Ways to say it
| Sanskrit | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| सुन्दर | sundara | /s̪un̪.d̪ɐ.ɾɐ/ (Classical Sanskrit) |
| सुरूप | surūpa | /su.ɾuː.pɐ́/ (Vedic) /s̪u.ɾuː.pɐ/ (Classical Sanskrit) |
| मञ्जु | mañju | /mɐɲ.d͡ʑu/ (Classical Sanskrit) |
सुन्दर (sundara) is the general word for beautiful or handsome and can describe people, places and things.
What does it mean word for word?
सुरूप (surūpa) is made of the prefix su meaning well or good and rūpa meaning form or shape, so it literally means of good form.
Which one should you use?
sundara is the general term. surūpa puts the focus on physical appearance or a well proportioned form. mañju often adds a sense of pleasant, sweet or charming. The word शोभन (Shobhana) is a formal term for beauty that includes inner radiance and virtue.
How does it change in a sentence?
sundara is an adjective and agrees with the noun it describes. With a masculine subject it becomes सुन्दरः, with a feminine subject सुन्दरी (sundarī) and with a neuter subject सुन्दरम् (sundaram).
How do you pronounce it?
sundara has three syllables and is pronounced /s̪un̪.d̪ɐ.ɾɐ/.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Do not use the bare stem sundara for every subject. Match the ending to the gender of the noun, for example sundarī for a woman.
Did you know?
- The word सुन्दर ('sundara') is etymologically related to the Greek name 'Evander' (Εὔανδρος), as both originally derived from concepts of 'good manhood' or 'good manpower'.
- While we use 'sundara' for beauty, its distant Persian relative honar (هنر) has evolved to mean 'art' or 'skill' rather than 'beauty'.
- The word सुन्दर ('sundara') contains a linguistic quirk where a 'd' sound was added over time, a process similar to how the word for 'monkey', वानर ('vānara'), has a variant वान्दर ('vāndara').
Examples in context
- एषः सुन्दरः उपवनः।eṣaḥ sundaraḥ upavanaḥ.This is a beautiful garden.
- तस्याः चित्रं सुन्दरम् अस्ति।tasyāḥ citraṃ sundaram asti.Her painting is beautiful.
- पुष्पम् अति सुन्दरम् अस्ति।puṣpam ati sundaram asti.The flower is very beautiful.
Example conversation
Aryan and Isha are looking at a landscape painting in a gallery.
- आर्यन Aryanकिं एतत् चित्रं सुन्दरम् अस्ति?kiṃ etat citraṃ sundaram asti?Is this painting beautiful?
- ईशा Ishaआम्, एतत् अतीव सुन्दरम् अस्ति।ām, etat atīva sundaram asti.Yes, it is very beautiful.
- आर्यन Aryanईशा, त्वं सुन्दरं चित्रं पश्यसि।īśā, tvaṃ sundaraṃ citraṃ paśyasi.Isha, you are looking at a beautiful picture.
- ईशा Ishaआम्, आर्यन, एतत् मनोहरम् अस्ति।ām, āryana, etat manoharam asti.Yes, Aryan, it is charming.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “beautiful” translations and entries सुन्दर, सुरूप, मञ्जु, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries सुन्दर, सुरूप, CC BY-SA 4.0.
