वाणी

See also: वीणा, वाण, वाणि, and वेणु

Hindi

Etymology

Borrowed from Sanskrit वाणी (vā́ṇī).

Pronunciation

• (Delhi) IPA^(key): /ʋɑː.ɳiː/, [ʋäː.ɳiː]

Noun

वाणी • (vāṇī) f

1. speech, voice

   Synonyms: आवाज़ (āvāz), वाक् (vāk)

2. sound (of which the source is known)
3. (Dhrupad) one of four specific forms or styles of dhrupad, distinct from a gharana

   Synonym: बानी (bānī) (more common)

Declension

Declension of वाणी (fem ī-stem)

	singular	plural
direct	वाणी vāṇī	वाणियाँ vāṇiyā̃
oblique	वाणी vāṇī	वाणियों vāṇiyõ
vocative	वाणी vāṇī	वाणियो vāṇiyo

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

Alternative scripts

• ৱাণী (Assamese script)
• ᬯᬵᬡᬷ (Balinese script)
• বাণী (Bengali script)
• 𑰪𑰯𑰜𑰱 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀯𑀸𑀡𑀻 (Brahmi script)
• ဝါဏီ (Burmese script)
• વાણી (Gujarati script)
• ਵਾਣੀ (Gurmukhi script)
• 𑌵𑌾𑌣𑍀 (Grantha script)
• ꦮꦴꦟꦷ (Javanese script)
• 𑂫𑂰𑂝𑂲 (Kaithi script)
• ವಾಣೀ (Kannada script)
• វាណី (Khmer script)
• ວາຓີ (Lao script)
• വാണീ (Malayalam script)
• ᠸᠠ᠎᠊ᠠᢏᡳᡳ (Manchu script)
• 𑘪𑘰𑘜𑘲 (Modi script)
• ᠸᠠᢗᢏᠢᠢ (Mongolian script)
• 𑧊𑧑𑦼𑧓 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐰𑐵𑐞𑐷 (Newa script)
• ଵାଣୀ (Odia script)
• ꢮꢵꢠꢷ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆮𑆳𑆟𑆵 (Sharada script)
• 𑖪𑖯𑖜𑖱 (Siddham script)
• වාණී (Sinhalese script)
• 𑩾𑩛𑩪𑩑𑩛 (Soyombo script)
• 𑚦𑚭𑚘𑚯 (Takri script)
• வாணீ (Tamil script)
• వాణీ (Telugu script)
• วาณี (Thai script)
• ཝཱ་ཎཱི (Tibetan script)
• 𑒫𑒰𑒝𑒲 (Tirhuta script)
• 𑨭𑨊𑨘𑨁𑨊 (Zanabazar Square script)

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /ʋɑ́ː.ɳiː/
• (Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /ˈʋɑː.ɳiː/

Etymology 1

See वाण (vāṇá).

Noun

वाणी • (vā́ṇī) stem, f

1. sound, voice, music
   1. (in the plural) a choir of musicians or singers
2. speech, language, words, diction, (especially) eloquent speech or fine diction
3. a literary production or composition
4. praise, laudation

Declension

Feminine ī-stem declension of वाणी (vā́ṇī)
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	वाणी vā́ṇī	वाण्यौ / वाणी¹ vā́ṇyau / vā́ṇī¹	वाण्यः / वाणीः¹ vā́ṇyaḥ / vā́ṇīḥ¹
Vocative	वाणि vā́ṇi	वाण्यौ / वाणी¹ vā́ṇyau / vā́ṇī¹	वाण्यः / वाणीः¹ vā́ṇyaḥ / vā́ṇīḥ¹
Accusative	वाणीम् vā́ṇīm	वाण्यौ / वाणी¹ vā́ṇyau / vā́ṇī¹	वाणीः vā́ṇīḥ
Instrumental	वाण्या vā́ṇyā	वाणीभ्याम् vā́ṇībhyām	वाणीभिः vā́ṇībhiḥ
Dative	वाण्यै vā́ṇyai	वाणीभ्याम् vā́ṇībhyām	वाणीभ्यः vā́ṇībhyaḥ
Ablative	वाण्याः / वाण्यै² vā́ṇyāḥ / vā́ṇyai²	वाणीभ्याम् vā́ṇībhyām	वाणीभ्यः vā́ṇībhyaḥ
Genitive	वाण्याः / वाण्यै² vā́ṇyāḥ / vā́ṇyai²	वाण्योः vā́ṇyoḥ	वाणीनाम् vā́ṇīnām
Locative	वाण्याम् vā́ṇyām	वाण्योः vā́ṇyoḥ	वाणीषु vā́ṇīṣu
Notes	¹Vedic ²Brāhmaṇas

Proper noun

वाणी • (vāṇī) stem, f

1. the Hindu goddess of speech, Sarasvati
2. name of a meter consisting only of long syllables
3. name of a river (according to some, the Sarasvati)

Etymology 2

Noun

वाणी • (vāṇī) stem, f

1. a reed
2. (in the dual) the two bars of a car or carriage

Etymology 3

Noun

वाणी • (vāṇī) stem, f

1. Alternative form of वाणि (vāṇi, “weaving”)

References

• Monier Williams (1899) “वाणी”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 939/2.
• Mayrhofer, Manfred (1996) Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎^[1] (in German), volume 2, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 541
• Apte, Macdonell (2022) “वाणी”, in Digital Dictionaries of South India [Combined Sanskrit Dictionaries]