Sindhi Grammar - Noun

Noun is the name of any living or non-living thing, quality, condition or action.

Ram	rāmu	رامُ
Boy	chhokro	ڇوڪرو
Chair	kursī	ڪُرسي
Truth	sachāī	سَچائيِ
Heat	garmī	گرميِ

Types of Noun

The noun used for a category of things (living/non living) or place is called a common noun.

Examples:

Man	māṇhūN	ماڻهوُ
River	nadī	نَديِ
City	shahiru	شَهِرُ

The noun used for a particular person, place or thing is known as a proper noun.

Examples:

Mohan	mohanu	موهن
Ganges River	gangā nadī	گنگا نديِ
Mumbai	mumbaī	مُمبَئيِ

The noun used for a set (group) or particular living or non-living is known as collective noun.

Examples:

Military	sainā	سَينا
Flock	jhunḍu	جُهنڊُ
Herd	dhaṇu	ڍَڻُ

This noun used for a material is known as material noun.

Examples:

Milk	khīru	کيِرُ
Wheat	kaṇka	ڪَڻڪَ
Water	pāṇī	پاڻيِ

The noun of a particular quality, condition or task is known as an abstract noun.

Examples:

Love	premu	پريم
Heat	garmī	گرميِ
Run	doṛa	ڊوڙَ

In Sindhi, the noun changes according to the gender, number and case.

Gender :

In Sindhi, there are two genders:

Masculine Gender جنس مذڪر

Feminine Gender جنس مونث

The nouns that indicate the ‘male’ have masculine gender جنس مذڪر. For example, nouns ڇوڪرو chhokro (boy), گهوڙو ghoṛo (horse) are male, therefore, their gender is masculine.

The nouns that indicate female have feminine gender جنس مونث. For example, nouns ڇوڪري chhokrī (girl), گهوڙيِ ghoṛi (mare) are females, therefore, their gender is feminine.

It is necessary to note that in Sindhi, the gender is a grammatical feature and even non-living things have genders.

For example, دَرُ darū (door) is masculine gender جنس مذڪر and دَريِ dari (window) is feminine gender جنس مونث.

The gender of the noun in Sindhi depends on the last syllable or on the last sound of the word. The words ending in او (o), اُ (u), اوُ (ū) generally have masculine gender.

For example:

Boy	chhokro	ڇوڪرو
Horse	ghoṛo	گهوڙو
Door	darvazo	دَروازو
House	gharu	گَهرُ
Man	māṇhūN	ماڻهوُ

The words ending in اَ (a), آ (ā), اِ (i) and ايِ (ī) generally have feminine gender.

For example:

Wife	zāla	زالَ
Table	maiza	مَيزَ
Story	kathā	ڪَٿا
Wall	bhiti	ڀِتِ
Cat	ḇillī	ٻِليِ

Normally, a feminine form is derived from a masculine form. Some of the related masculine and feminine nouns are as follows:

	Masculine			Feminine
Boy	chhokro	ڇوڪرو	Girl	chhokrī	ڇوڪري
Horse	ghoṛo	گهوڙو	Mare	ghoṛī	گهوڙيِ
Washerman	dhoḇī	ڌوٻيِ	Washerwoman	dhoḇyāṇī	ڌوٻياڻي
Beggar (man)	fakīru	فَقيِرُ	Beggar (woman)	fakīryanī	فَقيِرياڻيِ
Richman	seṭhi	سيٺِ	Rich woman	seṭhyāṇī	سيٺياڻيِ
Lion	shīNhuN	شيِنهُن	Lioness	shīNhaṇi	شيِنهَڻ
He-goat	ḇakaru	ٻَڪرُ	She-goat	ḇakrī	ٻَڪريِ

Number

In Sindhi, there are two numbers – singular and plural, ‘singular’ means ‘one’ and ‘plural’ means ‘more than one’ . Normally, all the nouns change according to the number(singular and plural), but there are some nouns(masculine as well as feminine) which remain unchanged in both the numbers.

For example:

One man (m.sg.)	hiku māṇhūN	هِڪُ ماڻهوُ
Many men (m. pl.)	ghaṇā māṇhūN	گهَڻا ماڻهوُ
One louse (f. sg.)	hika jūN	هِڪَ جوُن
Lice (f. pl.)	ghaṇyūN jūN	گهَڻيوُن جوُن

Normally, plural forms are formed by adding a suffix to singular form. Here are some examples:

Masculine Nouns
Singular			Plural
Boy	chhokro	ڇوڪرو	Boys	chhokrā	ڇوڪرا
Horse	ghoṛo	گهوڙو	Horses	ghoṛā	گهوڙا
Child	ḇāru	ٻارُ	Children	ḇāra	ٻارَ
House	gharu	گهَرُ	Houses	ghara	گهَرَ
Rich man	seṭhi	سيٺِ	Rich men	seṭhyūN	سيٺيوُن

Feminine Nouns
Singular			Plural
Wife	zāla	زالَ	Wives	zālūN	زالوُن
Medicine	davā	دَوا	Medicines	davāūN	دَوائوُن
Eye	akhi	اَکِ	Eyes	akhiyūN	اَکيوُن
Girl	chhokrī	ڇوڪريِ	Girls	chhokyūN	ڇوڪريوُن
Mother-in-law	sasu	سَسُ	Mothers-in-law	sasūN	سَسوُن

The Case

The case حالَتِ indicates the relationship of a noun to other words in a sentence. In Sindhi, masculine nouns change in three cases – nominative oblique and vocative, while feminine nouns change only in two cases – nominative and oblique, as the nominative and vocative cases are similar.

When the noun is the subject or doer of the action (the verb), it is said to be in the Nominative Case . In this position, its form usually does not change.

For example:

In this sentence, ڇوڪرو (boy) is the subject or the doer, and he is directly related to action; ڊوڙَڻُ 'doṛaṇu' (to run), hence in this sentence, ڇوڪرو 'chhokro' (boy) is in nominative or direct case.

When the noun denotes a relation to the verb, other than that of the subject, it is said to be in Oblique Case. In this position, it is followed by a preposition and the form of the noun usually changes.

For example:

. ماءُ ڇوڪري کي سَڏُ ڪيو

māu chhokre khe saḏu kayo.

The mother called the boy.

In this case, the noun ڇوڪرو ‘boy’ is in oblique form. It therefore takes a preposition کي khe and changes in form to ڇوڪري chhokre.

The noun is in the Vocative case, when it is used to address call.

. ڇوڪرا، هيڏانهن اَچُ

chhokrā heḏāNhu achu.

O boy, come here.

In this sentence, the word ڇوڪرا O boy (m.sg.), is in vocative case as in this sentence, ڇوڪرو ‘boy’ has been addressed.

Masculine Nouns ending with [sindhi] (o).
eg: ڇوڪرو chhokro (boy)

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	chhokro ڇوڪرو (boy)	chhokrā ڇوڪرا (boys)
Oblique	chhokre khe ڇوڪري کي (to boy)	chhokrani khe ڇوڪرَنِ کي (to boys)
Vocative	o chhokrā! ! او ڇوڪرا (o boy!)	o chhokrā! ! او ڇوڪرا (o boys!)

Masculine Nouns ending with اُ (u).
e.g: ٻارُ ḇāru (child)

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	ḇāru ٻارُ (child)	ḇāra ٻارَ (children)
Oblique	ḇāra khe ٻارََ کي (to child)	ḇārani khe ٻارََنِ کي (to children)
Vocative	o ḇāra! ! او ٻارَ (o child!)	o ḇāro! ! او ٻارو (o children!)

Masculine Nouns ending with اوُ (ū).
eg: ماڻهوُ māṇhūN (man)

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	māṇhūN ماڻهوُ (man)	māṇhūN ماڻهوُ (men)
Oblique	māṇhūN-a-khe ماڻهوُءَ کي (to man))	māṇhūNi khe ماڻهُنِ کي (to men)
Vocative	o māṇhūN! ! او ماڻهوُ (o man!)	o māṇhuo! ! او ماڻهُئو (o men!)

Masculine Nouns ending with ايِ (ī).
eg: ساٿي sāthī (friend)

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	sāthī ساٿي (friend)	sāthī ساٿي (friends)
Oblique	sāthī-a-khe ساٿيِءَ کي (to friend)	sāthyuni khe ساٿيُن کي (to friends)
Vocative	o sāthī! ! او ساٿي (o friend!)	o sāthī! ! او ساٿي (o friends!)

Note: Feminine nouns change only in two cases- nominative and oblique, as the nominative and vocative cases are similar.

Feminine Nouns ending with اَ (a).
eg: زالَ zāla (wife)

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	zāla زالَ (wife)	zālūN زالوُن (wives)
Oblique	zāla khe زالَ کي (to wife))	zāluni زالُنِ کي (to wives)

Feminine Nouns ending with آ (ā).
eg: هَوا havā (air)

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	havā هَوا (air)	havāūN هَوائوُن (air (s))
Oblique	havā meN هَوا ۾ (in air)	havāuni meN هَوائُن ۾ (in air (s))

Feminine Nouns ending with اِ (i).
eg: اَکِ akhi (eye)

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	akhi اَکِ (eye)	akhyūN اَکيوُن (eyes)
Oblique	akhi meN اَکِ ۾ (in eye)	akhyuni اَکيُن ۾ (in eyes)

Feminine Nouns ending with ايِ (ī).
eg: ڇوڪريِ chhokrī (girl)

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	chhokrī ڇوڪريِ (girl)	chhokryūN ڇوڪريوُن (girls)
Oblique	chhokrī-a-khe ڇوڪريِءَ کي (to girl)	chhokryuni khe ڇوڪرِيُن کي (to girls)

Feminine Nouns ending with اُ (u).
eg: سَسُ sasu (mother-in-law)

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	sasu سَسُ (mother-in-law)	sasūN سَسوُن (mothers-in-law)
Oblique	sasu lāi سَسُ لاءِ (for mother-in-law)	sasuni lāi سَسُنِ لاءِ (for mothers-in-law)

Note: Like کي khe (to) and ۾ meN (in), other postpositions like تي te (on), جو jo (of), هيٺان heṭhāN (under) etc can also occur.