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

	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 (sītayā) सीता¹ (sītā¹)	सीताभ्याम् (sītābhyām)	सीताभिः (sītābhiḥ)
dative	सीतायै (sītāyai)	सीताभ्याम् (sītābhyām)	सीताभ्यः (sītābhyaḥ)
ablative	सीतायाः (sītāyāḥ) सीतायै² (sītāyai²)	सीताभ्याम् (sītābhyām)	सीताभ्यः (sītābhyaḥ)
genitive	सीतायाः (sītāyāḥ) सीतायै² (sītāyai²)	सीतयोः (sītayoḥ)	सीतानाम् (sītānām)
locative	सीतायाम् (sītāyām)	सीतयोः (sītayoḥ)	सीतासु (sītāsu)

• 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

	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 (sītayā) सीता¹ (sītā¹)	सीताभ्याम् (sītābhyām)	सीताभिः (sītābhiḥ)
dative	सीतायै (sītāyai)	सीताभ्याम् (sītābhyām)	सीताभ्यः (sītābhyaḥ)
ablative	सीतायाः (sītāyāḥ) सीतायै² (sītāyai²)	सीताभ्याम् (sītābhyām)	सीताभ्यः (sītābhyaḥ)
genitive	सीतायाः (sītāyāḥ) सीतायै² (sītāyai²)	सीतयोः (sītayoḥ)	सीतानाम् (sītānām)
locative	सीतायाम् (sītāyām)	सीतयोः (sītayoḥ)	सीतासु (sītāsu)

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