UP Police Constable · Bite-size lessons

Sandhi (संधि)

About 7 min · General Hindi (सामान्य हिंदी) · English

Time worked out from the lesson's 491 words at 150 words a minute, plus a minute for each question.

Sandhi (संधि) is the fusion or euphonic combination of two adjacent sounds — vowels or consonants — when two words or morphemes come together in continuous speech or writing. The term literally means "joining" or "combination." In Hindi grammar, sandhi transforms the sounds at word boundaries to make pronunciation smoother and more natural.

Key ideas

• Sandhi Definition: The phonetic modification that occurs when two sounds meet at the junction of two words or word parts. The resulting combined form is the sandhi roop (संधि रूप), and separating it back is sandhi vichchhed (संधि विच्छेद) or vigrah (विग्रह).
• Swar Sandhi (स्वर संधि): Occurs when a vowel at the end of one word meets a vowel at the beginning of the next. Five subtypes: Deergh (दीर्घ), Guna (गुण), Vriddhi (वृद्धि), Yan (यण), and Ayadi (अयादि).
• Vyanjan Sandhi (व्यंजन संधि): Happens when a consonant at the end of one word meets a vowel or consonant at the start of the next, or when certain consonant clusters form. Rules involve doubling, substitution, or insertion of sounds.
• Visarg Sandhi (विसर्ग संधि): The visarga (ः) symbol undergoes transformation based on the following sound — it may become 'स', 'र', 'ओ', or disappear entirely. Context and the nature of the following consonant or vowel determine the change.
• Sandhi Purpose: Sandhi ensures smooth pronunciation (euphony) and reflects the natural flow of spoken language. It is not arbitrary but follows systematic phonetic principles.

Watch out for

• Confusing Guna and Vriddhi: Students often mix अ + इ = ए (Guna) with अ + ए = ऐ (Vriddhi). Remember: Guna involves इ/ई, उ/ऊ, ऋ; Vriddhi involves diphthongs ए, ऐ, ओ, औ.
• Ignoring Yan Sandhi vowel change: Many forget that इ/ई → य्, उ/ऊ → व् before a dissimilar vowel. For example, प्रति + एक should become प्रत्येक, not प्रतिएक.
• Incorrect vigrah of Visarga words: Students may separate मनोरथ as मनो + रथ instead of मनः + रथ. Always check if a visarga (ः) was present originally — context and word origin help.

Quick reference

• Deergh Sandhi: Same vowels → long vowel (अ+अ=आ, इ+ई=ई, उ+ऊ=ऊ). Example: विद्या + आलय = विद्यालय.
• Guna Sandhi: अ/आ + इ/ई = ए; अ/आ + उ/ऊ = ओ. Example: महा + इंद्र = महेंद्र.
• Vriddhi Sandhi: अ/आ + ए/ऐ = ऐ; अ/आ + ओ/औ = औ. Example: एक + एक = एकैक.
• Yan Sandhi: इ/ई → य्, उ/ऊ → व्, ऋ → र् before dissimilar vowel. Example: इति + आदि = इत्यादि.
• Visarg Sandhi: ः changes to स्, र्, ओ, or remains based on following sound. Example: मनः + रथ = मनोरथ.

Check yourself: 3 questions

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.

Read the full noteFlashcards for this topic