SanskritShabda rupa: the three basic noun tables
A शब्दरूप (shabda-rupa) is the full table of a noun in every case and number. Sanskrit has many such tables, but three of them cover a very large share of all nouns and are the first ones every student learns: राम for masculine words ending in अ, लता for feminine words ending in आ, and फल for neuter words ending in अ.
Read each table across (one, two, many) and then down. What the cases mean is explained on the vibhakti page.
राम (Rama): masculine, ending in अ
| विभक्ति (case) | एकवचन (one) | द्विवचन (two) | बहुवचन (many) |
|---|---|---|---|
| प्रथमा (1st) | रामः | रामौ | रामाः |
| द्वितीया (2nd) | रामम् | रामौ | रामान् |
| तृतीया (3rd) | रामेण | रामाभ्याम् | रामैः |
| चतुर्थी (4th) | रामाय | रामाभ्याम् | रामेभ्यः |
| पञ्चमी (5th) | रामात् | रामाभ्याम् | रामेभ्यः |
| षष्ठी (6th) | रामस्य | रामयोः | रामाणाम् |
| सप्तमी (7th) | रामे | रामयोः | रामेषु |
| सम्बोधन (address) | हे राम! | हे रामौ! | हे रामाः! |
Like राम: बालक, देव, नर, वृक्ष, गज, सूर्य, चन्द्र, छात्र, शिक्षक, जनक, पुत्र, ग्राम, विद्यालय and thousands more. To decline any of them, replace "राम" with the word: बालकः, बालकौ, बालकाः.
लता (creeper): feminine, ending in आ
| विभक्ति (case) | एकवचन (one) | द्विवचन (two) | बहुवचन (many) |
|---|---|---|---|
| प्रथमा (1st) | लता | लते | लताः |
| द्वितीया (2nd) | लताम् | लते | लताः |
| तृतीया (3rd) | लतया | लताभ्याम् | लताभिः |
| चतुर्थी (4th) | लतायै | लताभ्याम् | लताभ्यः |
| पञ्चमी (5th) | लतायाः | लताभ्याम् | लताभ्यः |
| षष्ठी (6th) | लतायाः | लतयोः | लतानाम् |
| सप्तमी (7th) | लतायाम् | लतयोः | लतासु |
| सम्बोधन (address) | हे लते! | हे लते! | हे लताः! |
Like लता: बालिका, सीता, रमा, विद्या, माला, कथा, शाला, गङ्गा, पाठशाला, छात्रा, शिक्षिका, कन्या. Feminine words ending in ई, such as नदी, follow a different table.
फल (fruit): neuter, ending in अ
| विभक्ति (case) | एकवचन (one) | द्विवचन (two) | बहुवचन (many) |
|---|---|---|---|
| प्रथमा (1st) | फलम् | फले | फलानि |
| द्वितीया (2nd) | फलम् | फले | फलानि |
| तृतीया (3rd) | फलेन | फलाभ्याम् | फलैः |
| चतुर्थी (4th) | फलाय | फलाभ्याम् | फलेभ्यः |
| पञ्चमी (5th) | फलात् | फलाभ्याम् | फलेभ्यः |
| षष्ठी (6th) | फलस्य | फलयोः | फलानाम् |
| सप्तमी (7th) | फले | फलयोः | फलेषु |
| सम्बोधन (address) | हे फल! | हे फले! | हे फलानि! |
Like फल: पुस्तक, वन, जल, गृह, नगर, मित्र, पत्र, पुष्प, नेत्र, ज्ञान, सुख, दुःख. Notice that the neuter differs from राम only in the first two cases and the address form; from the third case onward the two tables are the same.
Three things to notice
- The dual repeats itself. In every table the dual has only three different forms for the seven cases: 1st and 2nd alike, 3rd, 4th and 5th alike, 6th and 7th alike. Learn three forms and you know the whole column.
- The 4th and 5th plural are the same in all three tables (रामेभ्यः, लताभ्यः, फलेभ्यः).
- न becomes ण after र or ष. We say रामेण and रामाणाम्, but बालकेन and बालकानाम्. The r in "Rama" turns the following n into the retroflex ण. So a word without र, ऋ or ष keeps the plain न: देवेन, देवानाम्.
How to learn a table
- Chant it. The table has a natural rhythm: रामः रामौ रामाः, रामं रामौ रामान्, रामेण रामाभ्यां रामैः... Say it aloud daily; within a week it stays.
- Write it from memory on a blank sheet and check.
- Swap in another word of the same kind and write its table: बालक, देव, वृक्ष.
- Use the forms. Make one tiny sentence for each case: बालकः पठति। बालकं पश्यामि। बालकेन सह क्रीडामि।
Next: the pronoun tables for I, you and he, she, it.