कृतज्ञ (kritagy)
adjective
A single-sense formal adjective meaning 'grateful, thankful.' Sanskrit-derived and literary in flavor compared to everyday ways of expressing thanks.
Sense
1
:
grateful, thankful
adjective Typically used with के प्रति (ke prati, 'towards') or का (kaa) to name who one is grateful to, e.g. आपका कृतज्ञ हूँ (aapkaa kritagy hoon, 'I am grateful to you').
Synonyms: आभारी (aabhaarii), एहसानमंद (ehsaanmand, colloquial), शुक्रगुज़ार (shukrguzaar, colloquial)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: This is the word you'll see engraved on plaques, printed in formal thank-you letters, or used in a felicitation speech -- it carries real weight and sincerity, almost like saying 'deeply indebted' rather than just 'thanks.' In daily conversation, most Delhi speakers reach for आभारी (aabhaarii) or the everyday शुक्रिया (shukriyaa, 'thank you') instead, saving कृतज्ञ (kritagy) for moments that call for real solemnity.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often reach for कृतज्ञ (kritagy) in casual speech where a native speaker would say आभारी (aabhaarii) or शुक्रगुज़ार (shukrguzaar) instead; कृतज्ञ (kritagy) tends to show up in formal writing, speeches, and letters rather than everyday chat. 2) Because it ends in a consonant, learners sometimes wrongly add gendered vowel endings to it as if it were a variable adjective like अच्छा (achchhaa); it stays unchanged for all genders and numbers.
Sample Sentences:
मैं आपका जीवन भर कृतज्ञ रहूँगा।
I will remain grateful to you for my whole life.
(main aapkaa jiivan bhar kritagy rahoongaa।)
हम अपने गुरुजनों के सदा कृतज्ञ हैं।
We are forever grateful to our teachers.
(ham apne gurujnon ke sadaa kritagy hain।)
इस सहायता के लिए पूरा गाँव उनका कृतज्ञ था।
The whole village was grateful to him for this help.
(is sahaaytaa ke lie pooraa gaanv unkaa kritagy thaa।)
यदि आप यह अवसर देते, तो मैं सदा कृतज्ञ रहता।
If you had given me this opportunity, I would have remained forever grateful.
(yadi aap yah avsar dete, to main sadaa kritagy rahtaa।)
देश अपने वीर सैनिकों का सदा कृतज्ञ रहेगा।
The nation will always remain grateful to its brave soldiers.
(desh apne viir sainikon kaa sadaa kritagy rahegaa।)
संस्था अपने सभी दानदाताओं की कृतज्ञ है।
The institution is grateful to all its donors.
(sansthaa apne sabhii daandaataaon kii kritagy hai।)
प्राचार्य ने कहा कि विद्यालय अपने पूर्व छात्रों का कृतज्ञ है।
The principal said that the school is grateful to its alumni.
(praachaary ne kahaa ki vidyaalay apne poorv chhaatron kaa kritagy hai।)
स्मारक-पट्टिका पर लिखा है: "हम अपने संस्थापकों के कृतज्ञ हैं।"
The memorial plaque reads: "We are grateful to our founders."
(smaarak-pattikaa par likhaa hai: "ham apne sansthaapkon ke kritagy hain।")
काश मैं उनके प्रति और कृतज्ञ हो पाता।
I wish I could be more grateful toward him.
(kaash main unke prati aur kritagy ho paataa।)
कृतज्ञ हृदय से हम आपका अभिनन्दन करते हैं।
With a grateful heart, we welcome and honor you.
(kritagy hriday se ham aapkaa abhinandan karte hain।)
Morphology
Adjective (invariant)
invariant:
कृतज्ञ
(kritagy)