स्वसृ
svásṛ/sʋɐ́.sr̩/feminine
The Sanskrit word for sister is स्वसृ (svásṛ). Wiktionary also lists भगिनी (bhaginī).
Meaning: woman or girl having the same parents (noun)
Ways to say it
| Sanskrit | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| स्वसृ | svásṛ | /sʋɐ́.sr̩/ (Vedic) /s̪ʋɐ.s̪r̩/ (Classical Sanskrit) |
feminine |
| भगिनी | bhaginī | feminine |
The term refers to a woman or girl having the same parents.
What does it mean word for word?
The word स्वसृ is an inherited word. It is related to Latin soror and English sister.
Which one should you use?
स्वसृ is a more formal and literary form, most commonly found in classical and Vedic literature. In contrast, भगिनी is a more standard and common term for sister.
How does it change in a sentence?
भगिनी is a feminine noun that follows the 'ī' stem declension patterns.
How do you pronounce it?
The word स्वसृ is pronounced as svásṛ.
Did you know?
- While स्वसृ is used in the oldest Vedic texts, the more common term भगिनी is thought by some to be a later development in the language.
Example sentences for Sanskrit are not verified yet.
Example conversation
Vivaan is introducing his sister to Kavya.
- विवान Vivaanकाव्या, एषा मम स्वसा अस्ति।kāvyā, eṣā mama svasā asti.Kavya, this is my sister.
- काव्या Kavyaनमो नमः।namo namaḥ.Hello.
- विवान Vivaanसा छात्रा अस्ति।sā chātrā asti.She is a student.
- काव्या Kavyaअतीव शोभनम्।atīva śobhanam.That is very good.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “sister” translations and entries स्वसृ, भगिनी, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries भगिनी, स्वसृ, CC BY-SA 4.0.
