गुण

See also: गण, गण्, and गुणा

Hindi

Etymology

Borrowed from Sanskrit गुण (guṇá).

Pronunciation

• (Delhi) IPA^(key): /ɡʊɳ/, [ɡʊ̃ɳ]

Noun

गुण • (guṇ) m (Urdu spelling گُن)

1. quality, condition

   उसके कोई अच्छे गुण हैं ही नहीं।

   uske koī acche guṇ ha͠i hī nahī̃.

   He has no good qualities at all.

2. characteristic, property
3. merit, virtue

Declension

Declension of गुण (masc cons-stem)

	singular	plural
direct	गुण guṇ	गुण guṇ
oblique	गुण guṇ	गुणों guṇõ
vocative	गुण guṇ	गुणो guṇo

Alternative forms

• गुन (gun) — Braj Bhāshā, dated

Marathi

Etymology

Borrowed from Sanskrit गुण (guṇá).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡuɳ/, [ɡuːɳ]

Noun

गुण • (guṇ) m

1. (good) quality,
2. attribute, property
3. excellence, merit, virtue
4. benefit, advantage, good, gain
5. product, effect, matter (produced or resulting)
6. marks

Declension

Declension of गुण (masc cons-stem)
direct singular	गुण guṇ
direct plural	गुण guṇ
	singular एकवचन		plural अनेकवचन
nominative प्रथमा	गुण guṇ		गुण guṇ
oblique सामान्यरूप	गुणा guṇā		गुणां- guṇān-
acc. / dative द्वितीया / चतुर्थी	गुणाला guṇālā		गुणांना guṇānnā
ergative	गुणाने, गुणानं guṇāne, guṇāna		गुणांनी guṇānnī
instrumental	गुणाशी guṇāśī		गुणांशी guṇānśī
locative सप्तमी	गुणात guṇāt		गुणांत guṇāt
vocative संबोधन	गुणा guṇā		गुणांनो guṇānno
Oblique Note: The oblique case precedes all postpositions. There is no space between the stem and the postposition. Locative Note: -त (-ta) is a postposition.

Genitive declension of गुण (masc cons-stem)
	masculine object पुल्लिंगी कर्म		feminine object स्त्रीलिंगी कर्म		neuter object नपुसकलिंगी कर्म		oblique सामान्यरूप
	singular एकवचन	plural अनेकवचन	singular एकवचन	plural अनेकवचन	singular* एकवचन	plural अनेकवचन
singular subject एकवचनी कर्ता	गुणाचा guṇāċā	गुणाचे guṇāċe	गुणाची guṇācī	गुणाच्या guṇācā	गुणाचे, गुणाचं guṇāċe, guṇāċa	गुणाची guṇācī	गुणाच्या guṇācā
plural subject अनेकवचनी कर्ता	गुणांचा guṇānċā	गुणांचे guṇānċe	गुणांची guṇāñcī	गुणांच्या guṇāncā	गुणांचे, गुणांचं guṇānċe, guṇānċa	गुणांची guṇāñcī	गुणांच्या guṇāñcā
* Note: Word-final ए (e) in neuter words is alternatively written with the anusvara and pronounced as अ (a). Oblique Note: For most postpostions, the oblique genitive can be optionally inserted between the stem and the postposition.

References

• Berntsen, Maxine (1982–1983) “गुण”, in A Basic Marathi-English Dictionary, New Delhi: American Institute of Indian Studies
• Molesworth, James Thomas (1857) “गुण”, in A dictionary, Marathi and English, Bombay: Printed for government at the Bombay Education Society's Press

Old Gujarati

Etymology

Borrowed from Sanskrit गुण (guṇá).

Noun

गुण • (guṇa) m

1. virtue

Descendants

• Gujarati: ગુણ (guṇ)

Pali

Alternative forms

Alternative scripts

• guṇa (Latin script)
• 𑀕𑀼𑀡 (Brahmi script)
• গুণ (Bengali script)
• ගුණ (Sinhalese script)
• ဂုဏ or ၷုꧣ (Burmese script)
• คุณ or คุณะ (Thai script)
• ᨣᩩᨱ (Tai Tham script)
• ຄຸຓ or ຄຸຓະ (Lao script)
• គុណ (Khmer script)
• 𑄉𑄪𑄕 (Chakma script)

Noun

गुण m

1. Devanagari script form of guṇa (“string”)
2. Devanagari script form of guṇa (“quality”)

Declension

Declension table of "गुण" (masculine)

Case \ Number	Singular	Plural
Nominative (first)	गुणो (guṇo)	गुणा (guṇā)
Accusative (second)	गुणं (guṇaṃ)	गुणे (guṇe)
Instrumental (third)	गुणेन (guṇena)	गुणेहि (guṇehi) or गुणेभि (guṇebhi)
Dative (fourth)	गुणस्स (guṇassa) or गुणाय (guṇāya) or गुणत्थं (guṇatthaṃ)	गुणानं (guṇānaṃ)
Ablative (fifth)	गुणस्मा (guṇasmā) or गुणम्हा (guṇamhā) or गुणा (guṇā)	गुणेहि (guṇehi) or गुणेभि (guṇebhi)
Genitive (sixth)	गुणस्स (guṇassa)	गुणानं (guṇānaṃ)
Locative (seventh)	गुणस्मिं (guṇasmiṃ) or गुणम्हि (guṇamhi) or गुणे (guṇe)	गुणेसु (guṇesu)
Vocative (calling)	गुण (guṇa)	गुणा (guṇā)

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

Alternative scripts

• গুণ (Assamese script)
• ᬕᬸᬡ (Balinese script)
• গুণ (Bengali script)
• 𑰐𑰲𑰜 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀕𑀼𑀡 (Brahmi script)
• ဂုဏ (Burmese script)
• ગુણ (Gujarati script)
• ਗੁਣ (Gurmukhi script)
• 𑌗𑍁𑌣 (Grantha script)
• ꦒꦸꦟ (Javanese script)
• 𑂏𑂳𑂝 (Kaithi script)
• ಗುಣ (Kannada script)
• គុណ (Khmer script)
• ຄຸຓ (Lao script)
• ഗുണ (Malayalam script)
• ᡤᡠᢏᠠ (Manchu script)
• 𑘐𑘳𑘜 (Modi script)
• ᠺᠤᢏᠠ᠋ (Mongolian script)
• 𑦰𑧔𑦼 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐐𑐸𑐞 (Newa script)
• ଗୁଣ (Odia script)
• ꢔꢸꢠ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆓𑆶𑆟 (Sharada script)
• 𑖐𑖲𑖜 (Siddham script)
• ගුණ (Sinhalese script)
• 𑩞𑩒𑩪 (Soyombo script)
• 𑚌𑚰𑚘 (Takri script)
• கு³ண (Tamil script)
• గుణ (Telugu script)
• คุณ (Thai script)
• གུ་ཎ (Tibetan script)
• 𑒑𑒳𑒝 (Tirhuta script)
• 𑨍𑨃𑨘 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

Of uncertain origin. The oldest attested meaning is probably “time, occurrence”, though the original meaning is probably "hair" or "string". The prevailing theory links the word to Persian گون (gun, “color; species”); see there for more. Other theories connect the word to Gothic 𐌺𐌿𐌽𐌰𐍅𐌹𐌳𐌰 (kunawida, “fetters”) and Avestan 𐬔𐬏𐬥𐬀𐬊𐬌𐬙𐬌 (gūnaoⁱti, “increases”).

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /ɡu.ɳɐ́/
• (Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /ɡu.ɳɐ/

Noun

गुण • (guṇá) stem, m

1. string, strand
2. sinew (of a bow)
3. string (of an instrument)
4. time (occurrence)
   • c. 1200 BCE – 1000 BCE, Atharvaveda 10.8.43:

     त्रिभिर्गुणेभिर्

     tribhír guṇébhir

     three times

5. quality, property
6. (grammar, ablaut) full grade of vowels, ie /a/, /ar/, /e/, and /o/ (contrasts with zero grade and lengthened grade/vṛddhi)

Declension

Masculine a-stem declension of गुण

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	गुणः (guṇáḥ)	गुणौ (guṇaú) गुणा¹ (guṇā́¹)	गुणाः (guṇā́ḥ) गुणासः¹ (guṇā́saḥ¹)
vocative	गुण (gúṇa)	गुणौ (gúṇau) गुणा¹ (gúṇā¹)	गुणाः (gúṇāḥ) गुणासः¹ (gúṇāsaḥ¹)
accusative	गुणम् (guṇám)	गुणौ (guṇaú) गुणा¹ (guṇā́¹)	गुणान् (guṇā́n)
instrumental	गुणेन (guṇéna)	गुणाभ्याम् (guṇā́bhyām)	गुणैः (guṇaíḥ) गुणेभिः¹ (guṇébhiḥ¹)
dative	गुणाय (guṇā́ya)	गुणाभ्याम् (guṇā́bhyām)	गुणेभ्यः (guṇébhyaḥ)
ablative	गुणात् (guṇā́t)	गुणाभ्याम् (guṇā́bhyām)	गुणेभ्यः (guṇébhyaḥ)
genitive	गुणस्य (guṇásya)	गुणयोः (guṇáyoḥ)	गुणानाम् (guṇā́nām)
locative	गुणे (guṇé)	गुणयोः (guṇáyoḥ)	गुणेषु (guṇéṣu)

• ¹Vedic

Descendants

• Pali: guṇa
  • → Khmer: គុណ (kun)
  • → Burmese: ဂုဏ် (gun)
  • → Shan: ၵုင်ႇ (kùng)
  • → Thai: คุณ (kun)
• → English: guna
• → Hindi: गुण (guṇ)
• → Marathi: गुण m (guṇ)
• → Malay: guna
  • Indonesian: guna
• → Old Gujarati: गुण (guṇa)
• → Old Javanese: guṇa
  • Javanese: ꦒꦸꦤ (guna)
  • → Balinese: ᬕᬸᬡ (guna)
• → Telugu: గుణము (guṇamu)

References

• Monier Williams (1899) “गुण”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 0357/1.
• Otto Böhtlingk, Richard Schmidt (1879-1928) “गुण”, in Walter Slaje, Jürgen Hanneder, Paul Molitor, Jörg Ritter, editors, Nachtragswörterbuch des Sanskrit [Dictionary of Sanskrit with supplements] (in German), Halle-Wittenberg: Martin-Luther-Universität, published 2016
• Mayrhofer, Manfred (1992) Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎^[1] (in German), volume 1, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 489
• Mayrhofer, Manfred (1956) Kurzgefasstes Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindischen [A Concise Etymological Sanskrit Dictionary]‎^[2] (in German), volume 1, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 338