Parts of Speech — Shabd Bhed (शब्द भेद)
Hindi grammar traditionally groups words into 8 parts of speech (शब्द भेद): four changeable (विकारी) word classes whose form changes with gender, number, or tense, and four unchangeable (अविकारी/अव्यय) classes that always keep the same form.
विकारी (Changeable) word classes
1. संज्ञा (Sangya) — Noun
A noun names a person, place, thing, quality, or idea.
| Type | Hindi term | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Proper noun | व्यक्तिवाचक संज्ञा | गांधी, दिल्ली, गंगा |
| Common noun | जातिवाचक संज्ञा | लड़का, शहर, नदी |
| Abstract noun | भाववाचक संज्ञा | खुशी, ईमानदारी, बचपन |
| Material noun | द्रव्यवाचक संज्ञा | सोना, पानी, लकड़ी |
| Collective noun | समूहवाचक संज्ञा | सेना, झुंड, कक्षा |
2. सर्वनाम (Sarvanam) — Pronoun
A pronoun is used in place of a noun, so it doesn’t have to be repeated.
| Type | Hindi term | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Personal | पुरुषवाचक सर्वनाम | मैं, तुम, वह |
| Demonstrative | निश्चयवाचक सर्वनाम | यह, वह |
| Indefinite | अनिश्चयवाचक सर्वनाम | कोई, कुछ |
| Relative | संबंधवाचक सर्वनाम | जो, सो |
| Interrogative | प्रश्नवाचक सर्वनाम | कौन, क्या |
| Reflexive | निजवाचक सर्वनाम | अपना, स्वयं |
See the full Pronoun Cases reference for how these change across nominative, accusative, and possessive forms.
3. विशेषण (Visheshan) — Adjective
An adjective describes a noun or pronoun’s quality, quantity, or number.
| Type | Hindi term | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Quality | गुणवाचक विशेषण | अच्छा, सुंदर, लाल |
| Quantity | परिमाणवाचक विशेषण | थोड़ा, बहुत, कुछ |
| Number | संख्यावाचक विशेषण | एक, दूसरा, कई |
| Demonstrative | सार्वनामिक विशेषण | यह, वह (used before a noun) |
4. क्रिया (Kriya) — Verb
A verb expresses an action or state of being. See Grammar: Common Verbs and the full Verb Tenses reference for conjugation tables.
| Type | Hindi term | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Transitive (takes an object) | सकर्मक क्रिया | वह किताब पढ़ता है। |
| Intransitive (no object) | अकर्मक क्रिया | बच्चा सोता है। |
अव्यय / अविकारी (Unchangeable) word classes
These four classes never change form, no matter the gender, number, or tense of the sentence.
5. क्रिया विशेषण (Kriya Visheshan) — Adverb
Describes a verb, adjective, or another adverb — answering how, when, where, or how much.
| Type | Hindi term | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Time | कालवाचक क्रिया विशेषण | अभी, कल, रोज़ |
| Place | स्थानवाचक क्रिया विशेषण | यहां, वहां, ऊपर |
| Manner | रीतिवाचक क्रिया विशेषण | धीरे-धीरे, अचानक |
| Degree | परिमाणवाचक क्रिया विशेषण | बहुत, थोड़ा, बिल्कुल |
6. संबंधबोधक (Sambandh Bodhak) — Postposition
Shows the relationship between a noun/pronoun and other words in the sentence — the Hindi equivalent of an English preposition, placed after the noun. See Hindi 102: Postpositions for a full list (में, पर, से, को, के लिए, तक).
7. समुच्चयबोधक (Samuchchay Bodhak) — Conjunction
Joins words, phrases, or sentences: और (and), या (or), लेकिन / पर (but), क्योंकि (because).
8. विस्मयादिबोधक (Vismayadi Bodhak) — Interjection
Expresses sudden emotion — joy, surprise, pain — usually followed by an exclamation mark: वाह! (wow!), अरे! (oh!), हाय! (oh no!).
Going further
Now that you know the word classes, see how they combine into a sentence using Karak (कारक) — the case-marker system that connects nouns and pronouns to the verb (कर्ता, कर्म, करण, and more).