शैतान प्रवृत्ति का व्यक्ति प्रतीत होता है।
Sir, your colleague truly appears to be a person of a very devious nature.
(mahoday, aapkaa sahkarmii vaastav men bahut shaitaan pravritti kaa vyakti pratiit hotaa hai।)
बच्चों को इतना शैतान नहीं होना चाहिए कि माँ-बाप को परेशान कर दें।
Children shouldn't be so naughty that they trouble their parents.
(bachchon ko itnaa shaitaan nahiin honaa chaahie ki maan-baap ko pareshaan kar den।)
उसकी शैतान चालों से पूरा दफ़्तर परेशान रहता था।
The whole office used to be troubled by his devious moves.
(uskii shaitaan chaalon se pooraa daftar pareshaan rahtaa thaa।)
Morphology
Noun
(sg.m/f.direct):
शैतान
(shaitaan)
(sg.m/f.oblique):
शैतान
(shaitaan)
(pl.m/f.direct):
शैतानें
(shaitaanen)
(pl.m/f.oblique):
शैतानों
(shaitaanon)
Adjective (invariant)
invariant:
शैतान
(shaitaan)