बीज

See also: बाज़ी, बाज़, बजे, and बाजा

Hindi

Etymology

Borrowed from Sanskrit बीज (bī́ja). Doublet of बीआ (bīā), a tadbhava.

Pronunciation

• (Delhi Hindi) IPA^(key): /biːd͡ʒ/

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

बीज • (bīj) m (Urdu spelling بیج)

1. seed, seedling
2. nucleus (clarification of this definition is needed)

   Synonym: नाभिक (nābhik)

3. kernel

Declension

Declension of बीज (masc cons-stem)

	singular	plural
direct	बीज bīj	बीज bīj
oblique	बीज bīj	बीजों bījõ
vocative	बीज bīj	बीजो bījo

Old Marathi

Noun

बीज (bīja) n

1. Devanagari script form of 𑘤𑘲𑘕

Declension

Declension of बीज
	singular	plural
direct	बीज (bīja)	बिजें (bijeṃ)
oblique	बिजा (bijā)	बिजां (bijāṃ)
instrumental	बिजें (bijeṃ)	बिजीं (bijīṃ)
locative	बिजी (bijī)	बिजीं (bijīṃ)

Pali

Alternative forms

Alternative forms

• bīja (Latin script)
• 𑀩𑀻𑀚 (Brahmi script)
• বীজ (Bengali script)
• බීජ (Sinhalese script)
• ဗီဇ or ဗဳဇ or ၿီၹ (Burmese script)
• พีช or พีชะ (Thai script)
• ᨻᩦᨩ (Tai Tham script)
• ພີຊ or ພີຊະ (Lao script)
• ពីជ (Khmer script)
• 𑄝𑄩𑄎 (Chakma script)

Noun

बीज n

1. Devanagari script form of bīja

Declension

Declension table of "बीज" (neuter)

Case \ Number	Singular	Plural
Nominative (first)	बीजं (bījaṃ)	बीजानि (bījāni)
Accusative (second)	बीजं (bījaṃ)	बीजानि (bījāni)
Instrumental (third)	बीजेन (bījena)	बीजेहि (bījehi) or बीजेभि (bījebhi)
Dative (fourth)	बीजस्स (bījassa) or बीजाय (bījāya) or बीजत्थं (bījatthaṃ)	बीजानं (bījānaṃ)
Ablative (fifth)	बीजस्मा (bījasmā) or बीजम्हा (bījamhā) or बीजा (bījā)	बीजेहि (bījehi) or बीजेभि (bījebhi)
Genitive (sixth)	बीजस्स (bījassa)	बीजानं (bījānaṃ)
Locative (seventh)	बीजस्मिं (bījasmiṃ) or बीजम्हि (bījamhi) or बीजे (bīje)	बीजेसु (bījesu)
Vocative (calling)	बीज (bīja)	बीजानि (bījāni)

Rajasthani

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Sanskrit बीज (bīja).

Noun

बीज (bīj) ?

1. seed
2. sprout
3. semen

Derived terms

• बीजणौ (bījṇau)

Further reading

• Bhanwar Lal Suthar and Sukhveer Singh Gahlot (1998), Rajasthani-Hindi-English Dictionary, page 240. Jodhpur: Bharat Printers (Press).

Sanskrit

Alternative forms

Alternative scripts

• বীজ (Assamese script)
• ᬩᬷᬚ (Balinese script)
• বীজ (Bengali script)
• 𑰤𑰱𑰕 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀩𑀻𑀚 (Brahmi script)
• ဗီဇ (Burmese script)
• બીજ (Gujarati script)
• ਬੀਜ (Gurmukhi script)
• 𑌬𑍀𑌜 (Grantha script)
• ꦧꦷꦗ (Javanese script)
• 𑂥𑂲𑂔 (Kaithi script)
• ಬೀಜ (Kannada script)
• ពីជ (Khmer script)
• ພີຊ (Lao script)
• ബീജ (Malayalam script)
• ᠪᡳᡳᡯᠠ (Manchu script)
• 𑘤𑘲𑘕 (Modi script)
• ᠪᠢᠢᠽᠠ᠋ (Mongolian script)
• 𑧄𑧓𑦵 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐧𑐷𑐖 (Newa script)
• ବୀଜ (Odia script)
• ꢨꢷꢙ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆧𑆵𑆘 (Sharada script)
• 𑖤𑖱𑖕 (Siddham script)
• බීජ (Sinhalese script)
• 𑩲𑩑𑩛𑩣 (Soyombo script)
• 𑚠𑚯𑚑 (Takri script)
• பீ³ஜ (Tamil script)
• బీజ (Telugu script)
• พีช (Thai script)
• བཱི་ཛ (Tibetan script)
• 𑒥𑒲𑒖 (Tirhuta script)
• 𑨠𑨁𑨊𑨥 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-Iranian *bíHȷ́am (“seed, semen”). Cognate with Sogdian [script needed] (byz'k, “seed, semen”), Parachi bīz (“seed-corn”).

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /bíː.d͡ʑɐ/
• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈbiː.d͡ʑɐ/

Noun

बीज • (bī́ja) stem, n

1. seed
   • c. 1700 BCE – 1200 BCE, Ṛgveda 5.53.13:

     येन तोकाय तनयाय धान्यं बीजं वहध्वे अक्षितम् ।
     अस्मभ्यं तद्धत्तन यद्व ईमहे राधो विश्वायु सौभगम् ॥

     yena tokāya tanayāya dhānyaṃ bījaṃ vahadhve akṣitam.
     asmabhyaṃ taddhattana yadva īmahe rādho viśvāyu saubhagam.

     Grant to us the bounty, that which we implore, through which, for child and progeny,
     Ye give the seed of corn that does not die, and bliss that reaches to all life.

2. semen
3. grain
4. origin
   • c. 400 BCE, Bhagavad Gītā 7.10:

     बीजं मां सर्वभूतानां सनातनम्

     bījaṃ māṃ sarvabhūtānāṃ sanātanam

     The origin I am of all beings, everlasting

5. algebra

Declension

Neuter a-stem declension of बीज (bī́ja)
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	बीजम् bī́jam	बीजे bī́je	बीजानि / बीजा¹ bī́jāni / bī́jā¹
Vocative	बीज bī́ja	बीजे bī́je	बीजानि / बीजा¹ bī́jāni / bī́jā¹
Accusative	बीजम् bī́jam	बीजे bī́je	बीजानि / बीजा¹ bī́jāni / bī́jā¹
Instrumental	बीजेन bī́jena	बीजाभ्याम् bī́jābhyām	बीजैः / बीजेभिः¹ bī́jaiḥ / bī́jebhiḥ¹
Dative	बीजाय bī́jāya	बीजाभ्याम् bī́jābhyām	बीजेभ्यः bī́jebhyaḥ
Ablative	बीजात् bī́jāt	बीजाभ्याम् bī́jābhyām	बीजेभ्यः bī́jebhyaḥ
Genitive	बीजस्य bī́jasya	बीजयोः bī́jayoḥ	बीजानाम् bī́jānām
Locative	बीजे bī́je	बीजयोः bī́jayoḥ	बीजेषु bī́jeṣu
Notes	¹Vedic

Borrowed terms

• Gujarati: બીજ (bīj)
• Bengali: বীজ (bij)
• Hindi: बीज (bīj)
• Khmer: ពីជៈ (piicĕəʼ)
• Kannada: ಬೀಜ (bīja)
• Marathi: बीज (bīj)
• Pali: bīja
• Tamil: பீசம் (pīcam)

Derived terms

• बीजक (bī́jaka)
  • Dardic:
    • Kalasha: bíyak

Descendants

• Dardic:
  • Kalasha: bi
  • Khowar: بی (bi)
  • Shina: बीँ (bī̃)
  • Torwali: بِژ (biž)
  • Kashmiri: بیول (byōl)
  • → Proto-Nuristani: *bī́ya (see there for further descendants)
• Gandhari: 𐨦𐨁𐨩 (biya)
• Maharastri Prakrit: 𑀩𑀻𑀅 (bīa) (see there for further descendants)
• Niya Prakrit: 𐨧𐨁𐨗𐨹 (bhij́a)
• Pali: bīja
• Sauraseni Prakrit:
  • Gujarati: બી (bī), બીયું (bīyũ)
  • Hindi: बीआ (bīā), बीया (bīyā)
  • Nepali: बीउ (bīu)
  • Punjabi: ਬੀ (bī)

Further reading

• Hellwig, Oliver (2010-2024) “bīja”, in DCS - The Digital Corpus of Sanskrit, Berlin, Germany.