कर्णौ
karṇau
In Sanskrit, the English phrase "ears" is translated as कर्णौ (karṇau).
The term refers to the organs of the body used for hearing. It is also used in related terms such as कर्णछेदन, which means "ear piercing".
Which one should you use?
The form कर्णौ refers specifically to exactly two ears, while कर्णानि is a formal way to express the plural.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form कर्णौ is the dual form of the noun, which is used when referring specifically to the pair of ears.
How do you pronounce it?
karṇau
Did you know?
- The word कर्ण is used in the term कर्णपिशाच, which refers to a type of demon that whispers into a person's ear to mislead them.
- The term कर्ण appears in the name of the tragic hero Karna from the Mahabharata, whose name is linked to his legendary earrings born from the divine.
- The phonetic structure of कर्ण involves a retroflex 'ṇ', meaning the tongue must curl back to touch the roof of the mouth to pronounce the word correctly.
Examples in context
- तौ कर्णौ उत्तमौ स्तः।tau karṇau uttamau staḥ.Those two ears are excellent.
- तस्य कर्णौ विशालौ स्तः।tasya karṇau viśālau staḥ.His ears are large.
- एतौ कर्णौ स्वच्छौ स्तः।etau karṇau svacchau staḥ.These two ears are clean.
Example conversation
Mira and Aditya are talking about health.
- मीरा Miraकिं तव कर्णौ पीडितौ स्तः?kiṃ tava karṇau pīḍitau staḥ?Are your ears hurting?
- आदित्य Adityaआम्, मम कर्णौ पीडितौ स्तः।ām, mama karṇau pīḍitau staḥ.Yes, my ears are hurting.
- मीरा Miraत्वं चिकित्सकं गच्छ।tvaṃ cikitsakaṃ gaccha.You go to the doctor.
- आदित्य Adityaअहं अधुना गच्छामि।ahaṃ adhunā gacchāmi.I am going now.
