Two important feminine patterns end in long ā but do not behave alike. Lexical -iyā nouns such as चिड़िया ciṛiyā “bird” and गुड़िया guṛiyā “doll” form direct plurals in nasal -iyā̃ and oblique plurals in -iyoṃ. Other feminine -ā nouns such as भाषा bhāṣā “language” and समस्या samasyā “problem” add -ẽ or -oṃ after the full ā stem: भाषाएँ bhāṣāẽ, भाषाओं bhāṣāoṃ.
This distinction shows why the last written vowel is only a clue. Both groups are feminine, but their stem boundaries differ. The gender-clue overview gives the broader prediction strategy. Here the noun ending marks number and plural case; a postposition supplies most of the relational meaning.
The lexical -iyā pattern
| Form | चिड़िया “bird” | गुड़िया “doll” |
|---|---|---|
| direct singular | चिड़िया ciṛiyā | गुड़िया guṛiyā |
| direct plural | चिड़ियाँ ciṛiyā̃ | गुड़ियाँ guṛiyā̃ |
| oblique singular | चिड़िया ciṛiyā | गुड़िया guṛiyā |
| oblique plural | चिड़ियों ciṛiyoṃ | गुड़ियों guṛiyoṃ |
| vocative singular/plural | चिड़िया ciṛiyā / चिड़ियो ciṛiyo | गुड़िया guṛiyā / गुड़ियो guṛiyo |
Singular -iyā does not become -iyāeṃ. The direct plural is distinguished by vowel nasalization: ciṛiyā → ciṛiyā̃. In the oblique plural, -iyā becomes -iyoṃ.
एक छोटी चिड़िया खिड़की पर बैठी है।
ek choṭī ciṛiyā khiṛkī par baiṭhī hai.
A small bird is sitting on the window.
छोटी चिड़ियाँ पेड़ पर बैठी हैं।
choṭī ciṛiyā̃ peṛ par baiṭhī haiṃ.
Small birds are sitting in the tree.
इन चिड़ियों के लिए पानी रख दो।
in ciṛiyoṃ ke lie pānī rakh do.
Put out water for these birds.
The adjective छोटी stays feminine throughout. Direct plural चिड़ियाँ becomes oblique plural चिड़ियों before the compound postpositional phrase.
The feminine -ā pattern
Feminine nouns such as भाषा, आशा, दवा, माला, समस्या retain ā before plural endings. Direct plural ends in -āẽ and oblique plural in -āoṃ.
| Form | समस्या “problem” | भाषा “language” |
|---|---|---|
| direct singular | समस्या samasyā | भाषा bhāṣā |
| direct plural | समस्याएँ samasyāẽ | भाषाएँ bhāṣāẽ |
| oblique singular | समस्या samasyā | भाषा bhāṣā |
| oblique plural | समस्याओं samasyāoṃ | भाषाओं bhāṣāoṃ |
| vocative singular/plural | समस्या samasyā / समस्याओ samasyāo | भाषा bhāṣā / भाषाओ bhāṣāo |
Vocatives of inanimate abstract nouns are morphologically predictable but rarely used outside personification or (literary) style. Their inclusion clarifies the paradigm; it is not a recommendation to address “problems” in ordinary conversation.
यह समस्या अब गंभीर हो गई है।
yah samasyā ab gambhīr ho gaī hai.
This problem has now become serious.
नई समस्याएँ धीरे-धीरे सामने आ रही हैं।
naī samasyāẽ dhīre-dhīre sāmne ā rahī haiṃ.
New problems are gradually emerging.
इन समस्याओं पर बैठक में चर्चा होगी।
in samasyāoṃ par baiṭhak meṃ carcā hogī.
These problems will be discussed in the meeting.
Although समस्या ends in -ā, its agreement is feminine: गंभीर हो गई, not masculine गंभीर हो गया. Ending-based prediction must yield to the noun's lexical gender.
Not every written -iyā belongs to the first pattern
दुनिया duniyā “world” ends in the same sound sequence as चिड़िया, but its standard plurals are दुनियाएँ duniyāẽ and दुनियाओं duniyāoṃ. Learned nouns ending in written -या may therefore retain the full stem and take the -ā-class endings.
किताबों में कई काल्पनिक दुनियाएँ बनाई गई हैं।
kitāboṃ meṃ kaī kālpanik duniyāẽ banāī gaī haiṃ.
Many imaginary worlds have been created in books.
There is no completely reliable visual shortcut. High-frequency lexical चिड़िया/गुड़िया belong to the nasalized-plural subclass; दुनिया follows the full -āẽ/-āoṃ pattern. Learn the direct plural with the singular.
Number, case, and agreement
Direct and oblique singular are identical in both groups. A demonstrative or agreeing modifier can expose the oblique environment even when the noun does not change:
इस भाषा में कई बोलियाँ हैं।
is bhāṣā meṃ kaī boliyā̃ haiṃ.
This language has several dialects.
Direct यह भाषा would use यह; before a postposition, इस भाषा uses oblique इस. In the plural, the noun also changes: इन भाषाओं में.
English adds a preposition to an unchanged noun and usually adds one plural -s. Hindi distinguishes direct and oblique plural endings, and feminine agreement continues across both. Borrowed nouns that enter one of these classes use Hindi morphology rather than an English plural.
A natural exchange
चिड़ियाँ कहाँ गईं? — उन चिड़ियों के पास दाना रख दो, लौट आएँगी।
ciṛiyā̃ kahā̃ gaīṃ? — un ciṛiyoṃ ke pās dānā rakh do, lauṭ āẽgī.
Where did the birds go? — Put some grain near their spot; they'll come back.
The direct plural चिड़ियाँ becomes oblique चिड़ियों. Feminine plural perfective गईं and future आएँगी both keep the plural reference overt; the subject itself is recovered from discourse.
Common Mistakes
1. Treating a feminine -ā noun as masculine
❌ यह बहुत बड़ा समस्या है।
Incorrect: समस्या is feminine despite final -ā.
✅ यह बहुत बड़ी समस्या है।
yah bahut baṛī samasyā hai.
This is a very big problem.
2. Adding -eṃ to a lexical -iyā noun
❌ पेड़ पर दो चिड़ियाएँ हैं।
Incorrect standard plural for चिड़िया: use nasalized चिड़ियाँ.
✅ पेड़ पर दो चिड़ियाँ हैं।
peṛ par do ciṛiyā̃ haiṃ.
There are two birds in the tree.
3. Using the direct plural before a postposition
❌ इन चिड़ियाँ को दाना दो।
Incorrect: plural चिड़िया must be oblique चिड़ियों before को.
✅ इन चिड़ियों को दाना दो।
in ciṛiyoṃ ko dānā do.
Give these birds some grain.
4. Forcing दुनिया into the चिड़िया subclass
❌ कहानी में दो काल्पनिक दुनियाँ हैं।
Incorrect standard plural: दुनिया normally forms दुनियाएँ.
✅ कहानी में दो काल्पनिक दुनियाएँ हैं।
kahānī meṃ do kālpanik duniyāẽ haiṃ.
There are two imaginary worlds in the story.
Key Takeaways
- Lexical -iyā nouns such as चिड़िया use direct plural -iyā̃ and oblique plural -iyoṃ.
- Feminine -ā nouns use direct plural -āẽ and oblique plural -āoṃ.
- Both groups keep the singular unchanged in oblique environments.
- Gender stays feminine even though -ā more often suggests masculine nouns.
- दुनिया shows that surface -iyā does not guarantee the चिड़िया plural pattern.
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Start learning Hindi →Related Topics
- Feminine class I nouns in -īA2 — Form the direct plural, oblique plural, vocative, and agreement patterns of productive feminine nouns ending in -ī.
- Feminine consonant-final nounsA2 — Decline feminine consonant-final nouns with direct plural -eṃ and oblique plural -oṃ while maintaining feminine agreement.
- Reliable gender clues from endingsA1 — Use productive Hindi noun endings to predict gender and declension while learning the high-frequency exceptions that endings cannot solve.
- Oblique singular formationA2 — Form the singular case used before Hindi postpositions and recognize when that case is overt or hidden on the noun.
- Direct singular and plural formsA2 — Recognize Hindi's default noun forms and build direct plurals across the major masculine and feminine declension classes.
- Oblique plural formationA2 — Build the plural noun forms required before postpositions across the major Hindi declension classes.