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भाई. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
भाई, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
भाई in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
भाई you have here. The definition of the word
भाई will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
भाई, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
Hindi
Etymology
Inherited from Sauraseni Prakrit 𑀪𑀸𑀇𑀅 (bhāia) (see also 𑀪𑀸𑀇 (bhāi), 𑀪𑀸𑀉 (bhāu), 𑀪𑀸𑀆 (bhāā)), from Sanskrit भ्रातृ (bhrā́tṛ) + Middle Indo-Aryan -𑀓- (-ka-), from Proto-Indo-Aryan *bʰráHtā, from Proto-Indo-Iranian *bʰráHtā, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰréh₂tēr (“brother”). Cognate with Punjabi ਭਰਾ (bharā) / بھرا (bharā), Sindhi भाऊ / ڀاءُ (bhāū), Gujarati ભાઈ (bhāī), Marathi भाऊ (bhāū), Bengali ভাই (bhai), Persian برادر (barâdar), Ancient Greek φράτηρ (phrátēr), Latin frāter, Old Norse bróðir and Old English brōþor (English brother).
Pronunciation
Noun
भाई • (bhāī) m (feminine बहन, Urdu spelling بھائی)
- brother
- Synonyms: (formal) भ्रातृ (bhrātŕ), (formal) भ्राता (bhrātā), भाऊ (bhāū), भैया (bhaiyā), बिरादर (birādar)
मेरा छोटा भाई बहुत मासूम है।- merā choṭā bhāī bahut māsūm hai.
- My younger brother is very naïve.
- (informal, vocative) used to refer to any male person
- भाई-साहब ― bhāī-sāhab ― sir, mister
- (informal, vocative) dude, friend, bro
- Synonym: यार (yār)
Declension
Declension of भाई (masc ind ī-stem)
|
singular
|
plural
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direct
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भाई bhāī
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भाई bhāī
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oblique
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भाई bhāī
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भाइयों bhāiyõ
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vocative
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भाई bhāī
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भाइयो bhāiyo
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References
- McGregor, Ronald Stuart (1993) “भाई”, in The Oxford Hindi-English Dictionary, London: Oxford University Press
- Turner, Ralph Lilley (1969–1985) “bhrāˊtr̥”, in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages, London: Oxford University Press
- Bahri, Hardev (1989) “भाई”, in Siksarthi Hindi-Angrejhi Sabdakosa, Delhi: Rajpal & Sons.
- Platts, John T. (1884) “भाई”, in A dictionary of Urdu, classical Hindi, and English, London: W. H. Allen & Co.
- Caturvedi, Mahendra, Bhola Nath Tiwari (1970) “भाई”, in A practical Hindi-English dictionary, Delhi: National Publishing House
- Dāsa, Śyāmasundara (1965–1975) “भाई”, in Hindī Śabdasāgara [lit. Sea of Hindi words] (in Hindi), Kashi : Nagari Pracarini Sabha
Marwari
Etymology
Inherited from Old Gujarati भाई (bhāī), from Sauraseni Prakrit 𑀪𑀸𑀇 (bhāi), from Sanskrit भ्रातृ (bhrā́tṛ), from Proto-Indo-Aryan *bʰráHtā, from Proto-Indo-Iranian *bʰráHtā, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰréh₂tēr (“brother”).
Noun
भाई (bhāī) m
- brother
Further reading
- “भाई”, in Marwari Dictionary, SIL International, 2015
- “भाई”, in राजस्थानी सबदकोस, charans.org, 2024
- Lalas, Sitaram (2013) “भाई”, in राजस्थानी सबद कोस: राजस्थानी-हिन्दी वृहद् कोश (in Hindi), 2nd edition, Jodhpur: चौपासनी शिक्षा समिती.
Old Gujarati
Etymology
From Sauraseni Prakrit 𑀪𑀸𑀇 (bhāi), 𑀪𑀸𑀉 (bhāu), 𑀪𑀸𑀆 (bhāā),, from Sanskrit भ्रातृ (bhrā́tṛ), from Proto-Indo-Aryan *bʰráHtā, from Proto-Indo-Iranian *bʰráHtā, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰréh₂tēr (“brother”).
Noun
भाई • (bhāī) m
- brother
Descendants