वाणी

See also: वीणा, वाण, वाणि, and वेणु

Hindi

Etymology

Borrowed from Sanskrit वाणी (vā́ṇī).

Pronunciation

(Standard Hindi) IPA^(key): /ʋɑː.ɳiː/, [ʋäː.ɳiː]

Noun

वाणी • (vāṇī) f

speech, voice
Synonyms: आवाज़ (āvāz), वाक् (vāk)
sound (of which the source is known)
(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

Proper noun

वाणी • (vāṇī) f

a female given name, Vaani and Vani, from Sanskrit

Declension

Declension of *वाणी* (sg-only fem ī-stem)
	singular
direct	वाणी vāṇī
oblique	वाणी vāṇī
vocative	वाणी vāṇī

References

Dāsa, Śyāmasundara (1965–1975), “वाणी”, in Hindī Śabdasāgara [lit. “Sea of Hindi words”] (in Hindi), Kashi [Varanasi]: Nagari Pracarini Sabha, page 4417
Caturvedi, Mahendra; Bhola Nath Tiwari (1970), “वाणी”, in A practical Hindi-English dictionary, Delhi: National Publishing House, page 694
McGregor, Ronald Stuart (1993), “वाणी”, in The Oxford Hindi-English Dictionary, London: Oxford University Press, page 913
Bahri, Hardev (1989), “वाणी”, in Siksarthi Hindi-Angrejhi Sabdakosa [Learners' Hindi-English Dictionary], Delhi: Rajpal & Sons, page 581.

Marathi

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ʋa.ɳi/, [ʋa.ɳiː]
Hyphenation: वा‧णी
Rhymes: -i

Etymology 1

Inherited from Old Marathi 𑘪𑘰𑘜𑘲 (vāṇī, “speech”), from Maharastri Prakrit 𑀯𑀸𑀡𑀻 (vāṇī, “speech”), from Sanskrit वाणी (vāṇī, “speech”).

Noun

वाणी • (vāṇī) f

voice
Synonyms: आवाज (āvāj), स्वर (svar), कंठ (kaṇṭha)

तिची वाणी अत्यंत मंजुळ आहे.
ticī vāṇī atyanta mañjuḷ āhe.
Her voice is very melodious.
speech; articulate utterance, or the faculty, or the divinity governing it
Synonym: वाचा (vācā)

त्यांची वाणी अनाकलनीय आहे.
tyāñcī vāṇī anākalnīy āhe.
His speech is incomprehensible.

Declension

Declension of **वाणी** (fem ī-stem)
	singular एकवचन	plural अनेकवचन
nominative प्रथमा	वाणी vāṇī	वाण्या vāṇyā
oblique सामान्यरूप	वाणी vāṇī	वाण्यां- vāṇyā̃
accusative / dative द्वितीया / चतुर्थी	वाणीला vāṇīlā	वाण्यांना vāṇyānnā
ergative	वाणीने, वाणीनं vāṇīne, vāṇīna	वाण्यांनी vāṇyānnī
instrumental	वाणीशी vāṇīśī	वाण्यांशी vāṇyāuśī
locative सप्तमी	वाणीत vāṇīt	वाण्यांत vāṇyānta
vocative संबोधन	वाणी vāṇī	वाण्यांनो vāṇyānno

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 **वाणी** (fem ī-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	oblique सामान्यरूप
singular subject एकवचनी कर्ता	वाणीचा vāṇīcā	वाणीचे vāṇīce	वाणीची vāṇīcī	वाणीच्या vāṇīcyā	वाणीचे, वाणीचं vāṇīce, vāṇīca	वाणीची vāṇīcī	वाणीच्या vāṇīcyā
plural subject अनेकवचनी कर्ता	वाण्यांचा vāṇyāñcā	वाण्यांचे vāṇyāñce	वाण्यांची vāṇyāñcī	वाण्यांच्या vāṇyāñcyā	वाण्यांचे, वाण्यांचं vāṇyāñce, vāṇyāñca	वाण्यांची vāṇyāñcī	वाण्यांच्या vāṇyāñcyā

^* 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.

Proper noun

वाणी • (vāṇī) f

a female given name, Vani, from Sanskrit

Etymology 2

Inherited from Old Marathi 𑘪𑘰𑘜𑘲 (vāṇī, “grocer”), from Prakrit 𑀯𑀸𑀡𑀺𑀅𑀬 (vāṇiaya, “trader, grocer”), from Sanskrit वाणिज (vāṇija, “trader”).

Noun

वाणी • (vāṇī) m

(historical) a caste that primarily practiced the trading and retailing of grains and allied products
(by extension) a local grocer or vendor
आमचा वाणी आम्हाला सर्व जिन्नस नाममात्र दरात पुरवतो.
āmcā vāṇī āmhālā sarva jinnas nāmmātra darāt puravto.
Our grocer supplies us with all goods at nominal rates.

Declension

Declension of **वाणी** (masc ī-stem)
	singular एकवचन	plural अनेकवचन
nominative प्रथमा	वाणी vāṇī	वाणी vāṇī
oblique सामान्यरूप	वाणी vāṇī	वाणीं- vāṇīṁ
accusative / dative द्वितीया / चतुर्थी	वाणीला vāṇīlā	वाणींना vāṇīṁnā
ergative	वाणीने, वाणीनं vāṇīne, vāṇīna	वाणींनी vāṇīṁnī
instrumental	वाणीशी vāṇīśī	वाणींशी vāṇīṁśī
locative सप्तमी	वाणीत vāṇīta	वाणींत vāṇīṁta
vocative संबोधन	वाणी vāṇī	वाणींनो vāṇīṁno

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 **वाणी** (masc ī-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	oblique सामान्यरूप
singular subject एकवचनी कर्ता	वाणीचा vāṇīcā	वाणीचे vāṇīce	वाणीची vāṇīcī	वाणीच्या vāṇīcyā	वाणीचे, वाणीचं vāṇīce, vāṇīca	वाणीची vāṇīcī	वाणीच्या vāṇīcyā
plural subject अनेकवचनी कर्ता	वाणींचा vāṇīṁcā	वाणींचे vāṇīṁce	वाणींची vāṇīṁcī	वाणींच्या vāṇīṁcyā	वाणींचे, वाणींचं vāṇīṁce, vāṇīṁca	वाणींची vāṇīṁcī	वाणींच्या vāṇīṁcyā

^* 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

Molesworth, James Thomas (1857), “वाणी”, in A dictionary, Marathi and English, Bombay: Printed for government at the Bombay Education Society's Press
Shankar Gopal Tulpule; Anne Feldhaus (1999), “वाणी”, in A Dictionary of Old Marathi, Mumbai: Popular Prakashan

Sanskrit

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): /ʋɑː.ɳiː/

Etymology 1

See वाण (vāṇá).

Noun

वाणी॑ • (vā́ṇī) stem, f

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

Declension

Feminine ī-stem declension of वाणी॑
	singular	dual	plural
nominative	वाणी॑ (vā́ṇī)	वाण्यौ॑ (vā́ṇyau) वाणी॑¹ (vā́ṇī¹)	वाण्यः॑ (vā́ṇyaḥ) वाणीः॑¹ (vā́ṇīḥ¹)
accusative	वाणी॑म् (vā́ṇīm)	वाण्यौ॑ (vā́ṇyau) वाणी॑¹ (vā́ṇī¹)	वाणीः॑ (vā́ṇīḥ)
instrumental	वाण्या॑ (vā́ṇyā)	वाणी॑भ्याम् (vā́ṇībhyām)	वाणी॑भिः (vā́ṇībhiḥ)
dative	वाण्यै॑ (vā́ṇyai)	वाणी॑भ्याम् (vā́ṇībhyām)	वाणी॑भ्यः (vā́ṇībhyaḥ)
ablative	वाण्याः॑ (vā́ṇyāḥ) वाण्यै॑² (vā́ṇyai²)	वाणी॑भ्याम् (vā́ṇībhyām)	वाणी॑भ्यः (vā́ṇībhyaḥ)
genitive	वाण्याः॑ (vā́ṇyāḥ) वाण्यै॑² (vā́ṇyai²)	वाण्योः॑ (vā́ṇyoḥ)	वाणी॑नाम् (vā́ṇīnām)
locative	वाण्या॑म् (vā́ṇyām)	वाण्योः॑ (vā́ṇyoḥ)	वाणी॑षु (vā́ṇīṣu)
vocative	वाणि॑ (vā́ṇi)	वाण्यौ॑ (vā́ṇyau) वाणी॑¹ (vā́ṇī¹)	वाण्यः॑ (vā́ṇyaḥ) वाणीः॑¹ (vā́ṇīḥ¹)

¹Vedic
²Brāhmaṇas

Proper noun

वाणी • (vāṇī) stem, f

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

Etymology 2

This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.
Particularly: “Not attested in etymological dictionaries. Perhaps connected to Etymology 1 somehow, via the "stringed harp" meaning of वाण (vāṇa)?”

Noun

वाणी • (vāṇī) stem, f

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

Etymology 3

Noun

वाणी • (vāṇī) stem, f

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