मातृभाषा (maatribhaashaa)
noun
A compound noun meaning 'mother tongue' -- mातृ (maatri, 'mother,' a bound Sanskrit form) plus भाषा (bhaashaa, 'language'). It has just one everyday sense.
Sense
1
:
mother tongue, native language
noun, feminine
Synonyms: मादरी ज़बान (maadrii zabaan, colloquial, Urdu-flavored equivalent), निज भाषा (nij bhaashaa, literary)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: In a country with over twenty official languages, asking आपकी मातृभाषा क्या है (aapkii maatribhaashaa kyaa hai, 'What is your mother tongue?') is a completely normal getting-to-know-you question in India, unlike in many English-speaking contexts where it might seem intrusive. It often comes right after someone's name and hometown in casual introductions, since it signals region, community, and sometimes caste or background all at once.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes say अपनी भाषा (apnii bhaashaa) to mean 'mother tongue,' but that just means 'one's own language' (which could be a second or third language one has adopted) -- मातृभाषा (maatribhaashaa) specifically means the language learned from birth/family. 2) The gender is feminine because भाषा (bhaashaa) is feminine -- adjectives and verbs agreeing with this word must take feminine forms, e.g. मेरी मातृभाषा हिंदी है (merii maatribhaashaa hindii hai, 'My mother tongue is Hindi'), not मेरा.
Sample Sentences:
आपकी मातृभाषा क्या है?
What is your mother tongue?
(aapkii maatribhaashaa kyaa hai?)
मेरी मातृभाषा हिंदी है, लेकिन मैं अंग्रेज़ी में भी सोच लेता हूँ।
My mother tongue is Hindi, but I can think in English too.
(merii maatribhaashaa hindii hai, lekin main angrezii men bhii soch letaa hoon।)
बच्चों को उनकी मातृभाषा में पढ़ाना चाहिए।
Children should be taught in their mother tongue.
(bachchon ko unkii maatribhaashaa men padhaanaa chaahie।)
अगर उसकी मातृभाषा तमिल होती, तो वह इतनी हिंदी नहीं भूलता।
If his mother tongue had been Tamil, he wouldn't have forgotten so much Hindi.
(agar uskii maatribhaashaa tamil hotii, to vah itnii hindii nahiin bhooltaa।)
स्कूल में हमें अपनी मातृभाषा बोलने से मना किया जाता था।
In school, we used to be forbidden from speaking our mother tongue.
(skool men hamen apnii maatribhaashaa bolne se manaa kiyaa jaataa thaa।)
यूनेस्को हर साल 21 फरवरी को अंतरराष्ट्रीय मातृभाषा दिवस के रूप में मनाता है।
UNESCO observes February 21 every year as International Mother Language Day.
(yoonesko har saal 21 pharavrii ko antarraashtriiy maatribhaashaa divas ke roop men manaataa hai।)
अपनी मातृभाषा पर गर्व करो, उसे कभी शर्म का विषय मत बनाओ।
Be proud of your mother tongue, never make it a matter of shame.
(apnii maatribhaashaa par garv karo, use kabhii sharm kaa vishay mat banaao।)
जब वह पहली बार दिल्ली आया था, तो उसे लगा कि शायद कोई उसकी मातृभाषा नहीं समझेगा।
When he first came to Delhi, he felt that perhaps no one would understand his mother tongue.
(jab vah pahlii baar dillii aayaa thaa, to use lagaa ki shaayad koii uskii maatribhaashaa nahiin samjhegaa।)
यह ज़रूरी नहीं कि जो व्यक्ति दिल्ली में रहता है, उसकी मातृभाषा हिंदी हो।
It's not necessary that someone who lives in Delhi has Hindi as their mother tongue.
(yah zaroorii nahiin ki jo vyakti dillii men rahtaa hai, uskii maatribhaashaa hindii ho।)
मातृभाषा में शिक्षा देने से बच्चों की समझ बेहतर होती है।
Giving education in the mother tongue improves children's understanding.
(maatribhaashaa men shikshaa dene se bachchon kii samajh behtar hotii hai।)
विदेश में बरसों बिताने के बाद भी उसने अपनी मातृभाषा नहीं छोड़ी।
Even after spending years abroad, he never let go of his mother tongue.
(videsh men barson bitaane ke baad bhii usne apnii maatribhaashaa nahiin chhodii।)
Morphology
Noun
(sg.f.direct):
मातृभाषा
(maatribhaashaa)
(sg.f.oblique):
मातृभाषा
(maatribhaashaa)
(pl.f.direct):
मातृभाषाएँ
(maatribhaashaaen)
(pl.f.oblique):
मातृभाषाओं
(maatribhaashaaon)