नमस्कार

Hindi

Hindi phrasebook

This entry is part of the phrasebook project, which presents criteria for inclusion based on utility, simplicity and commonness.

Etymology

Borrowed from Sanskrit नमस्कार (namaskāra).

Pronunciation

• (Delhi) IPA^(key): /nə.məs.kɑːɾ/, [nɐ.mɐs.käːɾ]
• (common mispronunciation) (Delhi) IPA^(key): /nə.məʃ.kɑːɾ/, [nɐ.mɐʃ.käːɾ]

Interjection

नमस्कार • (namaskār) (Urdu spelling نمسکار)

1. a salutation; a greeting used for most purposes including hello, good morning/afternoon, and goodbye

   Synonym: नमस्ते (namaste)

Usage notes

In India, नमस्ते (namaste) and नमस्कार (namaskār) are non-religious greetings, while elsewhere they might be considered Hindu or Indic greetings. Religious greetings include:

• (Hindu) जय श्री राम (jay śrī rām), जय सिया राम (jay siyā rām), जय श्री कृष्ण (jay śrī kŕṣṇa), राम राम (rām rām), राधे राधे (rādhe rādhe), जय जगन्नाथ (jay jagannāth), etc.
• (Jain) जय जिनेंद्र (jay jinendra)
• (Sikh) सत श्री अकाल (sat śrī akāl)
• (Muslim) सलाम अलैकुम (salām alaikum)

which may be used by or when speaking to a person of the mentioned religion, as it is often considered gracious to greet someone in their religion’s greeting.

In modern Hindi urban usage, English hi and hello are also common.

References

• McGregor, Ronald Stuart (1993) “नमस्कार”, in The Oxford Hindi-English Dictionary, London: Oxford University Press, page 544

Nepali

Etymology

Borrowed from Sanskrit नमस्कार (namaskāra).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [nʌmʌskär]
• Phonetic Devanagari: नमस्कार्

Interjection

नमस्कार • (namaskār)

1. (respectful) A salutation; a greeting used for most purposes including hello, good morning/afternoon, and goodbye

See also

• नमस्ते [namaste]

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

Alternative scripts

• নমস্কাৰ (Assamese script)
• ᬦᬫᬲ᭄ᬓᬵᬭ (Balinese script)
• নমস্কার (Bengali script)
• 𑰡𑰦𑰭𑰿𑰎𑰯𑰨 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀦𑀫𑀲𑁆𑀓𑀸𑀭 (Brahmi script)
• နမသ္ကာရ (Burmese script)
• નમસ્કાર (Gujarati script)
• ਨਮਸ੍ਕਾਰ (Gurmukhi script)
• 𑌨𑌮𑌸𑍍𑌕𑌾𑌰 (Grantha script)
• ꦤꦩꦱ꧀ꦏꦴꦫ (Javanese script)
• 𑂢𑂧𑂮𑂹𑂍𑂰𑂩 (Kaithi script)
• ನಮಸ್ಕಾರ (Kannada script)
• នមស្ការ (Khmer script)
• ນມສ຺ກາຣ (Lao script)
• നമസ്കാര (Malayalam script)
• ᠨᠠᠮᠠᠰ᠌ᡬᠠ᠎᠊ᠠᡵᠠ (Manchu script)
• 𑘡𑘦𑘭𑘿𑘎𑘰𑘨 (Modi script)
• ᠨᠠᠮᠠᠰᢉᠠᢗᠷᠠ᠋ (Mongolian script)
• 𑧁𑧆𑧍𑧠𑦮𑧑𑧈 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐣𑐩𑐳𑑂𑐎𑐵𑐬 (Newa script)
• ନମସ୍କାର (Odia script)
• ꢥꢪꢱ꣄ꢒꢵꢬ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆤𑆩𑆱𑇀𑆑𑆳𑆫 (Sharada script)
• 𑖡𑖦𑖭𑖿𑖎𑖯𑖨 (Siddham script)
• නමස‍්කාර (Sinhalese script)
• 𑩯𑩴𑪁 𑪙𑩜𑩛𑩼 (Soyombo script)
• 𑚝𑚢𑚨𑚶𑚊𑚭𑚤 (Takri script)
• நமஸ்கார (Tamil script)
• నమస్కార (Telugu script)
• นมสฺการ (Thai script)
• ན་མ་སྐཱ་ར (Tibetan script)
• 𑒢𑒧𑒮𑓂𑒏𑒰𑒩 (Tirhuta script)
• 𑨝𑨢𑨰𑩇𑨋𑨊𑨫 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

From नमस् (námas, “bow, obeisance”) from Proto-Indo-European *némos (“bowing”) + कार (kāra, “action”).

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /nɐ.mɐs.kɑː.ɾɐ/
• (Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /n̪ɐ.mɐs̪ˈkɑː.ɾɐ/

Noun

नमस्कार • (namaskārá) stem, m

1. the exclamation of नमस् (námas); adoration, homage, salutation

   नमस्कारः, नमस्काराः (commonly used as interjection) ― namaskāraḥ, namaskārāḥ ― Greetings!

   • c. 1200 BCE – 1000 BCE, Atharvaveda

Declension

Masculine a-stem declension of नमस्कार (namaskārá)
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	नमस्कारः namaskāráḥ	नमस्कारौ / नमस्कारा¹ namaskāraú / namaskārā́¹	नमस्काराः / नमस्कारासः¹ namaskārā́ḥ / namaskārā́saḥ¹
Vocative	नमस्कार námaskāra	नमस्कारौ / नमस्कारा¹ námaskārau / námaskārā¹	नमस्काराः / नमस्कारासः¹ námaskārāḥ / námaskārāsaḥ¹
Accusative	नमस्कारम् namaskārám	नमस्कारौ / नमस्कारा¹ namaskāraú / namaskārā́¹	नमस्कारान् namaskārā́n
Instrumental	नमस्कारेण namaskāréṇa	नमस्काराभ्याम् namaskārā́bhyām	नमस्कारैः / नमस्कारेभिः¹ namaskāraíḥ / namaskārébhiḥ¹
Dative	नमस्काराय namaskārā́ya	नमस्काराभ्याम् namaskārā́bhyām	नमस्कारेभ्यः namaskārébhyaḥ
Ablative	नमस्कारात् namaskārā́t	नमस्काराभ्याम् namaskārā́bhyām	नमस्कारेभ्यः namaskārébhyaḥ
Genitive	नमस्कारस्य namaskārásya	नमस्कारयोः namaskāráyoḥ	नमस्काराणाम् namaskārā́ṇām
Locative	नमस्कारे namaskāré	नमस्कारयोः namaskāráyoḥ	नमस्कारेषु namaskāréṣu
Notes	¹Vedic

Derived terms

• सूर्यनमस्कार (sūryanamaskāra)

Descendants

• Pali: namakkāra
  • → Thai: นมักการ
• → Sylheti: ꠘꠝꠡ꠆ꠇꠣꠞ (nomośxar)
• → Bengali: নমস্কার (nomoskar)
• → Hindi: नमस्कार (namaskār)
• → Marathi: नमस्कार (namaskār)
• → Khmer: នមស្ការ (numskaa)
• → Malayalam: നമസ്കാരം (namaskāraṁ)
• → Thai: นมัสการ (ná-mát-sà-gaan)

References

• Monier Williams (1899) “नमस्कार”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 528.