-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

अग्रजा

अटपटा

अट्ठा

उचक्का

कठघरा

कबाड़ा

खटका

गेरुआ

गेहुँआ

गोटा

घेरा

चाँदा

चौका

झटका

झूला

टना

ठंडा

ठेला

तिरंगा

तिराहा

तिलंगा

तिलचट्टा

तोड़ा

दूधमुँहा

दोबारा

नकचढ़ा

निहत्था

नेहा

परोसा

प्यारा

प्रियतमा

बचपना

बारा

बेढंगा

भूखा

रपटना

रसोइया

रसोईया

लाड़ा

शोर-शराबा

सत्ता

सीला

हेरा-फेरी

Etymology 2

Inherited from Old Hindi -आ m (-ā) ~ -ई f (-ī), leveled (when not after vowels) from older -या m (-yā) / -यौ (-yau) ~ -ई f (-ī), from Apabhramsa -इअउ m (-iaü) ~ -ईअ f (-īa, nominative), from Prakrit -इअ m (-ia) + Middle Indo-Aryan -𑀓- (-ka-). See there for more. Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *-tós. The -y- which surfaces when this suffix occurs after a vowel is a reflex of -i- in -इअ (-ia).

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)

2. 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)

अनखिला

अनब्याहा

अनसुना

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)

कुब्जा

नेत्रिका

पथिका

शोभना

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)

दक़ीक़ा

शरीफ़ा

साहिरा

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

	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 (-ayā) -आ¹ (-ā¹)	-आभ्याम् (-ābhyām)	-आभिः (-ābhiḥ)
dative	-आयै (-āyai)	-आभ्याम् (-ābhyām)	-आभ्यः (-ābhyaḥ)
ablative	-आयाः (-āyāḥ) -आयै² (-āyai²)	-आभ्याम् (-ābhyām)	-आभ्यः (-ābhyaḥ)
genitive	-आयाः (-āyāḥ) -आयै² (-āyai²)	-अयोः (-ayoḥ)	-आनाम् (-ānām)
locative	-आयाम् (-āyām)	-अयोः (-ayoḥ)	-आसु (-āsu)

• ¹Vedic
• ²Brāhmaṇas

Derived terms

Sanskrit terms suffixed with -आ

-इका

कनीनिका

क्षमा

खेलना

खेला

चिन्ता

चुम्बा

जिघांसा

टङ्का

तृषा

दिधक्षा

पापा

-आपयति

प्रतिज्ञा

प्रशंसा

बुभुक्षा

भर्त्सना

भिक्षा

मना

मूर्छा

व्यथा

शिशयिषा

शुश्रूषा

शोभना

संज्ञा

संधा

सज्जा

हिक्का