SanskritSanskrit is famously rich in words for the natural world. The dictionary of synonyms composed by Amarasimha, the Amarakosha, lists many names for the sun, the moon, water, fire and the lotus, each showing the thing from a different side. सूर्यः is the sun; so are रविः, भानुः, दिनकरः ("day-maker") and भास्करः ("light-maker"). Many Indian personal names come from this store.
This page keeps to one everyday word for each thing, the one taught first in school. Most will be familiar from Hindi, either unchanged (जलम्, वृक्षः, पुष्पम्, फलम्) or in a worn-down form: मयूरः gave मोर, आम्रम् gave आम, दुग्धम् gave दूध, काकः gave कौआ.
As a rule of thumb, names of fruits are neuter (आम्रम्, कदलीफलम्) while the trees that bear them are masculine (आम्रः, the mango tree).
सूर्यः
sūryah
सूरज
sun
चन्द्रः
chandrah
चाँद
moon
आकाशः
ākāshah
आकाश
sky
पृथिवी
prithivī
पृथ्वी
earth
जलम्
jalam
जल, पानी
water
अग्निः
agnih
आग
fire
वायुः
vāyuh
हवा
wind; air
नदी
nadī
नदी
river
पर्वतः
parvatah
पहाड़
mountain
वृक्षः
vrikshah
पेड़
tree
पुष्पम्
pushpam
फूल
flower
फलम्
phalam
फल
fruit
गौः
gauh
गाय
cow
अश्वः
ashvah
घोड़ा
horse
गजः
gajah
हाथी
elephant
सिंहः
simhah
शेर
lion
कुक्कुरः
kukkurah
कुत्ता
dog
मार्जारः
mārjārah
बिल्ली
cat
वानरः
vānarah
बंदर
monkey
मयूरः
mayūrah
मोर
peacock
शुकः
shukah
तोता
parrot
काकः
kākah
कौआ
crow
आम्रम्
āmram
आम
mango
कदलीफलम्
kadalīphalam
केला
banana
दुग्धम्
dugdham
दूध
milk
अन्नम्
annam
अन्न, भोजन
food; grain
Use them in sentences
- सूर्यः पूर्वदिशि उदेति। The sun rises in the east.
- वृक्षे खगाः वसन्ति। Birds live in the tree.
- गौः दुग्धं ददाति। The cow gives milk.
- मयूरः भारतस्य राष्ट्रियः पक्षी अस्ति। The peacock is the national bird of India.
- अहम् आम्रं खादामि। I eat a mango.
गौः (cow) has an irregular table of its own; its commonest other forms are गाम् (second case) and गवि (seventh case), which appears in Gita 5.18 on our knowledge page.