पत्र (patr)
noun
Mainly a formal/written word: (1) a letter (written correspondence), and (2) a document/certificate, plus a few compound-based extended uses like newspaper (पत्र patr as short for समाचार पत्र samaachaar patr) and leaf in botanical/literary compounds. The everyday spoken word for 'letter' is चिट्ठी (chitthii); पत्र (patr) is its more formal register-mate.
Sense
1
:
letter (written correspondence)
noun, masculine
Synonyms: चिट्ठी (chitthii), खत (khat)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: पत्र (patr) is the word you meet on government forms, school circulars, and news headlines about someone 'writing a letter to the editor' (संपादक के नाम पत्र, sampaadak ke naam patr). In daily chat about writing to a friend or family member, most Delhi speakers still say चिट्ठी (chitthii) or the more modern मेल (mel) / मैसेज (maisej).
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often reach only for चिट्ठी (chitthii) in speech; पत्र (patr) is what you'll see on forms, in office contexts, and in compounds like प्रेम पत्र (prem patr, 'love letter') or निमंत्रण पत्र (nimantran patr, 'invitation letter'), so recognizing it in writing matters even if you say चिट्ठी (chitthii) out loud.
Sample Sentences:
कृपया यह पत्र प्रधानाचार्य जी को दे दीजिए।
Please give this letter to the principal.
(kripyaa yah patr pradhaanaachaary jii ko de diijie।)
उसने संपादक के नाम एक पत्र लिखा।
He wrote a letter to the editor.
(usne sampaadak ke naam ek patr likhaa।)
मंत्रालय को हर हफ्ते सैकड़ों पत्र मिलते हैं।
The ministry receives hundreds of letters every week.
(mantraalay ko har haphte saikdon patr milte hain।)
यह पत्र कल ही डाक विभाग द्वारा भेजा गया था।
This letter was sent by the postal department just yesterday.
(yah patr kal hii daak vibhaag dvaaraa bhejaa gayaa thaa।)
क्या आप यह आवेदन पत्र के साथ जमा कर रहे हैं?
Are you submitting this along with the application letter?
(kyaa aap yah aavedan patr ke saath jamaa kar rahe hain?)
अगर उसे समय मिलता तो वह जरूर पत्र लिखता।
If he had gotten the time, he would definitely have written the letter.
(agar use samay miltaa to vah jaroor patr likhtaa।)
मैं चाहता हूँ कि तुम मुख्यमंत्री को एक पत्र भेजो।
I want you to send a letter to the chief minister.
(main chaahtaa hoon ki tum mukhymantrii ko ek patr bhejo।)
समाचार पत्र में आज संपादक के नाम पत्र छपा है।
A letter to the editor has been printed in the newspaper today.
(samaachaar patr men aaj sampaadak ke naam patr chhapaa hai।)
क्या उन्होंने अभी तक आपके पत्र का जवाब दिया?
Have they replied to your letter yet?
(kyaa unhonne abhii tak aapke patr kaa javaab diyaa?)
अधिकारियों ने सभी विभागों को एक साथ पत्र जारी किया।
The officials issued a letter to all departments together.
(adhikaariyon ne sabhii vibhaagon ko ek saath patr jaarii kiyaa।)
Sense
2
:
official document, certificate
noun, masculine Almost always appears as the second half of a compound naming a specific document, e.g. प्रमाण पत्र (pramaan patr, 'certificate'), पहचान पत्र (pahchaan patr, 'ID card'), राशन पत्र (raashan patr / राशन कार्ड, 'ration card').
Synonyms: दस्तावेज़ (dastaavez), प्रमाण पत्र (pramaan patr, certificate)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: This is the पत्र (patr) of bureaucratic life in India: आधार कार्ड (aadhaar kaard), पहचान पत्र (pahchaan patr), जाति प्रमाण पत्र (jaati pramaan patr, 'caste certificate') and dozens of other official पत्र (patr) compounds fill every government office queue. Knowing this sense helps you decode form names even before you can speak fluently.
Common Mistakes: 1) पत्र (patr) alone rarely means 'document' in casual speech; you'll almost always hear it fused into a compound like पहचान पत्र (pahchaan patr) rather than standing on its own the way 'document' does in English.
Sample Sentences:
मुझे पहचान पत्र के लिए आवेदन देना है।
I have to submit an application for an identity certificate.
(mujhe pahchaan patr ke lie aavedan denaa hai।)
जाति प्रमाण पत्र बनवाने में कई हफ्ते लग जाते हैं।
It takes several weeks to get a caste certificate made.
(jaati pramaan patr banvaane men kaii haphte lag jaate hain।)
कृपया अपने सभी आवश्यक पत्र साथ लाएँ।
Please bring all your necessary documents with you.
(kripyaa apne sabhii aavashyak patr saath laaen।)
यह पत्र बिना अधिकारी के हस्ताक्षर के मान्य नहीं होगा।
This document will not be valid without the officer's signature.
(yah patr binaa adhikaarii ke hastaakshar ke maany nahiin hogaa।)
उसने अपना जन्म प्रमाण पत्र खो दिया था।
He had lost his birth certificate.
(usne apnaa janm pramaan patr kho diyaa thaa।)
अगर सारे पत्र सही होते, तो काम आज ही हो जाता।
If all the documents had been in order, the work would have gotten done today itself.
(agar saare patr sahii hote, to kaam aaj hii ho jaataa।)
यह प्रमाण पत्र सरकारी कार्यालय द्वारा जारी किया जाता है।
This certificate is issued by the government office.
(yah pramaan patr sarkaarii kaaryaalay dvaaraa jaarii kiyaa jaataa hai।)
शायद उसे अपना चरित्र प्रमाण पत्र अभी तक न मिला हो।
Perhaps he still hasn't received his character certificate.
(shaayad use apnaa charitr pramaan patr abhii tak n milaa ho।)
क्लर्क बार-बार पत्र माँग रहा था।
The clerk kept asking for documents again and again.
(klark baar-baar patr maang rahaa thaa।)
आधार कार्ड, राशन कार्ड और अन्य पत्र लेकर लाइन में लग जाओ।
Bring your Aadhaar card, ration card, and other documents and get in line.
(aadhaar kaard, raashan kaard aur any patr lekar laain men lag jaao।)
Sense
3
:
newspaper, periodical (as part of a compound)
noun, masculine Used chiefly in the compound समाचार पत्र (samaachaar patr) or in journalistic register; अखबार (akhbaar) is the everyday word.
Synonyms: समाचार पत्र (samaachaar patr, full form), अखबार (akhbaar)
Frequency: low
Cultural Note: You'll meet this in formal writing and news broadcasts as समाचार पत्र (samaachaar patr), but around the chai stall people just ask for the अखबार (akhbaar).
Sample Sentences:
यह समाचार पत्र दिल्ली से छपता है।
This newspaper is printed from Delhi.
(yah samaachaar patr dillii se chhaptaa hai।)
आज के समाचार पत्र में यह खबर पहले पन्ने पर है।
In today's newspaper, this news is on the front page.
(aaj ke samaachaar patr men yah khabar pahle panne par hai।)
संपादक ने पत्र में इस मुद्दे पर एक लेख लिखा।
The editor wrote an article on this issue in the periodical.
(sampaadak ne patr men is mudde par ek lekh likhaa।)
यह घटना सभी प्रमुख समाचार पत्रों में छापी गई।
This incident was published in all the major newspapers.
(yah ghatnaa sabhii pramukh samaachaar patron men chhaapii gaii।)
सरकार ने पत्रों के माध्यम से जनता को सूचित किया।
The government informed the public through newspapers.
(sarkaar ne patron ke maadhyam se jantaa ko soochit kiyaa।)
काश यह पत्र हर घर तक पहुँच पाता।
I wish this periodical could reach every household.
(kaash yah patr har ghar tak pahunch paataa।)
कृपया इस समाचार पत्र की सदस्यता ले लें।
Please take out a subscription to this newspaper.
(kripyaa is samaachaar patr kii sadasytaa le len।)
हो सकता है यह खबर किसी क्षेत्रीय पत्र में भी छपे।
It's possible this news might get published in some regional newspaper too.
(ho saktaa hai yah khabar kisii kshetriiy patr men bhii chhape।)
Sense
4
:
leaf (botanical/literary)
noun, masculine Literary/technical register; the everyday word for a leaf is पत्ता (pattaa).
Synonyms: पत्ता (pattaa)
Frequency: literary
Cultural Note: This older, more literary sense survives in classical vocabulary and compounds like पत्रावली (patraavlii, 'foliage' or 'a series of leaves/letters'), but a Delhi speaker pointing at a tree leaf will say पत्ता (pattaa), not पत्र (patr).
Sample Sentences:
वृक्ष के पत्र वसंत में नए हो जाते हैं।
The leaves of the tree become new in spring.
(vriksh ke patr vasant men nae ho jaate hain।)
तुलसी के पत्र पूजा में अर्पित किए जाते हैं।
Tulsi leaves are offered in worship.
(tulsii ke patr poojaa men arpit kie jaate hain।)
शरद ऋतु में पत्र पीले पड़कर गिर जाते हैं।
In autumn the leaves turn yellow and fall.
(sharad ritu men patr piile padkar gir jaate hain।)
कवि ने पत्रों की हरियाली का वर्णन किया।
The poet described the greenery of the leaves.
(kavi ne patron kii hariyaalii kaa varnan kiyaa।)
यदि पत्र न होते तो वृक्ष सूर्य का प्रकाश कैसे ग्रहण करता?
If there were no leaves, how would the tree absorb sunlight?
(yadi patr n hote to vriksh soory kaa prakaash kaise grahan kartaa?)
इस वृक्ष के पत्रों की छाया शीतल है।
The shade of this tree's leaves is cool.
(is vriksh ke patron kii chhaayaa shiital hai।)
पत्रावली से सजी वह लता अत्यंत सुंदर लगती थी।
That vine, adorned with a cluster of leaves, used to look extremely beautiful.
(patraavlii se sajii vah lataa atyant sundar lagtii thii।)
हे वृक्ष, तेरे पत्र सदा हरे रहें।
O tree, may your leaves remain forever green.
(he vriksh, tere patr sadaa hare rahen।)
Morphology
Noun
(sg.m.direct):
पत्र
(patr)
(sg.m.oblique):
पत्र
(patr)
(pl.m.direct):
पत्र
(patr)
(pl.m.oblique):
पत्रों
(patron)