दादी
dādīfather's mother, affectionate
"Grandma" is दादी (dādī) for your father's mother and नानी (nānī) for your mother's mother. Children use these words to talk to her directly.
Meaning: affectionate word for grandmother (noun)
Ways to say it
| Indian | Romanization | Note |
|---|---|---|
| दादी | dādī | father's mother, affectionate |
| नानी | nānī | mother's mother, affectionate |
Families often add माँ (mā̃) or जी (jī), as in दादी माँ (dādī mā̃) or नानीजी (nānījī), which sounds warm and respectful.
When do people say it?
Grandmothers have a special place in Hindi stories. नानी की कहानी (nānī kī kahānī) means a story told by grandma, and नानी याद आना (nānī yād ānā) is an idiom for being in deep trouble.
Did you know?
- The idiom नानी याद आना (nānī yād ānā) literally means "to remember your grandmother" and is used when someone faces great difficulty.
Examples in context
- नानी के घर छुट्टियाँ बहुत मज़ेदार होती हैं।nānī ke ghar chuṭṭiyā̃ bahut mazedār hotī haiṃ.Holidays at grandma's house are great fun.
Example conversation
Little Tara asks her grandmother for a bedtime story.
- Taraदादी, मुझे कहानी सुनाओ।dādī, mujhe kahānī sunāo.Grandma, tell me a story.
- Dadiआ जाओ, मेरे पास बैठो।ā jāo, mere pās baiṭho.Come, sit next to me.
- Taraआज राजा वाली कहानी।āj rājā vālī kahānī.Today the one about the king.
