ऋण (rin)
noun/adjective
Two related senses: a financial loan/debt, and (mainly in fixed technical/school contexts) 'negative' as in negative numbers or electric charge.
Sense
1
:
loan, debt
noun, masculine
Synonyms: कर्ज़ (karz), उधार (udhaar)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: You will see ऋण (rin) constantly in bank and government contexts -- गृह ऋण (grih rin, 'home loan'), शिक्षा ऋण (shikshaa rin, 'education loan') -- but if you ask a friend for money you would say मुझे थोड़ा उधार चाहिए (mujhe thodaa udhaar chaahie, 'I need a little loan/some cash'), not ऋण (rin). There is also an older cultural idea of ऋण (rin) as a moral debt, as in मातृ-ऋण (maatri-rin, 'debt to one's mother') or देव-ऋण (dev-rin, 'debt to the gods') -- a debt you owe not in money but in duty.
Common Mistakes: 1) ऋण (rin) is the formal/written word for a loan -- in everyday speech, especially spoken Hindi, कर्ज़ (karz) or उधार (udhaar) is far more common; ऋण (rin) shows up on bank forms, in news, and in set phrases like ऋण लेना (rin lenaa, 'to take a loan') or ऋण चुकाना (rin chukaanaa, 'to repay a loan'). 2) Learners sometimes try को-marking the lender; the standard frame is X से ऋण लेना (X se rin lenaa, 'to take a loan from X'), with से (se) marking the source.
Sample Sentences:
उसने घर बनाने के लिए बैंक से ऋण लिया।
He took a loan from the bank to build a house.
(usne ghar banaane ke lie baink se rin liyaa।)
मैं हर महीने अपने शिक्षा ऋण की किस्त चुकाता हूँ।
I pay the installment of my education loan every month.
(main har mahiine apne shikshaa rin kii kist chukaataa hoon।)
अगर तुम्हें ऋण चाहिए तो पहले अपना क्रेडिट स्कोर चेक करो।
If you need a loan, first check your credit score.
(agar tumhen rin chaahie to pahle apnaa kredit skor chek karo।)
सरकार ने किसानों का ऋण माफ कर दिया।
The government waived off the farmers' loans.
(sarkaar ne kisaanon kaa rin maaph kar diyaa।)
गृह ऋण की ब्याज दरें इस साल बढ़ रही हैं।
Home loan interest rates are rising this year.
(grih rin kii byaaj daren is saal badh rahii hain।)
काश मैंने इतना बड़ा ऋण न लिया होता।
I wish I hadn't taken such a huge loan.
(kaash mainne itnaa badaa rin n liyaa hotaa।)
यदि उसे ऋण मिल जाए, तो वह अपना व्यवसाय शुरू कर सकेगा।
If he gets a loan, he will be able to start his business.
(yadi use rin mil jaae, to vah apnaa vyavsaay shuroo kar sakegaa।)
बैंक द्वारा उसे शिक्षा ऋण स्वीकृत किया गया।
The education loan was approved for him by the bank.
(baink dvaaraa use shikshaa rin sviikrit kiyaa gayaa।)
हमारी संस्कृति में मातृ-ऋण को कभी चुकता नहीं माना जाता।
In our culture, the debt to one's mother is never considered repaid.
(hamaarii sanskriti men maatri-rin ko kabhii chuktaa nahiin maanaa jaataa।)
देव-ऋण चुकाने के लिए हमें यज्ञ और सेवा करनी चाहिए।
To repay our debt to the gods, we should perform sacrifice and service.
(dev-rin chukaane ke lie hamen yagy aur sevaa karnii chaahie।)
Sense
2
:
negative (of numbers, charge)
adjective Used almost exclusively in math and science contexts, e.g. ऋण संख्या (rin sankhyaa, 'negative number') or ऋण आवेश (rin aavesh, 'negative charge'), contrasting with धन (dhan, 'positive') in the same technical register.
Synonyms: नकारात्मक (nakaaraatmak, broader sense, not just math/science)
Frequency: low
Cultural Note: This is the word Indian schoolchildren learn in math class for the minus sign and negative numbers, paired with धन (dhan) for positive -- if you remember ऋण (rin) as 'loan/debt,' the math sense makes intuitive sense too: a negative number is like being 'in debt.'
Sample Sentences:
यह एक ऋण संख्या है।
This is a negative number.
(yah ek rin sankhyaa hai।)
माइनस तीन एक ऋण संख्या है।
Minus three is a negative number.
(maainas tiin ek rin sankhyaa hai।)
इलेक्ट्रॉन पर ऋण आवेश होता है।
An electron carries a negative charge.
(ilektron par rin aavesh hotaa hai।)
टीचर ने बताया कि यह चिह्न ऋण दर्शाता है।
The teacher explained that this symbol indicates negative.
(tiichar ne bataayaa ki yah chihn rin darshaataa hai।)
अगर उत्तर ऋण में आए, तो अपनी गणना फिर से जांचो।
If the answer comes out negative, check your calculation again.
(agar uttar rin men aae, to apnii gannaa phir se jaancho।)
पहले धन और ऋण संख्याओं में फ़र्क़ समझो।
First understand the difference between positive and negative numbers.
(pahle dhan aur rin sankhyaaon men farq samjho।)
बैटरी के ऋण टर्मिनल को छूने से पहले बिजली बंद कर दो।
Turn off the power before touching the negative terminal of the battery.
(baitrii ke rin tarminal ko chhoone se pahle bijlii band kar do।)
यदि तापमान ऋण होता, तो पानी बर्फ़ बन जाता।
If the temperature were negative, the water would turn into ice.
(yadi taapmaan rin hotaa, to paanii barf ban jaataa।)
इस समीकरण में x का मान ऋण निकलेगा।
In this equation, the value of x will come out negative.
(is samiikran men x kaa maan rin niklegaa।)
Morphology
Noun
(sg.m.direct):
ऋण
(rin)
(sg.m.oblique):
ऋण
(rin)
(pl.m.direct):
ऋण
(rin)
(pl.m.oblique):
ऋणों
(rinon)
Adjective (invariant)
invariant:
ऋण
(rin)