Ways to say it
| Hindi | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| चिड़िया | ciṛiyā | /t͡ʃɪ.ɽɪ.jɑː/ (Hindi, Standard) | feminine |
| पंछी | pañchī | /pən.t͡ʃʰiː/ (Hindi, Standard) | feminine |
| पक्षी | pakṣī | /pək.ʂiː/ (Hindi, Standard) | masculine |
| पखेरू | pakherū | /pə.kʰeː.ɾuː/ (Hindi, Standard) | masculine |
All these terms refer to the animal known as a bird, but they differ in tone and context. Some are used for everyday conversation, while others are reserved for literature or scientific descriptions.
Which one should you use?
चिड़िया is the most common, everyday colloquial term and is often used specifically when referring to small birds. पक्षी is a formal or scientific term used in textbooks, news or literature. पंछी is a more poetic or literary way to say bird, frequently appearing in songs and poetry. पखेरू is also a masculine form for bird.
How does it change in a sentence?
The forms have different grammatical genders which affect how you describe them. चिड़िया and पंछी are feminine, so any adjectives describing them must also be in the feminine form. पक्षी and पखेरू are masculine, so any adjectives describing them must be in the masculine form.
How do you pronounce it?
The word चिड़िया is pronounced as /tʃɪ.ɽɪ.jɑː/ and has three syllables.
Did you know?
- The common word चिड़िया is actually a linguistic descendant of an ancient word for 'sparrow'.
Examples in context
- वह कौनसी चिड़िया है?What's that bird?This sentence is useful for asking about the identity of a specific चिड़िया.Tatoeba #475970 by minshirui, translation #67082 by CK
- कौनसी चिड़िया है यह?What kind of bird is this?This sentence is useful for asking about the species of a चिड़िया.Tatoeba #3815269 by sabretou, translation #881115 by shanghainese
- उस पंछी का नाम क्या है?What is the name of that bird?This sentence is useful for asking about the name of a पंछी.Tatoeba #3843563 by sabretou, translation #1476788 by weihaiping
- क्या तुमने वह पक्षी देखा?Have you seen that bird?
- हाँ, मैंने उस पक्षी को देखा।Yes, I saw that bird.
- 9 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Aditya and Neha are sitting in a park watching nature.
- आदित्य Adityaदेखो, वह सुंदर चिड़िया है।Dekho, vah sundar chidiya hai.Look, that is a beautiful bird.
- नेहा Nehaहाँ, चिड़िया बहुत छोटी है।Haan, chidiya bahut chhoti hai.Yes, the bird is very small.
- आदित्य Adityaक्या वह चिड़िया दाना खा रही है?Kya vah chidiya dana kha rahi hai?Is that bird eating grain?
- नेहा Nehaनहीं, वह तो बस उड़ रही है।Nahi, vah to bas ud rahi hai.No, she is just flying.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “bird” translations and entries चिड़िया, पंछी, पक्षी, पखेरू, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries चिड़िया, पंछी, पक्षी, पखेरू, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
