-आ

Hindi

Pronunciation

• (Delhi) IPA^(key): /ɑː/, [äː]

Etymology 1

From a merger of a few sources, but in all cases from Proto-Indo-Iranian *-kas, from Proto-Indo-European *-kos:

• Inherited from Old Hindi -आ (-ā), from older -औ (-au), from Apabhramsa -अउ m (-aü, nominative), from Prakrit -𑀅𑀑 (-ao), -𑀅𑀬𑁄 (-ayo), -𑀅𑀕𑁄 m (-ago, nominative), from Sanskrit -अकः ~ -अको m (-akaḥ ~ -ako, agentive suffix, variant nominative forms based on sandhi). Doublet of -अक (-ak).
• From historic a-stems extended by Middle Indo-Aryan -𑀓- (-ka-), from Sanskrit -क (-ka). Doublet of -क (-ka).
• Borrowed from Classical Persian ـه (-â), from Middle Persian -k' (-ag), from Proto-Iranian *-akah.

Suffix

-आ • (-ā) m

1. suffix found in many masculine nouns of both Indo-Aryan and Perso-Arabic origin
2. forms some nouns with agentive meaning from verbs or nouns

   ‎उचकना (ucaknā, “to jump, leap”) + ‎-आ (-ā) → ‎उचक्का (ucakkā, “thief, pickpocket”)

   ‎रसोई (rasoī, “kitchen”) + ‎-आ (-ā) → ‎रसोइया (rasoiyā, “chef”)

3. forms some nouns with possessive meaning

   बहु- (bahu-, “multi-”) + मंज़िल (manzil, “storey”) + -आ (-ā) → बहुमंज़िला (bahumanzilā, “multi-storey”) (lit. "having many storeys")

4. forms adjectives from nouns, showing a property

   ‎झूठ (jhūṭh, “lie”) + ‎-आ (-ā) → ‎झूठा (jhūṭhā, “false, fake, liar”)

   ‎भूख (bhūkh, “hunger”) + ‎-आ (-ā) → ‎भूखा (bhūkhā, “hungry, famished”)

Declension

As a noun:

Declension of -आ (masc ind ā-stem)

	singular	plural
direct	-आ -ā	-ए -e
oblique	-ए -e	-ओं -õ
vocative	-ए -e	-ओ -o

An an adjective:

Declension of -आ (ind ā-stem)

	masculine		feminine
	singular	plural	singular	plural
direct	-आ -ā	-ए -e	-ई -ī	-ई -ī
oblique	-ए -e	-ए -e	-ई -ī	-ई -ī
vocative	-ए -e	-ए -e	-ई -ī	-ई -ī

Derived terms

Hindi terms suffixed with -आ

Etymology 2

Inherited from Old Hindi -आ (-ā), -या (-yā), from Prakrit -𑀇𑀅 (-ia) + Middle Indo-Aryan -𑀓- (-ka-), from Sanskrit -इत (-ita), the variant of -त (-ta) for seṭ roots commonly found in Later Sanskrit, from Proto-Indo-Iranian *-tás, from Proto-Indo-European *-tós. Doublet of -इत (-it) and -त (-ta). Cognate with Punjabi -ਈਆ (-īā) and distantly English -ed.

Alternative forms

• -या (-yā) (after vowels)

Suffix

-आ • (-ā)

1. Marks the perfective participle

   ‎कह (kah, “say”) + ‎-आ (-ā) → ‎कहा (kahā, “said”)

   ‎देख (dekh, “see”) + ‎-आ (-ā) → ‎देखा (dekhā, “seen”)

Declension

Declension of -आ (ind ā-stem)

	masculine		feminine
	singular	plural	singular	plural
direct	-आ -ā	-ए -e	-ई -ī	-ई -ī
oblique	-ए -e	-ए -e	-ई -ī	-ई -ī
vocative	-ए -e	-ए -e	-ई -ī	-ई -ī

Derived terms

Hindi terms suffixed with -आ (participle)

Etymology 3

Learned borrowing from Sanskrit -आ (-ā), from Proto-Indo-Iranian *-aH, from Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂. Distantly cognate with Latin -a.

Suffix

-आ • (-ā) f

1. forms the feminine form of the nouns

   ‎पुष्प (puṣp, “flower”) + ‎-आ (-ā) → ‎पुष्पा (puṣpā, “flower, female given name”)

2. forms feminine form of the adjectives

   ‎हरित (harit, “green”) + ‎-आ (-ā) → ‎हरिता (haritā, “green”)

Declension

Declension of -आ (fem ā-stem)

	singular	plural
direct	-आ -ā	-आएँ -āẽ
oblique	-आ -ā	-आओं -āõ
vocative	-आ -ā	-आओ -āo

Derived terms

Hindi terms suffixed with -आ (feminine)

Etymology 4

Borrowed from Classical Persian ـه (-â), from Arabic ـَة (-a).

Suffix

-आ • (-ā) f

1. forms the feminine form of some Perso-Arabic agent nouns

   ‎साहिर (sāhir, “enchanter”) + ‎-आ (-ā) → ‎साहिरा (sāhirā, “enchantress”)

Declension

Declension of -आ (fem ā-stem)

	singular	plural
direct	-आ -ā	-आएँ -āẽ
oblique	-आ -ā	-आओं -āõ
vocative	-आ -ā	-आओ -āo

Derived terms

Hindi terms suffixed with -आ (Arabic feminine)

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

Alternative scripts

• -ᬆ (Balinese script)
• -အာ (Burmese script)
• -आ (Devanagari script)
• -ਆ (Gurmukhi script)
• -𑌆 (Grantha script)
• -ꦄꦴ (Javanese script)
• -𑂄 (Kaithi script)
• -អា (Khmer script)
• -ອາ (Lao script)
• -ആ (Malayalam script)
• -ᠠᢇ (Manchu script)
• -𑘁 (Modi script)
• -ᠠ᠋᠎ᠠ (Mongolian script)
• -𑦡 (Nandinagari script)
• -𑐁 (Newa script)
• -ଆ (Odia script)
• -ꢃ (Saurashtra script)
• -𑆄 (Sharada script)
• -𑖁 (Siddham script)
• -ආ (Sinhalese script)
• -𑩐𑩛 (Soyombo script)
• -𑚁 (Takri script)
• -ஆ (Tamil script)
• -อา (Thai script)
• -ཨཱ (Tibetan script)
• -𑨀𑨊 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-Iranian *-aH, from Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂. Cognate with Ancient Greek -η (-ē) and Latin -a.

Suffix

-आ • (-ā) f

1. feminine of -अ (-a)

Declension

Feminine ā-stem declension of -आ (-ā)
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	-आ -ā	-ए -e	-आः -āḥ
Vocative	-ए -e	-ए -e	-आः -āḥ
Accusative	-आम् -ām	-ए -e	-आः -āḥ
Instrumental	-अया / -आ¹ -ayā / -ā¹	-आभ्याम् -ābhyām	-आभिः -ābhiḥ
Dative	-आयै -āyai	-आभ्याम् -ābhyām	-आभ्यः -ābhyaḥ
Ablative	-आयाः / -आयै² -āyāḥ / -āyai²	-आभ्याम् -ābhyām	-आभ्यः -ābhyaḥ
Genitive	-आयाः / -आयै² -āyāḥ / -āyai²	-अयोः -ayoḥ	-आनाम् -ānām
Locative	-आयाम् -āyām	-अयोः -ayoḥ	-आसु -āsu
Notes	¹Vedic ²Brāhmaṇas

Derived terms

Sanskrit terms suffixed with -आ