Chapter 4: Singular & Plural in Hindi — एकवचन और बहुवचन
Ekvachan aur Bahuvachan
Welcome to Chapter 4 of Basic Hindi Grammar! 🌱
In this lesson, you'll learn how to talk about one thing and more than one thing in Hindi.
In English:
Book → Books
Boy → Boys
Girl → Girls
Hindi also changes words when we talk about more than one person or thing.
For example:
किताब → किताबें
Kitaab → Kitaaben
Book → Books
Let's learn this step by step.
Hindi singular plural words
1. What Is Singular?
एकवचन
Ekvachan = Singular
We use singular when we talk about one person, animal, place, or thing.
| Hindi | Roman Hindi | English |
|---|---|---|
| किताब | Kitaab | Book |
| लड़का | Ladka | Boy |
| लड़की | Ladki | Girl |
| कमरा | Kamra | Room |
| बच्चा | Bachcha | Child |
Examples
एक किताब
Ek kitaab
→ One book
एक लड़का
Ek ladka
→ One boy
एक लड़की
Ek ladki
→ One girl
The word एक (Ek) means one.
2. What Is Plural?
बहुवचन
Bahuvachan = Plural
We use plural when we talk about more than one person, animal, place, or thing.
For example:
किताब → किताबें
Kitaab → Kitaaben
Book → Books
लड़का → लड़के
Ladka → Ladke
Boy → Boys
लड़की → लड़कियाँ
Ladki → Ladkiyaan
Girl → Girls
3. Singular → Plural: Your First Examples
Here are some common beginner words:
| Singular | Roman | English | Plural | Roman | English |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| किताब | Kitaab | Book | किताबें | Kitaaben | Books |
| लड़का | Ladka | Boy | लड़के | Ladke | Boys |
| लड़की | Ladki | Girl | लड़कियाँ | Ladkiyaan | Girls |
| बच्चा | Bachcha | Child | बच्चे | Bachche | Children |
| कमरा | Kamra | Room | कमरे | Kamre | Rooms |
| कुर्सी | Kursi | Chair | कुर्सियाँ | Kursiyaan | Chairs |
| गाड़ी | Gaadi | Car | गाड़ियाँ | Gaadiyaan | Cars |
| चिड़िया | Chidiya | Bird | चिड़ियाँ | Chidiyaan | Birds |
💡 Important: Hindi plural forms don't always follow one single rule. The ending of the noun often helps determine the plural form.
Hindi nouns with Roman Hindi
4. किताब → किताबें
Let's look closely at your first important example.
Singular
किताब
Kitaab
Book
Plural
किताबें
Kitaaben
Books
Notice the change:
किताब → किताबें
Kitaab → Kitaaben
This is a very common pattern for many feminine nouns ending in consonants.
Example
एक किताब
Ek kitaab
→ One book
दो किताबें
Do kitaaben
→ Two books
5. लड़का → लड़के
Another common pattern is:
लड़का → लड़के
Ladka → Ladke
Boy → Boys
Singular
एक लड़का
Ek ladka
→ One boy
Plural
दो लड़के
Do ladke
→ Two boys
Notice:
लड़का → लड़के
The ending -ा changes to -े.
6. बच्चा → बच्चे
This follows a similar pattern.
बच्चा
Bachcha
→ Child
बच्चे
Bachche
→ Children
Example
एक बच्चा है।
Ek bachcha hai.
→ There is one child.
दो बच्चे हैं।
Do bachche hain.
→ There are two children.
Notice another important change:
है (hai) → हैं (hain)
This is because the sentence changes from singular to plural.
7. लड़की → लड़कियाँ
Some feminine nouns ending in -ी commonly change to -ियाँ in the plural.
Singular
लड़की
Ladki
→ Girl
Plural
लड़कियाँ
Ladkiyaan
→ Girls
Example
एक लड़की है।
Ek ladki hai.
→ There is one girl.
दो लड़कियाँ हैं।
Do ladkiyaan hain.
→ There are two girls.
Pattern
-ी → -ियाँ
For example:
लड़की → लड़कियाँ
Ladki → Ladkiyaan
कुर्सी → कुर्सियाँ
Kursi → Kursiyaan
गाड़ी → गाड़ियाँ
Gaadi → Gaadiyaan
Hindi grammar for beginners
8. Common Hindi Singular → Plural Patterns
At beginner level, remember these useful patterns.
Pattern 1: Masculine nouns ending in -ा
Often:
-ा → -े
Examples:
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| लड़का → लड़के | Ladka → Ladke |
| बच्चा → बच्चे | Bachcha → Bachche |
| कमरा → कमरे | Kamra → Kamre |
| बेटा → बेटे | Beta → Bete |
| कुत्ता → कुत्ते | Kutta → Kutte |
Pattern 2: Feminine nouns ending in -ी
Often:
-ी → -ियाँ
Examples:
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| लड़की → लड़कियाँ | Ladki → Ladkiyaan |
| कुर्सी → कुर्सियाँ | Kursi → Kursiyaan |
| गाड़ी → गाड़ियाँ | Gaadi → Gaadiyaan |
| चाबी → चाबियाँ | Chaabi → Chaabiyaan |
| टोपी → टोपियाँ | Topi → Topiyaan |
Pattern 3: Some feminine nouns ending in a consonant
Often:
→ -ें
Examples:
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| किताब → किताबें | Kitaab → Kitaaben |
| रात → रातें | Raat → Raatein |
| बात → बातें | Baat → Baatein |
| सड़क → सड़कें | Sadak → Sadkein |
| दुकान → दुकानें | Dukaan → Dukaanen |
⚠️ These are useful patterns, but Hindi has exceptions, so don't try to memorize every noun with one rule.
9. One → Many in Hindi
Numbers can make singular and plural easier to understand.
| Number | Hindi | Roman Hindi | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | एक | Ek | One |
| 2 | दो | Do | Two |
| 3 | तीन | Teen | Three |
| 4 | चार | Chaar | Four |
| 5 | पाँच | Paanch | Five |
Now look at the examples:
1 book
एक किताब
Ek kitaab
→ One book
2 books
दो किताबें
Do kitaaben
→ Two books
3 books
तीन किताबें
Teen kitaaben
→ Three books
The noun remains in its plural form when we are talking about multiple books.
10. Singular vs Plural Sentences
Let's compare complete sentences.
📕 Singular
यह किताब है।
Yah kitaab hai.
→ This is a book.
📚 Plural
ये किताबें हैं।
Ye kitaaben hain.
→ These are books.
Notice two changes:
यह → ये
Yah → Ye
and
है → हैं
Hai → Hain
So don't only change the noun. The rest of the sentence can change too.
Hindi words singular plural
11. More Easy Examples
Book
यह किताब है।
Yah kitaab hai.
→ This is a book.
ये किताबें हैं।
Ye kitaaben hain.
→ These are books.
Boy
वह लड़का है।
Vah ladka hai.
→ He is a boy.
वे लड़के हैं।
Ve ladke hain.
→ They are boys.
Girl
वह लड़की है।
Vah ladki hai.
→ She is a girl.
वे लड़कियाँ हैं।
Ve ladkiyaan hain.
→ They are girls.
Room
यह कमरा है।
Yah kamra hai.
→ This is a room.
ये कमरे हैं।
Ye kamre hain.
→ These are rooms.
12. Singular & Plural: Quick Cheat Sheet 📝
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| किताब — Kitaab | किताबें — Kitaaben |
| लड़का — Ladka | लड़के — Ladke |
| लड़की — Ladki | लड़कियाँ — Ladkiyaan |
| बच्चा — Bachcha | बच्चे — Bachche |
| कमरा — Kamra | कमरे — Kamre |
| कुर्सी — Kursi | कुर्सियाँ — Kursiyaan |
| गाड़ी — Gaadi | गाड़ियाँ — Gaadiyaan |
| चाबी — Chaabi | चाबियाँ — Chaabiyaan |
| दुकान — Dukaan | दुकानें — Dukaanen |
| बात — Baat | बातें — Baatein |
Remember:
Singular = एकवचन (Ekvachan)
Plural = बहुवचन (Bahuvachan)
13. Singular or Plural? 🤔
Can you identify whether each word is singular or plural?
1. किताब
Kitaab
A) Singular
B) Plural
2. किताबें
Kitaaben
A) Singular
B) Plural
3. लड़के
Ladke
A) Singular
B) Plural
4. लड़की
Ladki
A) Singular
B) Plural
5. लड़कियाँ
Ladkiyaan
A) Singular
B) Plural
✅ Answers
किताब — Singular
किताबें — Plural
लड़के — Plural
लड़की — Singular
लड़कियाँ — Plural
14. Change Singular to Plural ✍️
Try changing these words into plural.
लड़का → ________
लड़की → ________
किताब → ________
बच्चा → ________
कमरा → ________
कुर्सी → ________
गाड़ी → ________
दुकान → ________
Answers
लड़का → लड़के
लड़की → लड़कियाँ
किताब → किताबें
बच्चा → बच्चे
कमरा → कमरे
कुर्सी → कुर्सियाँ
गाड़ी → गाड़ियाँ
दुकान → दुकानें
15. Speaking Practice 🎤
Say these sentences aloud.
Practice 1
एक किताब।
Ek kitaab.
→ One book.
दो किताबें।
Do kitaaben.
→ Two books.
Practice 2
एक लड़का।
Ek ladka.
→ One boy.
दो लड़के।
Do ladke.
→ Two boys.
Practice 3
एक लड़की।
Ek ladki.
→ One girl.
दो लड़कियाँ।
Do ladkiyaan.
→ Two girls.
Practice 4
एक कमरा।
Ek kamra.
→ One room.
दो कमरे।
Do kamre.
→ Two rooms.
16. Mini Hindi Conversation 💬
A: यह क्या है?
Yah kya hai?
→ What is this?
B: यह किताब है।
Yah kitaab hai.
→ This is a book.
A: ये क्या हैं?
Ye kya hain?
→ What are these?
B: ये किताबें हैं।
Ye kitaaben hain.
→ These are books.
This simple conversation is a great way to practice singular + plural together.
17. Beginner Grammar Tip 💡
Don't worry about memorizing every plural rule immediately.
For now, focus on recognizing these three common patterns:
1️⃣ -ा → -े
लड़का → लड़के
Ladka → Ladke
2️⃣ -ी → -ियाँ
लड़की → लड़कियाँ
Ladki → Ladkiyaan
3️⃣ Feminine consonant ending → -ें
किताब → किताबें
Kitaab → Kitaaben
As you learn more Hindi vocabulary, these patterns will become much easier to recognize naturally.
ekvachan bahuvachan
🎯 Chapter 4 Challenge
Translate these into Hindi.
A. One book
__________
B. Two books
__________
C. One boy
__________
D. Two boys
__________
E. One girl
__________
F. Two girls
__________
G. One room
__________
H. Two rooms
__________
⭐ Chapter 4 -Key Takeaway
एकवचन (Ekvachan) = Singular = One
बहुवचन (Bahuvachan) = Plural = More than one
Remember:
किताब → किताबें
Kitaab → Kitaaben
Book → Books
लड़का → लड़के
Ladka → Ladke
Boy → Boys
लड़की → लड़कियाँ
Ladki → Ladkiyaan
Girl → Girls
Once you understand these basic patterns, you'll be able to recognize and create many more Hindi plural forms. 🇮🇳📚
Hindi singular and plural
1. What is singular in Hindi?
Singular is called एकवचन (Ekvachan) in Hindi. It refers to one person, animal, place, or thing.
2. What is plural in Hindi?
Plural is called बहुवचन (Bahuvachan). It refers to more than one person, animal, place, or thing.
3. What is the plural of किताब?
The plural of किताब (Kitaab) is किताबें (Kitaaben), meaning books.
4. What is the plural of लड़का?
The plural of लड़का (Ladka) is लड़के (Ladke), meaning boys.
5. What is the plural of लड़की?
The plural of लड़की (Ladki) is लड़कियाँ (Ladkiyaan), meaning girls.
6. What is Ekvachan and Bahuvachan?
Ekvachan means singular, while Bahuvachan means plural in Hindi grammar.
📚 Complete Hindi Course Roadmap
Follow the complete step-by-step Hindi course from Lesson 1 to Lesson 140. Each lesson builds naturally on the previous one, making it easy to become confident in speaking Hindi.
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✅ Hindi Alphabet
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7. How do you learn Hindi plurals easily?
Start with common patterns such as -ा → -े, -ी → -ियाँ, and feminine consonant-ending nouns that often take -ें. Then practice them in complete sentences.
Continue Hindi Reading Journey
Chapter 1: Hindi Nouns+coming soon)
Chapter 3: Hindi Articles & Demonstratives
Chapter 5: Basic Hindi Adjectives
This chapter fits especially well into your Speak Hindi Confidently™ Level 1 – Basic Grammar sequence because it teaches the learner to move from isolated vocabulary into actual sentence building. 📖✨
