मीठा
mīṭhā/miː.ʈʰɑː/
The Hindi word for sweet, describing taste, is मीठा (mīṭhā). It is used for sugary food and drinks and also for a pleasant voice or speech.
Use मीठा to describe the taste of food, such as honey, tea or fruit. It also describes a person's voice or speech as sweet or pleasant. On its own, कुछ मीठा means something sweet, as in a dessert.
Meaning: having a pleasant taste (adj)
Which one should you use?
Use मीठा to describe the taste of something, but use मिठाई (miṭhāī) when referring to a sweet treat or confection as a noun. The quality of sweetness itself is मिठास (mithaas).
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
मीठा is an adjective that agrees with its noun. It becomes मीठी with feminine nouns and मीठे with masculine plural nouns or in the oblique case.
How do you pronounce it?
Say it as mīṭhā, IPA /miː.ʈʰɑː/, in two syllables. The ṭh is a t made with the tongue curled back, followed by a puff of air.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Do not use मीठा as the noun for a sweet treat in a shop. Ask for मिठाई.
When do people say it?
Sharing मिठाई is a common way to celebrate good news and festivals in India.
Did you know?
- The term मीठा can be used as a slang term or euphemism in certain social contexts to describe a man's mannerisms, often carrying a derogatory or stereotypical connotation.
- Hindi speakers use मीठा to describe a 'sweet' voice, but they also use it for 'sweet talk' (मीठी बातें), which often implies someone is being manipulative or overly flattering.
- The word मीठा is a linguistic relative of the Sanskrit word मिष्ट, which survives in modern Hindi as a 'tatsama' or a formal loanword used in literature and poetry.
Examples in context
- यह चाय मीठी नहीं है, कुछ और शक्कर मिलाओ।This tea is not sweet enough, add some more sugar.मीठी is feminine here to agree with चाय, tea.
- शहद मीठा होता है।Honey is sweet.मीठा होता है states a general fact, honey is sweet.Tatoeba #13690365 by sabretou, translation #7733937 by CK
- मुझे कुछ मीठा चाहिए।I want something sweet.कुछ मीठा means something sweet, often a dessert after a meal.Tatoeba #13688229 by sabretou, translation #21003 by CK
- तुम्हारी मुस्कान में मिठास हैYour smile has sweetness.
- यह एक प्यारा बच्चा हैThis is a cute baby.
- यह रसगुल्ला मीठा हैThis rasgulla is sweet.
- तुम मीठी होYou are sweet.
Example conversation
Rahul and Anjali are eating a dessert together.
- राहुल Rahulयह केक बहुत मीठा है।Yeh cake bahut meetha hai.This cake is very sweet.
- अंजलि Anjaliहाँ, मुझे भी ऐसा ही लगा।Haan, mujhe bhi aisa hi laga.Yes, I felt the same way.
- राहुल Rahulक्या तुम कुछ कम मीठा खाना चाहती हो?Kya tum kuch kam meetha khaana chahti ho?Do you want to eat something less sweet?
- अंजलि Anjaliनहीं, यह ठीक है, राहुल।Nahi, yeh theek hai, Rahul.No, it is fine, Rahul.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “sweet” translations and entries मीठा, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries मीठा, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0, Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
