नौ
nau/nɔː/
The Hindi word for nine is नौ (nau). It is the number you use for counting, for prices and for telling the time.
नौ is used like nine in English, for counting things, in larger numbers such as nine hundred and for the hour on the clock.
Meaning: cardinal number (num)
How does it change in a sentence?
Hindi numbers that end in nine are not built from नौ. They are formed as one less than the next ten, so 29 is उनतीस (untees), literally one short of thirty.
How do you pronounce it?
Say it as nau, IPA /nɔː/, one syllable with a long open vowel close to the sound in the English word law.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Do not try to build 29 as twenty and nine. Use उनतीस.
Did you know?
- The word नौ is a linguistic 'double agent' because it is actually two different words in one. One version is the ancient Sanskrit descendant, while the other is a borrowed word from Classical Persian.
- The number नौ is considered auspicious in many Indian traditions, and it is common to see nine gemstones set into a single ring, known as a 'Navaratna'.
- In Indian culture, the number नौ is often associated with the 'Navaratri' festival, which lasts for nine nights and is dedicated to the goddess Durga.
Examples in context
- नौ खिलाड़ी एक टीम बनाते हैं।Nine players make up a team.नौ comes straight before the noun, just like nine players in English.Tatoeba #8938137 by simranbansal, translation #73232 by CM
- एक सौ, दो सौ, तीन सौ, चार सौ, पांच सौ, छह सौ, सात सौ, आठ सौ, नौ सौ, एक हजार।One hundred, two hundred, three hundred, four hundred, five hundred, six hundred, seven hundred, eight hundred, nine hundred, one thousand.नौ सौ means nine hundred.Tatoeba #4907754 by yashtib1995, translation #661562 by mervegorus
- नौ बज चुकें हैं।It's already nine o'clock.नौ बज चुकें हैं is how you say it is already nine o'clock.Tatoeba #588598 by minshirui, translation #31681 by CK
- उसकी उम्र नौ वर्ष है।He/she is nine years old.
- इस पुस्तक का नौवां अध्याय बहुत महत्वपूर्ण है।The ninth chapter of this book is very important.
- 10 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Vikas and Pooja are counting the apples in a basket.
- विकास Vikasक्या इस टोकरी में नौ सेब हैं?Kya is tokari mein nau seb hain?Are there nine apples in this basket?
- पूजा Poojaनहीं, इसमें केवल आठ हैं।Nahi, ismein keval aath hain.No, there are only eight in here.
- विकास Vikasओह, मुझे लगा कि नौ हैं।Oh, mujhe laga ki nau hain.Oh, I thought there were nine.
- पूजा Poojaशायद एक कहीं गिर गया।Shayad ek kahin gir gaya.Maybe one fell somewhere.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “nine” translations and entries नौ, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries नौ, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
