# छाया
## Hindi
### Etymology

Borrowed from Sanskrit छाया (chāyā́). Doublet of छाँव (chā̃v) and साया (sāyā).

### Pronunciation

* (Delhi) IPA: /t͡ʃʰɑː.jɑː/, [t͡ʃʰäː.jäː]

### Noun

छाया • (chāyā) f (Urdu spelling چھایا)
* shade, a shady place
    Synonym: छाँव (chā̃v)
    तुम्हें छाया में बैठना चाहिए, क्योंकि बहुत गर्मी है।tumhẽ chāyā mẽ baiṭhnā cāhie, kyõki bahut garmī hai.You should sit in the shade, because it is very hot.
* shadow, silhouette
    Synonym: परछाई (parchāī)
    पृथ्वी की छाया चन्द्रमा पर है।pŕthvī kī chāyā candramā par hai.The earth's shadow is on the moon.
* (rare) apparition, spectre
* (figuratively) refuge, protection, shelter

#### Declension
### References

* Platts, John T. (1884) “छाया”, in A dictionary of Urdu, classical Hindi, and English, London: W. H. Allen & Co., page 457
* Bahri, Hardev (1989) “छाया”, in Siksarthi Hindi-Angrejhi Sabdakosa [Learners' Hindi-English Dictionary], Delhi: Rajpal & Sons, page 212.

## Pali
### Alternative forms

* chāyā (Latin script)
* 𑀙𑀸𑀬𑀸 (Brahmi script)
* ছাযা (Bengali script)
* ඡායා (Sinhalese script)
* ဆာယာ or ꧡႃယႃ (Burmese script)
* ฉายา (Thai script)
* ᨨᩣᨿᩣ (Tai Tham script)
* ຉາຍາ or ຉາຢາ (Lao script)
* ឆាយា (Khmer script)
* 𑄍𑄂𑄠𑄂 (Chakma script)

### Noun

छाया f
* Devanagari script form of chāyā

#### Declension
## Sanskrit
### Alternative scripts

* ছায়া (Assamese script)
* ᬙᬵᬬᬵ (Balinese script)
* ছায়া (Bengali script)
* 𑰔𑰯𑰧𑰯 (Bhaiksuki script)
* 𑀙𑀸𑀬𑀸 (Brahmi script)
* ဆာယာ (Burmese script)
* છાયા (Gujarati script)
* ਛਾਯਾ (Gurmukhi script)
* 𑌛𑌾𑌯𑌾 (Grantha script)
* ꦖꦴꦪꦴ (Javanese script)
* 𑂓𑂰𑂨𑂰 (Kaithi script)
* ಛಾಯಾ (Kannada script)
* ឆាយា (Khmer script)
* ຉາຍາ (Lao script)
* ഛായാ (Malayalam script)
* ᡮᠠ᠎᠊ᠠᠶᠠᢇ (Manchu script)
* 𑘔𑘰𑘧𑘰 (Modi script)
* ᠼᠠᢗᠶ᠋ᠠ᠋᠎ᠠ (Mongolian script)
* 𑦴𑧑𑧇𑧑 (Nandinagari script)
* 𑐕𑐵𑐫𑐵 (Newa script)
* ଛାଯା (Odia script)
* ꢘꢵꢫꢵ (Saurashtra script)
* 𑆗𑆳𑆪𑆳 (Sharada script)
* 𑖔𑖯𑖧𑖯 (Siddham script)
* ඡායා (Sinhalese script)
* 𑩢𑩛𑩻𑩛 (Soyombo script)
* 𑚐𑚭𑚣𑚭 (Takri script)
* ச²ாயா (Tamil script)
* ఛాయా (Telugu script)
* ฉายา (Thai script)
* ཚཱ་ཡཱ (Tibetan script)
* 𑒕𑒰𑒨𑒰 (Tirhuta script)
* 𑨤𑨊𑨪𑨊 (Zanabazar Square script)

### Etymology

From Proto-Indo-Iranian *śćaHyáH (“shadow”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ḱeh₃ih₂, from *(s)ḱeh₃- (“darkness, shadow”). Cognate with Avestan 𐬀-𐬯𐬀𐬌𐬌𐬀 (a-saiia, “shadowless”), Persian سایه (sâye, “shadow”), Latin obscūrus, Ancient Greek σκιά (skiá), English shadow.

### Pronunciation

* (Vedic) IPA: /t͡ɕʰɑː.jɑ́ː/
* (Classical Sanskrit) IPA: /ˈt͡ɕʰɑː.jɑː/

### Noun

छाया • (chāyā́) stem, f
* shadow; shade; shady place
** c. 1700 BCE – 1200 BCE, Ṛgveda 6.16.38:उप च्छायाम् इव घृणेर् अगन्म शर्म ते वयम् ।upa cchāyām iva ghṛṇer aganma śarma te vayam.To thee for shelter are we come, as to the shade from fervent heat
* reflection
** c. 1700 BCE – 1200 BCE, Ṛgveda
* shading or blending of colours; play of light or colour

#### Descendants

* Ashokan Prakrit: 𑀙𑀸𑀬𑀸 (chāyā)
** Ardhamagadhi Prakrit: 𑀙𑀸𑀬𑀸 (chāyā)
** Khasa Prakrit:
*** Garhwali: छेलु (chelu)
*** Kumaoni: छोयो (choyo), छइल (chaila)
*** Nepali: छाया (chāyā, “freckle”), छाहारि (chāhāri)
** Magadhi Prakrit: 𑀙𑀸𑀬𑀸 (chāyā), 𑀙𑀸𑀆 (chāā)
*** Assamese: ছাঁ (sã)
*** Bihari:
**** Bhojpuri: छाँह (chā̃h)
**** Maithili: छाँह (chā̃h), छाहरि (chāhari)
*** Odia: ଛାଇ (chāi)
** Maharastri Prakrit: 𑀙𑀸𑀆 (chāā), 𑀙𑀸𑀬𑀸 (chāyā)
** Paisaci Prakrit:
*** Punjabi: ਛਾਂ (chā̃) / چھاں (chāṉ), ਛਾ (chā)
*** Sindhi: छाँ (chā̃), छांवा (chā̃vā)
** Sauraseni Prakrit: 𑀙𑀸𑀬𑀸 (chāyā), 𑀙𑀸𑀆 (chāā)
*** Gujarati: છાંયડી (chā̃yaḍī)
*** Hindustani:
    Hindi: छाँव (chā̃v), छाईं (chāī̃)
    Urdu: چھاؤں (chā'oṉ)
* ⇒ Ashokan Prakrit: *𑀙𑀸𑀬𑀸-𑀇𑀮𑁆𑀮 (*chāyā-illa)
** Maharastri Prakrit: 𑀙𑀸𑀇𑀮𑁆𑀮 (chāilla)
* ⇒ Ashokan Prakrit: *𑀙𑀸𑀬𑀸-𑀇𑀮𑁆𑀮-𑀇𑀓𑀸 ~ *𑀙𑀸𑀬𑀸-𑀉𑀮𑁆𑀮-𑀇𑀓𑀸 (*chāyā-illa-ikā ~ *chāyā-ulla-ikā)
** Maharastri Prakrit: *𑀙𑀸𑀆-𑀇𑀮𑁆𑀮-𑀇𑀆 ~ *𑀙𑀸𑀆-𑀉𑀮𑁆𑀮-𑀇𑀆 (*chāā-illa-iā ~ *chāā-ulla-iā)
*** Konkani:
    Devanagari script: साव्ळी (sāvḷī)
    Kannada script: ಸಾವ್ಳೀ (sāvḷī)
    Latin script: savoli
*** Old Marathi:
    Devanagari script: साउली (sāulī)
    Modi script: 𑘭𑘰𑘄𑘩𑘲 (sāulī)
**** Marathi: सावली (sāvlī)
* Dardic:
** Gawar-Bati: [script needed] (ċhāilat)
** Kalasha: [script needed] (čhak)
** Kashmiri: ژھاے (ċhāē)
** Khowar: [script needed] (čhag)
** Phalura: [script needed] (čhay)
** Shina: [script needed] (čhāi), [script needed] (čhaš)
** Tirahi: [script needed] (ċāya)
** Torwali: [script needed] (čoǰol)
** Wotapuri-Katarqalai: [script needed] (sāil)
* Helu Prakrit:
** Dhivehi: ހިޔަނި (hiyani)
** Sinhalese: සෙය (seya)
* Pali: chāyā
** → Khmer: ឆាយា (chaayiə)
** → Burmese: ဆာယာ (hcaya)
** → Thai: ฉายา (chǎa-yaa)
* → Assamese: ছায়া (saya)
* → Bengali: ছায়া (chaẏa)
* → Hindi: छाया (chāyā)
* → Old Javanese: chāyā, cāyā
** > Javanese: ꦕꦃꦪ (cahya) (inherited)
* → Telugu: ఛాయ (chāya)
* → Urdu: چھایا (chāyā)

### References

* Monier Williams (1899) “छाया”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 406/1.
* Mayrhofer, Manfred (1992) Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎ (in German), volume 1, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, pages 559-60
* Turner, Ralph Lilley (1969–1985) “chāyāˊ”, in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages, London: Oxford University Press