Plural
Grammatical rules
There are only two numbers in Hindi:
- Singular, एक वचन, for unicity
- Plural, बहु वचन, for multiple items
To transform singular into plural, observe the noun termination (remember that there is no article in Hindi) and apply the following rules.
Masculine (पुंलिंग)
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| आ | ए |
| अ (or consonant), इ, ई, उ, ऊ | invariable |
Exceptions
The following words (translation visible by hovering or tapping on the word) ending with आ remain invariable in the plural.
- राजा King
- पिता Father
- चाचा Paternal uncle
- मामा Maternal uncle
- नेता Leader
- देवता God
- काका Paternal great-uncle
- नाना Maternal grandfather
Examples
The following words are invariable as they end with an अ or a consonant.
- बालक
- पुत्र
- कवि
- मुनि
- साधु
- पशु
- मित्र
Feminine (स्त्रीलिंग)
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| इ/ई | इयाँ |
| अ/आ | एं |
| आ | याँ |
| उ/ऊ | एं |
Examples
- इ/ई
- लिपि becomes लिपियाँ
- लड़की becomes लड़कियाँ
- अ/आ
- लहर becomes लहरें
- कथा becomes कथाएँ
- आ
- कुटिया becomes कुटियाँ
- उ/ऊ
- वस्तु becomes वस्तुएँ
- वधू becomes वधुएँ
Collective nouns
To obtain a collective noun, add the following suffixes: गण – दल – वर्ग – वृन्द – जन.
Examples
The translation becomes visible by hovering or tapping on the word.
- अध्यापकगण Team of teachers
- टिड्डीदल Swarm of locusts (insects)
- अधिकारीवर्ग Body of officials
- लेखकवृन्द Circle of writers
- गुरुजन Congregation of masters
Exercises
- Exercise #1 (singular / plural complements)*