इतिहास (itihaas)
noun
A single-sense word meaning 'history' -- both the academic subject and the past record of a person, place, or thing.
Sense
1
:
history
noun, masculine
Synonyms: तवारीख़ (tavaariikh, less common)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: Every Indian schoolkid knows इतिहास (itihaas) as one of the core subjects alongside भूगोल (bhoogol, geography) and नागरिक शास्त्र (naagrik shaastr, civics) -- so the word carries a mild classroom association even in casual talk, similar to how English speakers might jokingly groan about 'history class.' It's built from इति (iti, 'thus, so') plus हास (haas, related to 'account'), reflecting the classical Sanskrit sense of itihaas as 'thus indeed it was' -- a recorded/handed-down account.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes use इतिहास (itihaas) for a personal 'story' or 'account of events' -- for that, कहानी (kahaanii) or किस्सा (kissaa) is the natural word; इतिहास (itihaas) is reserved for history in the broader, more formal sense (a country's history, a subject in school, the history of an illness). 2) The phrase इतिहास रचना (itihaas rachnaa, 'to make history') is a set collocation -- learners often reach for बनाना (banaanaa) instead of रचना (rachnaa), which sounds off in this fixed expression.
Sample Sentences:
मुझे इतिहास पढ़ना बहुत पसंद है।
I really like reading history.
(mujhe itihaas padhnaa bahut pasand hai।)
कल हमारी इतिहास की परीक्षा है।
We have a history exam tomorrow.
(kal hamaarii itihaas kii pariikshaa hai।)
इस किताब में भारत का प्राचीन इतिहास बताया गया है।
This book describes the ancient history of India.
(is kitaab men bhaarat kaa praachiin itihaas bataayaa gayaa hai।)
उसने इतिहास में एम.ए. किया है।
He has done his MA in history.
(usne itihaas men em.e. kiyaa hai।)
अगर तुमने इतिहास ध्यान से पढ़ा होता, तो यह सवाल आसान लगता।
If you had studied history carefully, this question would have seemed easy.
(agar tumne itihaas dhyaan se padhaa hotaa, to yah savaal aasaan lagtaa।)
इतिहास खुद को दोहराता है।
History repeats itself.
(itihaas khud ko dohraataa hai।)
यह घटना इतिहास में दर्ज हो चुकी है।
This event has already been recorded in history.
(yah ghatnaa itihaas men darj ho chukii hai।)
यह भाषण इतिहास में हमेशा याद रखा जाएगा।
This speech will always be remembered in history.
(yah bhaashan itihaas men hameshaa yaad rakhaa jaaegaa।)
इतिहास से सीखो, वरना गलतियाँ दोहराओगे।
Learn from history, or you'll repeat the mistakes.
(itihaas se siikho, varnaa galtiyaan dohraaoge।)
यह गाँव अपने इतिहास के लिए मशहूर है।
This village is famous for its history.
(yah gaanv apne itihaas ke lie mashahoor hai।)
इतिहासकारों का मानना है कि यह सभ्यता हज़ारों साल पुरानी है, और यही इतिहास की सबसे बड़ी पहेली है।
Historians believe that this civilization is thousands of years old, and this is history's greatest puzzle.
(itihaaskaaron kaa maannaa hai ki yah sabhytaa hazaaron saal puraanii hai, aur yahii itihaas kii sabse badii pahelii hai।)
Morphology
Noun
(sg.m.direct):
इतिहास
(itihaas)
(sg.m.oblique):
इतिहास
(itihaas)
(pl.m.direct):
इतिहास
(itihaas)
(pl.m.oblique):
इतिहासों
(itihaason)