सीता

Hindi

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Sanskrit सीता (sītā). First attested in c. 1700 as Middle Hindi سیتا (syta /⁠sītā⁠/).

Pronunciation

• (Delhi) IPA^(key): /siː.t̪ɑː/, [siː.t̪äː]
• Hyphenation: सी‧ता
• Rhymes: -ɑː

Proper noun

सीता • (sītā) f (Urdu spelling سِیتا)

1. (Hinduism) Sita (an avatar of Lakshmi)

   Synonyms: सीया (sīyā), जानकी (jānkī), वैदेही (vaidehī), मैथिली (maithilī)

2. a female given name, Sita, from Sanskrit
3. Seetha (a river in Karnataka, India)

Declension

Declension of सीता (fem ā-stem)

	singular	plural
direct	सीता sītā	सीताएँ sītāẽ
oblique	सीता sītā	सीताओं sītāõ
vocative	सीता sītā	सीताओ sītāo

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

Alternative scripts

• সীতা (Assamese script)
• ᬲᬷᬢᬵ (Balinese script)
• সীতা (Bengali script)
• 𑰭𑰱𑰝𑰯 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀲𑀻𑀢𑀸 (Brahmi script)
• သီတာ (Burmese script)
• સીતા (Gujarati script)
• ਸੀਤਾ (Gurmukhi script)
• 𑌸𑍀𑌤𑌾 (Grantha script)
• ꦱꦷꦠꦴ (Javanese script)
• 𑂮𑂲𑂞𑂰 (Kaithi script)
• ಸೀತಾ (Kannada script)
• សីតា (Khmer script)
• ສີຕາ (Lao script)
• സീതാ (Malayalam script)
• ᠰᡳᡳᢠᠠᢇ (Manchu script)
• 𑘭𑘲𑘝𑘰 (Modi script)
• ᠰᠢᠢᢐᠠ᠋᠎ᠠ (Mongolian script)
• 𑧍𑧓𑦽𑧑 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐳𑐷𑐟𑐵 (Newa script)
• ସୀତା (Odia script)
• ꢱꢷꢡꢵ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆱𑆵𑆠𑆳 (Sharada script)
• 𑖭𑖱𑖝𑖯 (Siddham script)
• සීතා (Sinhalese script)
• 𑪁𑩑𑩛𑩫𑩛 (Soyombo script)
• 𑚨𑚯𑚙𑚭 (Takri script)
• ஸீதா (Tamil script)
• సీతా (Telugu script)
• สีตา (Thai script)
• སཱི་ཏཱ (Tibetan script)
• 𑒮𑒲𑒞𑒰 (Tirhuta script)
• 𑨰𑨁𑨊𑨙𑨊 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /siː.tɑː/
• (Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /ˈs̪iː.t̪ɑː/

Noun

सीता • (sītā) stem, f

1. a furrow, the track or line of a ploughshare
2. name of the eastern branch of the four mythical branches of the Ganga
3. name of an Upanishad
4. spirituous liquor

Declension

Feminine ā-stem declension of सीता (sītā)
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	सीता sītā	सीते sīte	सीताः sītāḥ
Vocative	सीते sīte	सीते sīte	सीताः sītāḥ
Accusative	सीताम् sītām	सीते sīte	सीताः sītāḥ
Instrumental	सीतया / सीता¹ sītayā / sītā¹	सीताभ्याम् sītābhyām	सीताभिः sītābhiḥ
Dative	सीतायै sītāyai	सीताभ्याम् sītābhyām	सीताभ्यः sītābhyaḥ
Ablative	सीतायाः / सीतायै² sītāyāḥ / sītāyai²	सीताभ्याम् sītābhyām	सीताभ्यः sītābhyaḥ
Genitive	सीतायाः / सीतायै² sītāyāḥ / sītāyai²	सीतयोः sītayoḥ	सीतानाम् sītānām
Locative	सीतायाम् sītāyām	सीतयोः sītayoḥ	सीतासु sītāsu
Notes	¹Vedic ²Brāhmaṇas

Proper noun

सीता • (sītā) stem, f

1. (Hinduism), Adoptive daughter of Janaka and Sunayanā, sister of Urmila, wife of Rāma, mother of Lava and Kusha.

Declension

Feminine ā-stem declension of सीता (sītā)
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	सीता sītā	सीते sīte	सीताः sītāḥ
Vocative	सीते sīte	सीते sīte	सीताः sītāḥ
Accusative	सीताम् sītām	सीते sīte	सीताः sītāḥ
Instrumental	सीतया / सीता¹ sītayā / sītā¹	सीताभ्याम् sītābhyām	सीताभिः sītābhiḥ
Dative	सीतायै sītāyai	सीताभ्याम् sītābhyām	सीताभ्यः sītābhyaḥ
Ablative	सीतायाः / सीतायै² sītāyāḥ / sītāyai²	सीताभ्याम् sītābhyām	सीताभ्यः sītābhyaḥ
Genitive	सीतायाः / सीतायै² sītāyāḥ / sītāyai²	सीतयोः sītayoḥ	सीतानाम् sītānām
Locative	सीतायाम् sītāyām	सीतयोः sītayoḥ	सीतासु sītāsu
Notes	¹Vedic ²Brāhmaṇas

Descendants

• Pali: sītā
• Prakrit: 𑀲𑀻𑀆 (sīā), 𑀲𑀻𑀬𑀸 (sīyā) — Ardhamāgadhī (see there for further descendants)

Terms borrowed from Sanskrit सीता (sītā)

• → Bengali: সীতা (śita) (learned)
• → Burmese: သီတာ (sita)
• → Chinese: 悉多
• → Gujarati: સીતા (sītā) (learned)
• → Indonesian: Shinta
• → Khmer: សីតា (səytaa)
• → Marathi: sītā (learned)

  Devanagari script: सीता

  Modi script: 𑘭𑘲𑘝𑘰

• → Malayalam: സീത (sīta) (learned)
• → Middle Hindi: سیتا (syta /⁠sītā⁠/) (learned)
  • Hindustani: sītā

    Hindi: सीता

    Urdu: سِیتا

• → Nepali: सीता (sītā) (learned)
• → Old Punjabi: ਸੀਤਾ (sītā) (learned)
  • Punjabi: sītā

    Gurmukhi script: ਸੀਤਾ

    Shahmukhi script: سِیتا

• → Tamil: சீதை (cītai) (learned)
• → Thai: สีดา

References

• Apte, Macdonell (2022) “सीता”, in Digital Dictionaries of South India [Combined Sanskrit Dictionaries]
• Monier Williams (1899) “सीता”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 1218, column 2.