Chubinashvili was born in Tiflis,[1] then part of Georgia Governorate of the Russian Empire.Having graduated from the University of St. Petersburg in 1839, he later lectured there on Georgian language, rising to the rank of professor.

He helped establish the Department of Georgian Language and Literature and chaired it from 1855 to 1871.

Chubinov was twice awarded the Demidov Prize for compiling Georgian-Russian-French and Russian-Georgian dictionaries in 1840 and 1846 respectively.

He bequeathed his rich collection of Georgian manuscripts to the SSLG.

[2] His tomb featured Georgian inscriptions, which are now barely visible and almost completely faded.