मार्जार
mārjāra/mɑːɾ.d͡ʑɑː.ɾɐ/masculine
The English word 'cat' is translated into Sanskrit as मार्जार (mārjāra). Wiktionary also lists बिडाल (biḍāla).
Meaning: domestic species (noun)
Ways to say it
| Sanskrit | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| मार्जार | mārjāra | /mɑːɾ.d͡ʑɑː.ɾɐ/ (Classical Sanskrit) | masculine |
| बिडाल | biḍāla | /bi.ɖɑː.lɐ/ (Vedic) /bi.ɖɑː.l̪ɐ/ (Classical Sanskrit) |
masculine |
The term refers to the domestic species of cat.
Which one should you use?
मार्जार is the more formal or standard term for a cat compared to बिडाल.
How does it change in a sentence?
To refer to exactly two cats, use the dual form मार्जारौ. For multiple cats, use the plural form मार्जाराः.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation of mārjāra is /mɑːɾ.dʑɑː.ɾɐ/.
Did you know?
- In a curious linguistic quirk, the Sanskrit term नेत्रपिण्ड can mean both 'cat' and 'eyeball'.
Examples in context
- मार्जारः लघुः अस्ति।mārjāraḥ laghuḥ asti.The cat is small.
- मार्जारः दुग्धं पिबति।mārjāraḥ dugdhaṃ pibati.The cat drinks milk.
- एषः मार्जारः सुन्दरः अस्ति।eṣaḥ mārjāraḥ sundaraḥ asti.This cat is beautiful.
Example conversation
Aditya and Mira are looking at a pet cat.
- आदित्य Adityaमीरा, एषः मार्जारः कस्य अस्ति?mīrā, eṣaḥ mārjāraḥ kasya asti?Mira, whose cat is this?
- मीरा Miraएषः मम मार्जारः अस्ति।eṣaḥ mama mārjāraḥ asti.This is my cat.
- आदित्य Adityaअस्य नाम किम् अस्ति?asya nāma kim asti?What is its name?
- मीरा Miraअस्य नाम पुष्यम् अस्ति।asya nāma puṣyam asti.Its name is Pushyam.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “cat” translations and entries मार्जार, बिडाल, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries बिडाल, मार्जार, CC BY-SA 4.0.
