Singular and Plural Nouns

FoundationsSounds Like ēka aura anēka

Some plurals change their ending and some do not: लड़का becomes लड़के, किताब becomes किताबें, and घर stays घर.

How It Works

A Hindi noun's plural depends on its gender and its last sound. There are four main patterns.

Noun typeOneMore than one
masculine, ends in -आलड़कालड़के
masculine, other endingsघरघर
feminine, ends in -ईलड़कीलड़कियाँ
feminine, other endingsकिताबकिताबें

Most masculine nouns that do not end in -आ stay the same, so घर means house or houses. A few masculine -आ words also stay the same, mostly family words such as पिता (father) and चाचा (uncle).

When the noun does not change, other words show the number: दो घर हैं (there are two houses) has the number दो and the plural verb हैं.

These are the plain forms, used for the subject. Before a postposition such as में or को, plurals take a different ending: लड़कों को, किताबों में. That form has its own entry.

Examples (5)

  1. बाहर दो लड़के हैं।

    There are two boys outside.

    लड़का ends in -आ, so the plural is लड़के.

  2. कमरे में तीन लड़कियाँ हैं।

    There are three girls in the room.

    लड़की ends in -ई, so the plural is लड़कियाँ.

  3. बैग में चार किताबें हैं।

    There are four books in the bag.

    किताब adds -एँ: किताबें.

  4. यहाँ दस घर हैं।

    There are ten houses here.

    घर stays the same; दस and हैं show the plural.

  5. दरवाज़े पर दो आदमी हैं।

    There are two men at the door.

    आदमी ends in -ई but is masculine, so it does not change.

How It Connects

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Singular and Plural NounsFoundations

Learn This First

Plural endings are chosen by a noun's gender and final vowel, so plurals come after noun gender.

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Patterns that build on this one.