Sandhi and Samas
About 5 min · Hindi and English Language · English
Time worked out from the lesson's 293 words at 150 words a minute, plus a minute for each question.
Sandhi and Samas are two fundamental concepts in Hindi grammar that test a student's understanding of how words combine and form compound structures. Mastering them not only helps in direct questions but also improves overall comprehension of Hindi vocabulary and sentence construction.
Key ideas
- Sandhi means "joining" — when two varnas (letters/sounds) come together, one or both may change to create a smoother combined form.
- Sandhi occurs at the junction of the last letter of the first word and the first letter of the second word.
- Three main types based on the type of varnas involved: Swar Sandhi (vowels), Vyanjan Sandhi (consonants), and Visarg Sandhi (visarg ः).
- Sandhi-vichchhed means breaking the combined word back into its original components.
- Samas means "compound" — two or more words combine to form a single meaningful word, dropping the vibhakti (case markers) in between.
Watch out for
- Wrong: "लंबोदर" = लंबा उदर (Karmadharaya)
- Correct: "लंबोदर" = लंबा है उदर जिसका (गणेश) — Bahuvrihi, because the word refers to Ganesha, not just a long belly.
- Wrong: Thinking अ + ए = ए (Gun)
Quick reference
- Swar Sandhi = vowel + vowel; Vyanjan Sandhi = consonant involved; Visarg Sandhi = ः involved.
- Gun Sandhi formula: अ/आ + इ/ई = ए | अ/आ + उ/ऊ = ओ | अ/आ + ऋ = अर्
- Avyayibhav = first word is avyay (यथा, प्रति, आ); whole compound becomes adverb.
- Bahuvrihi test: Does the compound point to someone/something else? If yes → Bahuvrihi.
- Dvigu always has a number as first word and indicates a collection/group.
Check yourself: 3 questions
1. शब्द 'सदाचार' में कौन-सी संधि है?
2. निम्नलिखित में से कौन-सा शब्द 'तत्पुरुष समास' का उदाहरण है?
3. 'महात्मा' शब्द का संधि-विच्छेद क्या है?
This lesson is cut from the topic's note, not rewritten. Fact-checked on 18 Oct 2026: an AI-assisted check of this note against cited sources; the errors it found were corrected that day. Some errors may remain. The questions are from Shishya's validated question bank.
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