विरासत (viraasat)
noun
A single-sense noun meaning 'inheritance/heritage' -- covering both the concrete legal sense (property passed down) and the abstract cultural sense (heritage, legacy).
Sense
1
:
inheritance, heritage, legacy
noun, feminine
Synonyms: धरोहर (dharohar), उत्तराधिकार (uttraadhikaar, formal, legal), मीरास (miiraas, less common)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: You'll hear विरासत में मिलना (viraasat men milnaa) constantly in everyday talk -- not just about property, but about a skill, a business, a way of cooking, even a temperament, that someone 'got as inheritance' from their family. It's also the word stamped on UNESCO heritage-site signage in India (विश्व विरासत स्थल, vishv viraasat sthal, 'World Heritage Site'), so the word sits comfortably between a family kitchen and a government plaque.
Common Mistakes: 1) विरासत (viraasat) is used for both physical property/wealth passed down ("पैतृक विरासत" paitrik viraasat, 'ancestral inheritance') and intangible cultural legacy ("सांस्कृतिक विरासत" saanskritik viraasat, 'cultural heritage') -- learners sometimes reach for a separate word for the abstract sense, but Hindi speakers use the same word for both. 2) It takes में (men) when talking about something passed down 'in' a family line ("यह हुनर उसे विरासत में मिला" yah hunar use viraasat men milaa, 'he got this skill as an inheritance') -- this विरासत में मिलना (viraasat men milnaa) construction is the most common everyday use of the word, more common than विरासत alone as a plain object.
Sample Sentences:
यह हवेली उसे अपने परिवार से विरासत में मिली है।
This mansion has come to her as an inheritance from her family.
(yah havelii use apne parivaar se viraasat men milii hai।)
खाना बनाने का यह हुनर मुझे अपनी दादी से विरासत में मिला।
This skill of cooking came to me as an inheritance from my grandmother.
(khaanaa banaane kaa yah hunar mujhe apnii daadii se viraasat men milaa।)
ताजमहल को विश्व विरासत स्थल घोषित किया गया है।
The Taj Mahal has been declared a World Heritage Site.
(taajmahal ko vishv viraasat sthal ghoshit kiyaa gayaa hai।)
हमें अपनी सांस्कृतिक विरासत को सहेजना चाहिए।
We should preserve our cultural heritage.
(hamen apnii saanskritik viraasat ko sahejnaa chaahie।)
अगर उसे यह ज़मीन विरासत में न मिली होती, तो वह आज भी मज़दूरी करता।
If he had not received this land as an inheritance, he would still be doing labor work today.
(agar use yah zamiin viraasat men n milii hotii, to vah aaj bhii mazdoorii kartaa।)
यह दुकान पीढ़ियों से चली आ रही विरासत है।
This shop is a legacy that has been continuing for generations.
(yah dukaan piidhiyon se chalii aa rahii viraasat hai।)
अपने बच्चों को अच्छी विरासत सौंपना हर माँ-बाप चाहते हैं।
Every parent wants to pass on a good legacy to their children.
(apne bachchon ko achchhii viraasat saumpnaa har maan-baap chaahte hain।)
क्या तुम्हें यह गुस्सैल स्वभाव भी विरासत में मिला है?
Did you inherit this short temper too?
(kyaa tumhen yah gussail svabhaav bhii viraasat men milaa hai?)
सरकार ने पुरानी हवेलियों को विरासत स्थल के रूप में संरक्षित करने की योजना बनाई।
The government made a plan to preserve the old mansions as heritage sites.
(sarkaar ne puraanii haveliyon ko viraasat sthal ke roop men sanrakshit karne kii yojnaa banaaii।)
काश मुझे भी अपने पिता की तरह ज़मीन-जायदाद विरासत में मिलती।
I wish I too had inherited land and property like my father did.
(kaash mujhe bhii apne pitaa kii tarah zamiin-jaaydaad viraasat men miltii।)
यह मंदिर सदियों पुरानी विरासत का प्रतीक है।
This temple is a symbol of a heritage that is centuries old.
(yah mandir sadiyon puraanii viraasat kaa pratiik hai।)
Morphology
Noun
(sg.f.direct):
विरासत
(viraasat)
(sg.f.oblique):
विरासत
(viraasat)
(pl.f.direct):
विरासतें
(viraasten)
(pl.f.oblique):
विरासतों
(viraaston)