नमस्

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

নমস্ (Assamese script)
ᬦᬫᬲ᭄ (Balinese script)
নমস্ (Bengali script)
𑰡𑰦𑰭𑰿 (Bhaiksuki script)
𑀦𑀫𑀲𑁆 (Brahmi script)
နမသ် (Burmese script)
નમસ્ (Gujarati script)
ਨਮਸ੍ (Gurmukhi script)
𑌨𑌮𑌸𑍍 (Grantha script)
ꦤꦩꦱ꧀ (Javanese script)
𑂢𑂧𑂮𑂹 (Kaithi script)
ನಮಸ್ (Kannada script)
នមស៑ (Khmer script)
ນມສ຺ (Lao script)
നമസ് (Malayalam script)
ᠨᠠᠮᠠᠰ᠌ (Manchu script)
𑘡𑘦𑘭𑘿 (Modi script)
ᠨᠠᠮᠠᠰ (Mongolian script)
𑧁𑧆𑧍𑧠 (Nandinagari script)
𑐣𑐩𑐳𑑂 (Newa script)
ନମସ୍ (Odia script)
ꢥꢪꢱ꣄ (Saurashtra script)
𑆤𑆩𑆱𑇀 (Sharada script)
𑖡𑖦𑖭𑖿 (Siddham script)
නමස් (Sinhalese script)
𑩯𑩴𑪁 𑪙 (Soyombo script)
𑚝𑚢𑚨𑚶 (Takri script)
நமஸ் (Tamil script)
నమస్ (Telugu script)
นมสฺ (Thai script)
ན་མ་ས྄ (Tibetan script)
𑒢𑒧𑒮𑓂 (Tirhuta script)
𑨝𑨢𑨰𑨴 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-Iranian *námas (“homage, salutation”), from Proto-Indo-European *némos (“bowing”).

Cognate with Avestan 𐬥𐬆𐬨𐬀𐬢𐬵𐬋 (nəmaŋhō), Sogdian [script needed] (namāč, “homage; prayer; reverence”), Persian (namâz, “prayer, worship”), Ancient Greek νέμος (némos). The Sanskrit root is नम् (nam).

Pronunciation

(Vedic) IPA^(key): /nɐ́.mɐs/
(Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /n̪ɐ.mɐs̪/

Noun

नमस् • (námas) stem, n

bow, obeisance, homage, adoration; greeting, salutation [with dative]
- c. 1700 BCE – 1200 BCE, Ṛgveda 1.27.13:
  नमो॑ म॒हद्भ्यो॒ नमो॑ अर्भ॒केभ्यो॒ नमो॒ युव॑भ्यो॒ नम॑ आशि॒नेभ्यः॑ ।
  यजा॑म दे॒वान्यदि॑ श॒क्नवा॑म॒ मा ज्याय॑सः॒ शंस॒मा वृ॑क्षि देवाः ॥
  námo mahádbhyo námo arbhakébhyo námo yúvabhyo náma āśinébhyaḥ.
  yájāma devā́nyádi śaknávāma mā́ jyā́yasaḥ śáṃsamā́ vṛkṣi devāḥ.
  Homage to the mighty and homage to the lesser [gods]; homage to the younger and homage to the elder [gods]!
  Let us, if we have power, pay the gods worship: no better prayer than this, you gods, acknowledge.
- c. 1700 BCE – 1200 BCE, Ṛgveda 5.73.10:
  इ॒मा ब्रह्मा॑णि॒ वर्ध॑ना॒श्विभ्यां॑ सन्तु॒ शंत॑मा ।
  या तक्षा॑म॒ रथाँ॑ इ॒वावो॑चाम बृ॒हन्नमः॑ ॥
  imā́ bráhmāṇi várdhanāśvíbhyāṃ santu śáṃtamā.
  yā́ tákṣāma ráthām̐ ivā́vocāma bṛhánnámaḥ.
  Most pleasing to the Aśvins be these prayers which magnify their might,
  Which we have fashioned, even as chariots high homage have we spoken forth.
- c. 400 BCE, Mahābhārata 14.8.31.1:
  एवं कृत्वा नमस्तस्मै महादेवाय रंहसे ।
  evaṃ kṛtvā namastasmai mahādevāya raṃhase.
  Having done thus, I [give] homage to the great god, Shiva.
food
Synonyms: भोजन (bhojana), खादन (khādana), भक्षण (bhakṣaṇa), आश (āśa); see also Thesaurus:खान
- c. 700 BCE – 500 BCE, Yāska, Naighaṇṭuka 2.7
thunderbolt
Synonyms: वज्र (vajra), हीर (hīra)
- c. 700 BCE – 500 BCE, Yāska, Naighaṇṭuka 2.20
gift, present

Declension

Neuter as-stem declension of नमस्
	singular	dual	plural
nominative	नमः (námaḥ)	नमसी (námasī)	नमांसि (námāṃsi)
vocative	नमः (námaḥ)	नमसी (námasī)	नमांसि (námāṃsi)
accusative	नमः (námaḥ)	नमसी (námasī)	नमांसि (námāṃsi)
instrumental	नमसा (námasā)	नमोभ्याम् (námobhyām)	नमोभिः (námobhiḥ)
dative	नमसे (námase)	नमोभ्याम् (námobhyām)	नमोभ्यः (námobhyaḥ)
ablative	नमसः (námasaḥ)	नमोभ्याम् (námobhyām)	नमोभ्यः (námobhyaḥ)
genitive	नमसः (námasaḥ)	नमसोः (námasoḥ)	नमसाम् (námasām)
locative	नमसि (námasi)	नमसोः (námasoḥ)	नमःसु (námaḥsu)

Derived terms

Descendants

Prakrit: 𑀡𑀫𑁄 (ṇamo)
Pali: namo
→ Chinese: 南無 / 南无
→ Japanese: 南無
→ Vietnamese: nam mô

References

Monier Williams (1899) “नमस्”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 528, column 1.
Turner, Ralph Lilley (1969–1985) “namas”, in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages, London: Oxford University Press, page 400
Apte, Vaman Shivram (1890) “नमस्”, in The practical Sanskrit-English dictionary, Poona: Prasad Prakashan, page 878
Arthur Anthony Macdonell (1893) “नमस्”, in A practical Sanskrit dictionary with transliteration, accentuation, and etymological analysis throughout, London: Oxford University Press, page 136
Hellwig, Oliver (2010–2025) “namas”, in DCS - The Digital Corpus of Sanskrit, Berlin, Germany.