-आ

Hindi

Pronunciation

• (Standard Hindi) 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 adjectives 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

अनुजा

उचक्का

कठघरा

कबाड़ा

कुबड़ा

खटका

गेरुआ

गेहुँआ

गोटा

घेरा

चरख़ा

चाँदा

चौका

झटका

झूला

टना

ठेला

तख़्ता

तिमुँहा

तिरंगा

तिराहा

तिलंगा

तिलचट्टा

तोड़ा

थोथा

दीपा

दुरंगा

दूधमुँहा

दोधारा

दोबारा

दोमुँहा

नकचढ़ा

नकसुरा

निहत्था

नेहा

परोसा

पियारा

प्यारा

प्रियतमा

बचपना

बहुकरोड़ा

बारा

बेढंगा

भूखा

रपटना

रसोईया

लाड़ा

शोर-शराबा

सजना

सत्ता

सीला

स्वस्तिका

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)

अमृता

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

शायरा

साहिरा

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

Alternative scripts

• -আ (Assamese script)
• -ᬆ (Balinese script)
• -আ (Bengali script)
• -𑰁 (Bhaiksuki script)
• -𑀆 (Brahmi script)
• -အာ (Burmese script)
• -આ (Gujarati script)
• -ਆ (Gurmukhi script)
• -𑌆 (Grantha script)
• -ꦄꦴ (Javanese script)
• -𑂄 (Kaithi script)
• -ಆ (Kannada 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)
• -ఆ (Telugu script)
• -อา (Thai script)
• -ཨཱ (Tibetan script)
• -𑒂 (Tirhuta 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) stem, f (noun-forming suffix)

1. creates action nouns from roots or secondary conjugation-stems

   ‎क्रीड् (krīḍ, “to play”) + ‎-आ (-ā) → ‎क्रीडा (krīḍā́, “play”)

   ‎दिधक्षति (didhakṣati, “to want to burn”) + ‎-आ (-ā) → ‎दिधक्षा (didhakṣā, “desire to burn”)

Declension

Feminine ā-stem declension of -आ

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	-आ -ā	-ए -e	-आः -āḥ
accusative	-आम् -ām	-ए -e	-आः -āḥ
instrumental	-अया, -आ1 -ayā, -ā1	-आभ्याम् -ābhyām	-आभिः -ābhiḥ
dative	-आयै -āyai	-आभ्याम् -ābhyām	-आभ्यः -ābhyaḥ
ablative	-आयाः, -आयै2 -āyāḥ, -āyai2	-आभ्याम् -ābhyām	-आभ्यः -ābhyaḥ
genitive	-आयाः, -आयै2 -āyāḥ, -āyai2	-अयोः -ayoḥ	-आनाम् -ānām
locative	-आयाम् -āyām	-अयोः -ayoḥ	-आसु -āsu
vocative	-ए -e	-ए -e	-आः -āḥ

¹Vedic.
²Brāhmaṇas.

Derived terms

Sanskrit terms suffixed with -आ

-आपयति

इच्छा

ईक्षा

ऊर्जा

कनीनिका

क्षमा

खेलना

खेला

चर्चा

चिन्ता

चुम्बा

चेष्टा

जिघांसा

टङ्का

तृषा

त्रपा

दया

दिधक्षा

दृशा

प्रतिज्ञा

प्रतिपदा

प्रतिभा

प्रमीला

बिडाला

बुभुक्षा

भर्त्सना

भिक्षा

भीषा

मना

मूर्छा

मृदा

राधा

विवक्षा

व्यथा

शंसा

शङ्का

शिक्षा

शिशयिषा

शुश्रूषा

संज्ञा

संधा

सज्जा

हिक्का

Suffix

-आ • (-ā) f (adjective suffix form)

1. nominative feminine singular of -अ (-a)

References

• William Dwight Whitney (1889), Sanskrit Grammar‎^[1], § 1149, pages 425-6