Ways to say it
| Hindi | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| पात्र | pātr | /pɑːt̪.ɾᵊ/ (Hindi, Standard) /pɑː.t̪əɾ/ (Hindi, Standard) |
masculine |
| पात्री | pātrī | feminine | |
| चरित्र | caritra | /t͡ʃə.ɾɪt̪.ɾᵊ/ (Hindi) | masculine |
The term for character changes significantly based on the context. Use चरित्र when referring to a person's moral integrity or personality traits. Use पात्र when referring to a person or character in a play, movie or book. For a more formal way to discuss someone's personality, you may also use व्यक्तित्व.
Which one should you use?
There is a clear distinction between the different forms: चरित्र refers to moral nature or personality, whereas पात्र is a literary term specifically for a character in a story or drama. Additionally, पात्र has a feminine form, पात्री, while चरित्र is masculine. For a more formal discussion regarding a person's personality, one might use व्यक्तित्व.
How does it change in a sentence?
When using the literary term for character, पात्र, the plural or oblique form becomes पात्रों when it is used with postpositions.
How do you pronounce it?
The word caritra is pronounced as /tʃə.ɾɪt̪.ɾᵊ/ and has three syllables.
Did you know?
- Beyond literary characters, the word पात्र also means 'vessel' or 'container' in Hindi. In a spiritual context, it describes a person who is 'worthy' or 'fit' to receive a blessing, much like a vessel is fit to hold water.
- In Sanskrit, the root of चरित्र relates to 'moving' or 'going'. This implies that a 'character' is essentially the 'conduct' or the 'way one moves through life'.
- The word चरित्र can also be used to mean a 'biography' or a 'life story' in formal literature, shifting its meaning from a person's nature to the written record of their life.
Examples in context
- बिना चरित्र आदमी जानवर होता है।A man without character is an animal.This sentence illustrates the use of चरित्र regarding moral integrity.
- बिल चरित्र में अपने पिता से मिलता-जुलता है।Bill resembles his father in character.This sentence shows how चरित्र can describe resemblance in personality.Tatoeba #484157 by minshirui, translation #34470 by gin
- चरित्र-चित्रणportrayal of a characterThis example shows the compound term involving चरित्र used for characterization.
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Neha and Vikas are discussing a book they both read.
- नेहा Nehaतुम्हें कहानी का मुख्य चरित्र कौन सा लगा?Tumhē̃ kahānī kā mukhya charitra kaun sā lagā?Which one did you find to be the main character of the story?
- विकास Vikasमुझे वह जासूस वाला चरित्र बहुत पसंद आया।Mujhe vah jāsūs vālā charitra bahut pasand āyā.I really liked that detective character.
- नेहा Nehaहाँ, उस चरित्र की बातें बहुत दिलचस्प थीं।Hā̃, us charitra kī bātē̃ bahut dilchasp thī̃.Yes, that character's dialogues were very interesting.
- विकास Vikasसही कहा, वह मेरा पसंदीदा चरित्र है।Sahī kahā, vah merā pasandīdā charitra hai.Well said, he is my favorite character.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “character” translations and entries पात्र, चरित्र, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries चरित्र, पात्र, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0, Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
