-तु

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

Alternative scripts

• -তু (Assamese script)
• -ᬢᬸ (Balinese script)
• -তু (Bengali script)
• -𑰝𑰲 (Bhaiksuki script)
• -𑀢𑀼 (Brahmi script)
• -တု (Burmese script)
• -તુ (Gujarati script)
• -ਤੁ (Gurmukhi script)
• -𑌤𑍁 (Grantha script)
• -ꦠꦸ (Javanese script)
• -𑂞𑂳 (Kaithi script)
• -ತು (Kannada script)
• -តុ (Khmer script)
• -ຕຸ (Lao script)
• -തു (Malayalam script)
• ᠊ᢠᡠ (Manchu script)
• -𑘝𑘳 (Modi script)
• ᠊ᢐᠤ (Mongolian script)
• -𑦽𑧔 (Nandinagari script)
• -𑐟𑐸 (Newa script)
• -ତୁ (Odia script)
• -ꢡꢸ (Saurashtra script)
• -𑆠𑆶 (Sharada script)
• -𑖝𑖲 (Siddham script)
• -තු (Sinhalese script)
• -𑩫𑩒 (Soyombo script)
• -𑚙𑚰 (Takri script)
• -து (Tamil script)
• -తు (Telugu script)
• -ตุ (Thai script)
• -་ཏུ (Tibetan script)
• -𑒞𑒳 (Tirhuta script)
• -𑨙𑨃 (Zanabazar Square script)

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /tu/
• (Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /t̪u/

Etymology 1

From Proto-Indo-Iranian *-tuš, from Proto-Indo-European *-tus.

Suffix

-तु • (-tu) stem, m or f or n (noun-forming suffix)

1. forms nouns from roots

   ‎जन् (jan, “to create”) + ‎-तु (-tu) → ‎जन्तु (jantú, “creature”)

   ‎धा (dhā) + ‎-तु (-tu) → ‎धातु (dhā́tu)

2. forms nouns from verbal stems

   ‎एधते (édhate, “to prosper”) + ‎-तु (-tu) → ‎एधतु (edhatú, “prosperity”)

Usage notes

Most often masculine.

Declension

Masculine u-stem declension of -तु

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	-तुः (-tuḥ)	-तू (-tū)	-तवः (-tavaḥ)
accusative	-तुम् (-tum)	-तू (-tū)	-तून् (-tūn)
instrumental	-तुना (-tunā)	-तुभ्याम् (-tubhyām)	-तुभिः (-tubhiḥ)
dative	-तवे (-tave)	-तुभ्याम् (-tubhyām)	-तुभ्यः (-tubhyaḥ)
ablative	-तोः (-toḥ)	-तुभ्याम् (-tubhyām)	-तुभ्यः (-tubhyaḥ)
genitive	-तोः (-toḥ)	-त्वोः (-tvoḥ)	-तूनाम् (-tūnām)
locative	-तौ (-tau)	-त्वोः (-tvoḥ)	-तुषु (-tuṣu)
vocative	-तो (-to)	-तू (-tū)	-तवः (-tavaḥ)

Feminine u-stem declension of -तु

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	-तुः (-tuḥ)	-तू (-tū)	-तवः (-tavaḥ)
accusative	-तुम् (-tum)	-तू (-tū)	-तूः (-tūḥ)
instrumental	-त्वा (-tvā)	-तुभ्याम् (-tubhyām)	-तुभिः (-tubhiḥ)
dative	-तवे (-tave) -त्वै (-tvai)	-तुभ्याम् (-tubhyām)	-तुभ्यः (-tubhyaḥ)
ablative	-तोः (-toḥ) -त्वाः (-tvāḥ) -त्वै¹ (-tvai¹)	-तुभ्याम् (-tubhyām)	-तुभ्यः (-tubhyaḥ)
genitive	-तोः (-toḥ) -त्वाः (-tvāḥ) -त्वै¹ (-tvai¹)	-त्वोः (-tvoḥ)	-तूनाम् (-tūnām)
locative	-तौ (-tau) -त्वाम् (-tvām)	-त्वोः (-tvoḥ)	-तुषु (-tuṣu)
vocative	-तो (-to)	-तू (-tū)	-तवः (-tavaḥ)

• ¹Brāhmaṇas

Neuter u-stem declension of -तु

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	-तु (-tu)	-तुनी (-tunī) -त्वी¹ (-tvī¹)	-तूनि (-tūni) -तु¹ (-tu¹) -तू¹ (-tū¹)
accusative	-तु (-tu)	-तुनी (-tunī) -त्वी¹ (-tvī¹)	-तूनि (-tūni) -तु¹ (-tu¹) -तू¹ (-tū¹)
instrumental	-तुना (-tunā)	-तुभ्याम् (-tubhyām)	-तुभिः (-tubhiḥ)
dative	-तुने (-tune) -तवे¹ (-tave¹)	-तुभ्याम् (-tubhyām)	-तुभ्यः (-tubhyaḥ)
ablative	-तुनः (-tunaḥ) -तोः¹ (-toḥ¹)	-तुभ्याम् (-tubhyām)	-तुभ्यः (-tubhyaḥ)
genitive	-तुनः (-tunaḥ) -तोः¹ (-toḥ¹)	-तुनोः (-tunoḥ) -त्वोः¹ (-tvoḥ¹)	-तूनाम् (-tūnām)
locative	-तुनि (-tuni) -तौ¹ (-tau¹)	-तुनोः (-tunoḥ) -त्वोः¹ (-tvoḥ¹)	-तुषु (-tuṣu)
vocative	-तु (-tu) -तो (-to)	-तुनी (-tunī) -त्वी¹ (-tvī¹)	-तूनि (-tūni) -तु¹ (-tu¹) -तू¹ (-tū¹)

• ¹Vedic

Derived terms

Sanskrit terms suffixed with -तु

अक्तु

गन्तु

जातु

धातु

वस्तु

वास्तु

Related terms

• -तुम् (-tum)
• -त्व (-tva)
• -त्वा (tvā́)

References

• William Dwight Whitney (1889), Sanskrit Grammar‎^[1], § 1161, page 435
• Wackernagel, Jakob; Albert Debrunner (1896-1964), Altindische Grammatik [Grammar of Ancient Indian] (Indogermanische Bibliothek. 2. Reihe: Wörterbücher)‎^[2] (in German), Vol. II.2: Die Nominalsuffixe, Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, published 1954, 488-492, pages 663-9

Etymology 2

From Proto-Indo-Iranian *-tu, from Proto-Indo-European *-tu. Cognate with Old Avestan -𐬙𐬏 (-tū).

Suffix

-तु • (-tu) (verb suffix form)

1. ending of third person singular imperative active