Word Origins: Tatsam, Tadbhav, Deshaj and Videshi
Word Origins: Tatsam, Tadbhav, Deshaj and Videshi
Word origins supply two questions and they are the quickest to solve, provided the tatsam and tadbhav pairs are known. The paper usually gives a tadbhav word and asks for its tatsam form, so practise them as pairs rather than as two separate lists.
Classes by Origin
| Class | Meaning | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Tatsam | taken from Sanskrit unchanged | अग्नि, सूर्य, दुग्ध, हस्त |
| Tadbhav | from Sanskrit but altered | आग, सूरज, दूध, हाथ |
| Deshaj | formed from local speech | खिड़की, पगड़ी, लोटा, ठेठ |
| Videshi | borrowed from other languages | कलम, स्कूल, कुर्सी, चाय |
The names carry their own definitions. Tatsam means the same as it, that is, exactly as in Sanskrit; tadbhav means born from it, that is, derived from Sanskrit with change. Remember the meanings and the distinction never slips.
| Tatsam | Tadbhav | Tatsam | Tadbhav |
|---|---|---|---|
| कर्ण | कान | क्षेत्र | खेत |
| मयूर | मोर | गृह | घर |
| वत्स | बच्चा | अश्रु | आँसू |
| चंद्र | चाँद | कर्म | काम |
✗ सूरज is a tatsam word | ✓ सूरज is tadbhav; its tatsam form is सूर्य
Sources of Borrowed Words
- Arabic — कलम, किताब, दुनिया, अमीर, कानून.
- Persian — आदमी, चश्मा, दुकान, ज़मीन, बाग़.
- Turkish — कैंची, चाकू, तोप, बेगम.
- Portuguese — आलमारी, चाबी, बाल्टी, तौलिया.
- English — स्कूल, डॉक्टर, टिकट, कॉलेज.
The Turkish and Portuguese lists are short, so they are worth learning in full. Questions are usually set from exactly these two, because the Arabic and Persian lists are far too long to be examined that way.
Classes by Formation
- Rudh — words whose parts carry no meaning, such as नाक, घर, कल.
- Yaugik — formed from two meaningful words, such as विद्यालय, रसोईघर, पाठशाला.
- Yogarudh — compound in form but fixed to one special meaning, such as पंकज, दशानन, जलज.
Yogarudh is asked most often. पंकज literally means born in mud, but it has become fixed as a word for the lotus alone. दशानन means ten-faced, yet it points only to Ravana.
पहचान का नियम: यदि शब्द के टुकड़े अलग-अलग अर्थ देते हैं पर पूरा शब्द किसी एक ही वस्तु के लिए रूढ़ हो गया है, तो वह योगरूढ़ है।
TRE pointer: Learn tatsam and tadbhav in pairs, never separately — कर्ण-कान, मयूर-मोर, अश्रु-आँसू. The three yogarudh examples — पंकज, दशानन, जलज — are all but certain. Among borrowed words, memorise the short Turkish and Portuguese lists in full, since that is where the paper draws from.
60-Second Recap
- Tatsam words come from Sanskrit unchanged; tadbhav words come altered.
- Deshaj words come from local speech, videshi from other languages.
- कर्ण-कान, मयूर-मोर, अश्रु-आँसू and क्षेत्र-खेत are standard pairs.
- कैंची and चाकू are Turkish; आलमारी and चाबी are Portuguese.
- By formation, words are rudh, yaugik or yogarudh.
- पंकज, दशानन and जलज are yogarudh words.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between tatsam and tadbhav?
A tatsam word has come into Hindi from Sanskrit unchanged, such as अग्नि, हस्त and दुग्ध. A tadbhav word has the same Sanskrit source but its pronunciation has shifted over time, such as आग, हाथ and दूध. The origin is one and the same; only the form differs.
What is a yogarudh word?
A compound word that has stopped meaning what its parts say and has become fixed to one particular sense. पंकज literally means born in mud, but it is used only for the lotus. दशानन means ten-faced, but it refers only to Ravana.
Which words count as deshaj?
Those that came into Hindi neither from Sanskrit nor from a foreign language, but from local speech and regional usage. खिड़की, पगड़ी, लोटा, ठेठ and झाड़ू are examples. No Sanskrit root can be traced for them, which is exactly what marks them out.
Which language do कैंची and चाकू come from?
Turkish. तोप and बेगम also come from Turkish, and because the list is short it is asked repeatedly. आलमारी, चाबी, बाल्टी and तौलिया come from Portuguese, which is the other short list that examiners return to.