अक्षर (akshar)
noun/adjective
Mainly a noun meaning 'letter/character' (of a script) or, more broadly, 'syllable'; it also has a rarer literary adjective sense meaning 'imperishable, eternal'.
Sense
1
:
letter (of the alphabet), written character
noun, masculine
Synonyms: वर्ण (varn, formal/linguistic term), हर्फ़ (harf, colloquial)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: This is the word you will hear when someone talks about a child learning to write: अक्षर लिखना सीखना (akshar likhnaa siikhnaa, 'to learn to write letters'). It is also used for the letters of Hindi's own script, देवनागरी (devnaagrii), so you will meet it constantly in any conversation about learning Hindi itself.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes use अक्षर (akshar) when they mean शब्द (shabd, 'word') -- अक्षर (akshar) is only the individual letter/character, not a whole word. 2) In the fixed phrase अक्षर ज्ञान (akshar gyaan, 'basic literacy'), अक्षर (akshar) refers to letters in the sense of literacy itself, not a countable single letter.
Sample Sentences:
बच्चा स्लेट पर अक्षर लिख रहा है।
The child is writing letters on the slate.
(bachchaa slet par akshar likh rahaa hai।)
मेरी बेटी अभी हिंदी के अक्षर लिखना सीख रही है।
My daughter is currently learning to write Hindi letters.
(merii betii abhii hindii ke akshar likhnaa siikh rahii hai।)
देवनागरी में कुल कितने अक्षर होते हैं?
How many letters are there in total in Devanagari?
(devnaagrii men kul kitne akshar hote hain?)
उसकी लिखावट में हर अक्षर बहुत साफ था।
Every letter in his handwriting was very clear.
(uskii likhaavat men har akshar bahut saaph thaa।)
पहले अक्षर ठीक से लिखना सीखो, फिर शब्द बनाना।
First learn to write the letters properly, then form words.
(pahle akshar thiik se likhnaa siikho, phir shabd banaanaa।)
अगर वह ध्यान से देखता तो हर अक्षर पहचान लेता।
If he had looked carefully, he would have recognized every letter.
(agar vah dhyaan se dekhtaa to har akshar pahchaan letaa।)
यह पत्र इतनी जल्दी में लिखा गया कि कई अक्षर छूट गए।
This letter was written in such a hurry that several characters were left out.
(yah patr itnii jaldii men likhaa gayaa ki kaii akshar chhoot gae।)
पुरानी पांडुलिपि में कुछ अक्षर इतने घिस चुके हैं कि पढ़ना मुश्किल है।
In the old manuscript, some letters are so worn out that it is hard to read.
(puraanii paandulipi men kuchh akshar itne ghis chuke hain ki padhnaa mushkil hai।)
शिक्षिका चाहती है कि हर बच्चा अक्षर सही ढंग से बनाए।
The teacher wants every child to form the letters correctly.
(shikshikaa chaahtii hai ki har bachchaa akshar sahii dhang se banaae।)
कृपया अपना नाम बड़े अक्षरों में लिखें।
Please write your name in capital letters.
(kripyaa apnaa naam bade akshron men likhen।)
इस फॉन्ट में अक्षरों का आकार थोड़ा छोटा रखा गया है।
In this font, the size of the letters has been kept a little small.
(is phont men akshron kaa aakaar thodaa chhotaa rakhaa gayaa hai।)
Sense
2
:
syllable
noun, masculine Used in discussions of Hindi/Sanskrit meter and phonetics, where a syllable is counted as one अक्षर (akshar).
Frequency: low
Cultural Note: You will meet this sense mostly if you get into poetry or the study of Sanskrit chhand (chhand, 'meter'), where lines are measured in अक्षर (akshar) count rather than by word.
Sample Sentences:
इस छंद की हर पंक्ति में सोलह अक्षर होते हैं।
Every line of this meter has sixteen syllables.
(is chhand kii har pankti men solah akshar hote hain।)
गुरुजी ने समझाया कि छंद में अक्षर गिनना क्यों ज़रूरी है।
The teacher explained why counting syllables in a meter is necessary.
(gurujii ne samjhaayaa ki chhand men akshar ginnaa kyon zaroorii hai।)
इस मंत्र में कुल आठ अक्षर हैं।
This mantra has a total of eight syllables.
(is mantr men kul aath akshar hain।)
कृपया हर पंक्ति के अक्षर गिनिए, तभी छंद का नाम पता चलेगा।
Please count the syllables of each line, only then will we know the name of the meter.
(kripyaa har pankti ke akshar ginie, tabhii chhand kaa naam pataa chalegaa।)
अगर पंक्ति में एक अक्षर भी कम होता, तो छंद बिगड़ जाता।
If even one syllable were missing from the line, the meter would be ruined.
(agar pankti men ek akshar bhii kam hotaa, to chhand bigad jaataa।)
छंदशास्त्र में यह माना जाता है कि हर अक्षर का अपना वज़न होता है।
In the science of prosody it is believed that every syllable has its own weight.
(chhandshaastr men yah maanaa jaataa hai ki har akshar kaa apnaa vazan hotaa hai।)
शायद इस श्लोक में एक अक्षर की गिनती में भूल हो गई हो।
Perhaps there was a mistake in counting the syllables of this verse.
(shaayad is shlok men ek akshar kii gintii men bhool ho gaii ho।)
संस्कृत छंदों में अक्षरों को लघु और गुरु में बाँटा जाता है।
In Sanskrit meters, syllables are divided into short and long.
(sanskrit chhandon men akshron ko laghu aur guru men baantaa jaataa hai।)
Sense
3
:
imperishable, eternal, unchanging
adjective
Synonyms: अमर (amar), अविनाशी (avinaashii, literary)
Frequency: literary
Cultural Note: This sense plays on the literal root: something that cannot be 'worn away' letter by letter, i.e. that endures forever -- it appears in devotional and philosophical writing, for instance describing the eternal soul or the divine.
Sample Sentences:
आत्मा अक्षर है, उसे शस्त्र नहीं काट सकते।
The soul is imperishable; weapons cannot cut it.
(aatmaa akshar hai, use shastr nahiin kaat sakte।)
वेदों में परमात्मा को अक्षर ब्रह्म कहा गया है।
In the Vedas, the Supreme Soul is called the imperishable Brahman.
(vedon men parmaatmaa ko akshar brahm kahaa gayaa hai।)
ऋषियों का मानना था कि सत्य सदा अक्षर रहता है।
The sages believed that truth remains eternally imperishable.
(rishiyon kaa maannaa thaa ki saty sadaa akshar rahtaa hai।)
यदि आत्मा अक्षर न होती, तो जन्म-मृत्यु का चक्र निरर्थक होता।
If the soul were not imperishable, the cycle of birth and death would be meaningless.
(yadi aatmaa akshar n hotii, to janm-mrityu kaa chakr nirarthak hotaa।)
गुरु ने शिष्य को समझाया कि परम तत्व अक्षर और अविनाशी है।
The guru explained to the disciple that the supreme essence is imperishable and indestructible.
(guru ne shishy ko samjhaayaa ki param tatv akshar aur avinaashii hai।)
हे अक्षर पुरुष, तुझे बारंबार प्रणाम है।
O imperishable one, I bow to you again and again.
(he akshar purush, tujhe baarambaar pranaam hai।)
कवि ने लिखा है कि प्रेम की भावना अक्षर होती है, समय उसे मिटा नहीं सकता।
The poet has written that the feeling of love is imperishable; time cannot erase it.
(kavi ne likhaa hai ki prem kii bhaavnaa akshar hotii hai, samay use mitaa nahiin saktaa।)
यह ज्ञान अक्षर है, जो पीढ़ी दर पीढ़ी सुरक्षित रहेगा।
This knowledge is imperishable and will remain preserved generation after generation.
(yah gyaan akshar hai, jo piidhii dar piidhii surakshit rahegaa।)
क्या सचमुच कोई तत्व ऐसा है जो अक्षर और अनंत हो?
Is there truly any essence that is imperishable and infinite?
(kyaa sachmuch koii tatv aisaa hai jo akshar aur anant ho?)
Morphology
Noun
(sg.m.direct):
अक्षर
(akshar)
(sg.m.oblique):
अक्षर
(akshar)
(pl.m.direct):
अक्षर
(akshar)
(pl.m.oblique):
अक्षरों
(akshron)
Adjective (invariant)
invariant:
अक्षर
(akshar)