बन्धु

Pali

Alternative forms

Alternative forms

• bandhu (Latin script)
• 𑀩𑀦𑁆𑀥𑀼 (Brahmi script)
• বন্ধু (Bengali script)
• බන්‍ධු (Sinhalese script)
• ဗန္ဓု or ၿၼ္ꩪု or ၿၼ်ꩪု (Burmese script)
• พนฺธุ or พันธุ (Thai script)
• ᨻᨶ᩠ᨵᩩ (Tai Tham script)
• ພນ຺ຘຸ or ພັນຘຸ (Lao script)
• ពន្ធុ (Khmer script)
• 𑄝𑄚𑄴𑄙𑄪 (Chakma script)

Noun

बन्धु m

1. Devanagari script form of bandhu

Declension

Declension table of "बन्धु" (masculine)

Case \ Number	Singular	Plural
Nominative (first)	बन्धु (bandhu)	बन्धवो (bandhavo) or बन्धू (bandhū)
Accusative (second)	बन्धुं (bandhuṃ)	बन्धवो (bandhavo) or बन्धू (bandhū)
Instrumental (third)	बन्धुना (bandhunā)	बन्धूहि (bandhūhi) or बन्धूभि (bandhūbhi)
Dative (fourth)	बन्धुस्स (bandhussa) or बन्धुनो (bandhuno)	बन्धूनं (bandhūnaṃ)
Ablative (fifth)	बन्धुस्मा (bandhusmā) or बन्धुम्हा (bandhumhā)	बन्धूहि (bandhūhi) or बन्धूभि (bandhūbhi)
Genitive (sixth)	बन्धुस्स (bandhussa) or बन्धुनो (bandhuno)	बन्धूनं (bandhūnaṃ)
Locative (seventh)	बन्धुस्मिं (bandhusmiṃ) or बन्धुम्हि (bandhumhi)	बन्धूसु (bandhūsu)
Vocative (calling)	बन्धु (bandhu)	बन्धवे (bandhave) or बन्धवो (bandhavo)

Sanskrit

Alternative forms

Alternative scripts

• বন্ধু (Assamese script)
• ᬩᬦ᭄ᬥᬸ (Balinese script)
• বন্ধু (Bengali script)
• 𑰤𑰡𑰿𑰠𑰲 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀩𑀦𑁆𑀥𑀼 (Brahmi script)
• ဗန္ဓု (Burmese script)
• બન્ધુ (Gujarati script)
• ਬਨ੍ਧੁ (Gurmukhi script)
• 𑌬𑌨𑍍𑌧𑍁 (Grantha script)
• ꦧꦤ꧀ꦣꦸ (Javanese script)
• 𑂥𑂢𑂹𑂡𑂳 (Kaithi script)
• ಬನ್ಧು (Kannada script)
• ពន្ធុ (Khmer script)
• ພນ຺ຘຸ (Lao script)
• ബന്ധു (Malayalam script)
• ᠪᠠᠨᢡᡠ (Manchu script)
• 𑘤𑘡𑘿𑘠𑘳 (Modi script)
• ᠪᠠᠨᢑᠾᠤ (Mongolian script)
• 𑧄𑧁𑧠𑧀𑧔 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐧𑐣𑑂𑐢𑐸 (Newa script)
• ବନ୍ଧୁ (Odia script)
• ꢨꢥ꣄ꢤꢸ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆧𑆤𑇀𑆣𑆶 (Sharada script)
• 𑖤𑖡𑖿𑖠𑖲 (Siddham script)
• බන්‍ධු (Sinhalese script)
• 𑩲𑩯 𑪙𑩮𑩒 (Soyombo script)
• 𑚠𑚝𑚶𑚜𑚰 (Takri script)
• ப³ந்து⁴ (Tamil script)
• బన్ధు (Telugu script)
• พนฺธุ (Thai script)
• བ་ནྡྷུ (Tibetan script)
• 𑒥𑒢𑓂𑒡𑒳 (Tirhuta script)
• 𑨠𑨝𑩇𑨜𑨃 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

From the root बन्ध् (bandh), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰendʰ- (“to bind, tie”). Cognate to Ancient Greek πενθερός (pentherós).

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /bɐ́n.dʱu/
• (Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /ˈbɐn̪.d̪ʱu/

Noun

बन्धु • (bándhu) stem, m

1. connection, relation, association, bond
   • c. 1700 BCE – 1200 BCE, Ṛgveda 1.154.5:

     तद॑स्य प्रि॒यम॒भि पाथो॑ अश्यां॒ नरो॒ यत्र॑ देव॒यवो॒ मद॑न्ति।
     उ॒रु॒क्र॒मस्य॒ स हि बन्धु॑र्इ॒त्था विष्णो॑: प॒दे प॑र॒मे मध्व॒ उत्स॑:॥

     tádasya priyámabhí pā́tho aśyāṃ náro yátra devayávo mádanti.
     urukramásya sá hí bándhuritthā́ víṣṇo: padé paramé mádhva útsa:.

     Might I reach that dear cattle-pen of his, where men seeking the gods find elation, for exactly that is the bond to the wide-striding one: the wellspring of mead in the highest step of Viṣṇu.

2. kinship, kindred
3. a kinsman, relative, kindred
4. (law) a cognate kinsman in a remote degree, one subsequent in right of inheritance to the सगोत्र

Declension

Masculine u-stem declension of बन्धु (bándhu)
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	बन्धुः bándhuḥ	बन्धू bándhū	बन्धवः bándhavaḥ
Vocative	बन्धो bándho	बन्धू bándhū	बन्धवः bándhavaḥ
Accusative	बन्धुम् bándhum	बन्धू bándhū	बन्धून् bándhūn
Instrumental	बन्धुना / बन्ध्वा¹ bándhunā / bándhvā¹	बन्धुभ्याम् bándhubhyām	बन्धुभिः bándhubhiḥ
Dative	बन्धवे bándhave	बन्धुभ्याम् bándhubhyām	बन्धुभ्यः bándhubhyaḥ
Ablative	बन्धोः bándhoḥ	बन्धुभ्याम् bándhubhyām	बन्धुभ्यः bándhubhyaḥ
Genitive	बन्धोः bándhoḥ	बन्ध्वोः bándhvoḥ	बन्धूनाम् bándhūnām
Locative	बन्धौ bándhau	बन्ध्वोः bándhvoḥ	बन्धुषु bándhuṣu
Notes	¹Vedic

Descendants

• Maharastri Prakrit: 𑀩𑀁𑀥𑀼 (baṃdhu)
• Pali: bandhu
• → Bengali: বন্ধু (bondhu)
• → Hindi: बंधु (bandhu)
• → Lao: ພັນທຸ (phan thu)
• → Marathi: बंधू (bandhū)
• → Tamil: பந்து (pantu)
• → Telugu: బంధువు (bandhuvu)
• → Thai: พันธุ์ (pan)

Further reading

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