मूल (mool)
adjective/noun
Covers the noun sense of 'root/origin/source/capital' and the adjective sense of 'original/basic/root-'; both senses share the same conceptual core of something foundational that other things derive from.
Sense
1
:
original, basic, root (as a modifier)
adjective
Synonyms: असली (aslii), आधारभूत (aadhaarbhoot), बुनियादी (buniyaadii)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: You'll meet this constantly in civic and legal contexts -- मूल अधिकार (mool adhikaar, 'fundamental rights') is straight out of the Indian Constitution and shows up in school textbooks and news alike. It shares its root with the noun sense of मूल (mool) below -- both point back to the idea of a 'source' or 'foundation'.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often reach for असली (aslii) when they mean 'genuine/real', but मूल (mool) specifically points to the 'source' or 'starting point' version of something -- e.g. मूल पाठ (mool paath, 'the original text') versus a translation or copy, not fake versus real. 2) मूल (mool) is commonly used as a prefix-like modifier in compounds such as मूल अधिकार (mool adhikaar, 'fundamental rights') and मूल कारण (mool kaaran, 'root cause') -- learners sometimes miss these fixed collocations and substitute a synonym that doesn't fit the set phrase.
Sample Sentences:
हमारा संविधान हर नागरिक को कुछ मूल अधिकार देता है।
Our constitution gives every citizen certain fundamental rights.
(hamaaraa sanvidhaan har naagrik ko kuchh mool adhikaar detaa hai।)
यह फिल्म मूल कहानी से बहुत अलग है।
This film is very different from the original story.
(yah philm mool kahaanii se bahut alag hai।)
कृपया दस्तावेज़ की मूल प्रति साथ लाएँ।
Please bring the original copy of the document with you.
(kripyaa dastaavez kii mool prati saath laaen।)
मूल योजना तो कुछ और ही थी, पर सब बदल गया।
The original plan was something else entirely, but everything changed.
(mool yojnaa to kuchh aur hii thii, par sab badal gayaa।)
अगर मूल दस्तावेज़ खो जाता, तो बहुत मुश्किल होती।
If the original document had been lost, it would have been very difficult.
(agar mool dastaavez kho jaataa, to bahut mushkil hotii।)
स्कूल में हमें मूल अधिकारों और कर्तव्यों के बारे में पढ़ाया जाता है।
In school we are taught about fundamental rights and duties.
(skool men hamen mool adhikaaron aur kartavyon ke baare men padhaayaa jaataa hai।)
जरूरी है कि हर व्यक्ति अपने मूल अधिकारों को जाने।
It is necessary that every person know their fundamental rights.
(jaroorii hai ki har vyakti apne mool adhikaaron ko jaane।)
मूल पाठ संस्कृत में लिखा गया था, बाद में उसका अनुवाद हुआ।
The original text was written in Sanskrit; it was translated later.
(mool paath sanskrit men likhaa gayaa thaa, baad men uskaa anuvaad huaa।)
क्या तुमने मूल फाइल सेव करी थी या नई वाली?
Did you save the original file or the new one?
(kyaa tumne mool phaail sev karii thii yaa naii vaalii?)
सरकार मूल ढांचे में कोई बदलाव नहीं करेगी।
The government will not make any change to the basic structure.
(sarkaar mool dhaanche men koii badlaav nahiin karegii।)
Sense
2
:
root, origin, source
noun, masculine
Synonyms: जड़ (jad), स्रोत (srot), उद्गम (udgam, literary)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: Think of मूल (mool) as the word Hindi reaches for whenever something needs to be traced back to its source -- a word's etymology, a dispute's root cause, or a loan's principal amount at the bank. It's a common building block in compounds like मूल्य (mooly, 'value/price') and मूलतः (mooltah, 'basically/originally'), so recognizing it helps you decode a whole family of related words.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often default to जड़ (jad) for every 'root', but मूल (mool) is preferred for abstract origins (a problem's root, a word's origin) while जड़ (jad) leans toward the literal, physical root of a plant. 2) In financial contexts मूल (mool) means 'principal' (as opposed to interest) -- e.g. मूल और ब्याज (mool aur byaaj, 'principal and interest') -- a sense learners often don't expect from the everyday 'origin' meaning.
Sample Sentences:
हर समस्या का एक मूल होता है।
Every problem has a root cause.
(har samasyaa kaa ek mool hotaa hai।)
इस शब्द का मूल संस्कृत में है।
This word's origin lies in Sanskrit.
(is shabd kaa mool sanskrit men hai।)
वैज्ञानिकों ने बीमारी का मूल ढूँढ लिया।
The scientists found the root cause of the disease.
(vaigyaanikon ne biimaarii kaa mool dhoondh liyaa।)
बैंक ने कहा कि पहले मूल चुकाओ, फिर ब्याज।
The bank said, pay off the principal first, then the interest.
(baink ne kahaa ki pahle mool chukaao, phir byaaj।)
अगर हम मूल तक न पहुँचें, तो समाधान अधूरा रहेगा।
If we don't get to the root, the solution will remain incomplete.
(agar ham mool tak n pahunchen, to samaadhaan adhooraa rahegaa।)
काश हमें इस झगड़े का मूल पहले ही पता चल जाता।
If only we had known the root of this dispute earlier.
(kaash hamen is jhagde kaa mool pahle hii pataa chal jaataa।)
इस विवाद का मूल कारण खोजा जा रहा है।
The root cause of this dispute is being investigated.
(is vivaad kaa mool kaaran khojaa jaa rahaa hai।)
गणित में हर संख्या का एक मूल होता है।
In mathematics, every number has a root.
(ganit men har sankhyaa kaa ek mool hotaa hai।)
उसकी परेशानी का मूल उसका अकेलापन था।
The root of his trouble was his loneliness.
(uskii pareshaanii kaa mool uskaa akelaapan thaa।)
भाषाविद् शब्दों के मूल की खोज में लगे रहते हैं।
Linguists remain engaged in searching for the roots of words.
(bhaashaavid shabdon ke mool kii khoj men lage rahte hain।)
क्या तुमने इस अफवाह का मूल जान लिया है?
Have you found out the source of this rumor?
(kyaa tumne is aphvaah kaa mool jaan liyaa hai?)
Morphology
Adjective (invariant)
invariant:
मूल
(mool)
Noun
(sg.m.direct):
मूल
(mool)
(sg.m.oblique):
मूल
(mool)
(pl.m.direct):
मूल
(mool)
(pl.m.oblique):
मूलों
(moolon)