धन (dhan)
noun
Mainly a noun meaning wealth or money in a somewhat formal/literary register; it also appears as a grammar/science term for 'positive' (as in positive charge or positive numbers).
Sense
1
:
wealth, riches, money (formal register)
noun, masculine
Synonyms: पैसा (paisaa), दौलत (daulat), संपत्ति (sampatti, formal, often 'property/assets'), माल (maal, colloquial)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: धन (dhan) carries a certain gravity -- it is the word you hear in phrases about prosperity and good fortune, like धन-दौलत (dhan-daulat, 'wealth and riches') or the goddess Lakshmi being called धन की देवी (dhan kii devii, 'goddess of wealth'). It sits a notch above पैसा (paisaa) in formality, closer to English 'wealth' than 'cash.'
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often reach for धन (dhan) as a everyday word for 'money,' but in casual speech पैसा (paisaa) is what people actually say at the shop or with friends; धन (dhan) shows up more in proverbs, financial contexts, or slightly elevated speech (savings, prosperity, wealth in a moral or philosophical sense).
Sample Sentences:
धन ही जीवन की सबसे बड़ी चीज़ नहीं है।
Wealth is not the biggest thing in life.
(dhan hii jiivan kii sabse badii chiiz nahiin hai।)
लक्ष्मी को धन की देवी माना जाता है।
Lakshmi is considered the goddess of wealth.
(lakshmii ko dhan kii devii maanaa jaataa hai।)
उसने अपना सारा धन गरीबों में बाँट दिया।
He distributed all his wealth among the poor.
(usne apnaa saaraa dhan gariibon men baant diyaa।)
धन-दौलत आने-जाने वाली चीज़ है।
Wealth and riches are things that come and go.
(dhan-daulat aane-jaane vaalii chiiz hai।)
यदि तुम्हारे पास अपार धन होता, तो तुम क्या करते?
If you had immense wealth, what would you do?
(yadi tumhaare paas apaar dhan hotaa, to tum kyaa karte?)
देश का धन जनता की भलाई के लिए इस्तेमाल किया जाना चाहिए।
The nation's wealth should be used for the welfare of the people.
(desh kaa dhan jantaa kii bhalaaii ke lie istemaal kiyaa jaanaa chaahie।)
अपना धन बुद्धिमानी से निवेश करो।
Invest your wealth wisely.
(apnaa dhan buddhimaanii se nivesh karo।)
प्राचीन काल में राजाओं के पास अपार धन हुआ करता था।
In ancient times, kings used to possess immense wealth.
(praachiin kaal men raajaaon ke paas apaar dhan huaa kartaa thaa।)
धन के बिना भी सुखी जीवन जिया जा सकता है।
A happy life can be lived even without wealth.
(dhan ke binaa bhii sukhii jiivan jiyaa jaa saktaa hai।)
हे धन की देवी, हमारे घर में सदा वास करो।
O goddess of wealth, may you always dwell in our home.
(he dhan kii devii, hamaare ghar men sadaa vaas karo।)
Sense
2
:
positive (as in positive charge, positive number, or grammatical/astrological technical sense)
noun, masculine Used almost exclusively as part of set technical terms such as धन आवेश (dhan aavesh, 'positive charge') or धन चिन्ह (dhan chinh, 'plus sign'), rather than as a freestanding descriptive word.
Frequency: low
Cultural Note: This is the same धन (dhan) you will meet in a school science textbook -- positive charge is धन आवेश (dhan aavesh) and negative is ऋण आवेश (rin aavesh). It is a specialized, low-frequency use for a conversational learner, but worth recognizing if you ever read Hindi science material.
Sample Sentences:
प्रोटॉन पर धन आवेश होता है।
A proton carries a positive charge.
(proton par dhan aavesh hotaa hai।)
यह संख्या धन है या ऋण?
Is this number positive or negative?
(yah sankhyaa dhan hai yaa rin?)
शिक्षक ने बोर्ड पर धन चिह्न बनाया।
The teacher drew a positive sign on the board.
(shikshak ne bord par dhan chihn banaayaa।)
इस प्रयोग में धन आवेश वाले कणों का उपयोग किया गया।
In this experiment, particles with a positive charge were used.
(is prayog men dhan aavesh vaale kanon kaa upyog kiyaa gayaa।)
यदि परिणाम धन आता है, तो प्रतिक्रिया आगे बढ़ेगी।
If the result comes out positive, the reaction will proceed further.
(yadi parinaam dhan aataa hai, to pratikriyaa aage badhegii।)
इस समीकरण को हल करते समय धन और ऋण चिह्नों का ध्यान रखिए।
While solving this equation, pay attention to the positive and negative signs.
(is samiikran ko hal karte samay dhan aur rin chihnon kaa dhyaan rakhie।)
अगर इलेक्ट्रॉन पर धन आवेश होता, तो परमाणु की संरचना बिल्कुल अलग होती।
If the electron carried a positive charge, the structure of the atom would be completely different.
(agar ilektron par dhan aavesh hotaa, to parmaanu kii sanrachnaa bilkul alag hotii।)
धन और ऋण संख्याओं का योग कभी-कभी शून्य होता है।
The sum of positive and negative numbers is sometimes zero.
(dhan aur rin sankhyaaon kaa yog kabhii-kabhii shoony hotaa hai।)
Morphology
Noun
(sg.m.direct):
धन
(dhan)
(sg.m.oblique):
धन
(dhan)
(pl.m.direct):
धन
(dhan)
(pl.m.oblique):
धनों
(dhanon)