Nouns

A noun is a word that denotes a person, place, thing, or idea.

There are five kinds of nouns in Hindi:

1. A proper noun is the name of a particular person, place, or thing.

   Ex: बुद्ध buddha 'Buddha', दिल्ली dillii 'Delhi', गंगा gańgaa 'Ganges'

2. A common noun is the name shared in common by everything of the same class or kind.

   Ex: लड़की laRkii 'girl', पुस्तक pustak 'book', फल phal 'fruit'

3. A collective noun is the name given to a group of people, animals, or things regarded as a whole.

   Ex: सेना senaa 'army', भीड़ bhiiR 'crowd'

4. A material noun shows what a thing is made of.

   Ex: पानी paanii 'water', सोना sonaa 'gold', चाँदी caaNdii 'silver'

5. An abstract noun is the name of a quality, state, or action.

   Ex: मित्रता mitrtaa 'friendship', जवानी javaanii 'youth'

   Abstract nouns can be formed in three different ways, usually by adding the suffixes ता -taa, पन -pan, or ई -ii.

   • From nouns:

   मित्र mitr 'friend + ता taa = मित्रता mitrtaa 'friendship',

   चोर cor 'thief' + ई ii = चोरी corii 'theft',

   बच्चा baccaa 'child' + पन pan = बचपन bacpan 'childhood'

   • From adjectives:

   सुन्दर sundar 'beautiful' + ता taa = सुन्दरता sundartaa 'beauty'

   ऊँचा uuNcaa 'high' + ई ii = ऊँचाई uuNcaaii 'height'

   लंबा lambaa 'long' + ई ii = लंबाई lambaaii 'length'

   • From verbs:

   पढ़ना paRhnaa 'to study' + ई ii = पढ़ाई paRhaaii 'studying'

There is no definite article the to use with nouns in Hindi. However, the cardinal numeral एक ek 'one' is sometimes used as the indefinite article a.

See Also:

• Introduction
• Nouns
• Gender of Nouns
• Number, Case, and Types of Declension
• Word Order