काष्ठ
kāṣṭha/kɑːʂ.ʈʰɐ́/neuter
In Sanskrit, wood is expressed as काष्ठ (kāṣṭha) or दारु.
Meaning: substance (noun)
Ways to say it
| Sanskrit | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| काष्ठ | kāṣṭha | /kɑːʂ.ʈʰɐ́/ (Vedic) /kɑːʂ.ʈʰɐ/ (Classical Sanskrit) |
neuter |
| दारु | dāru | /dɑ́ː.ɾu/ (Vedic) /d̪ɑː.ɾu/ (Classical Sanskrit) |
neuter |
The term refers to wood as a substance.
Which one should you use?
The form काष्ठ typically refers to wood as a material or substance. In contrast, दारु is often used to refer to a specific piece of wood, such as a log, stick or timber.
How does it change in a sentence?
The neuter noun काष्ठ becomes काष्ठम् in the nominative singular case by adding the ending -am. The neuter noun दारु stays दारु in the nominative singular.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation of kāṣṭha is /kɑːʂ.ʈʰɐ́/. It has 2 syllables.
Did you know?
- The prefix 'dendr-' used in English words like 'dendrology' comes from the Ancient Greek δένδρον, which shares the same Proto-Indo-European origin as the Sanskrit दारु.
Examples in context
- वयं काष्ठेन गृहं निर्माणं कुर्मः।vayaṃ kāṣṭhena gṛhaṃ nirmāṇaṃ kurmaḥ.We make a house with wood.
Example conversation
Aditya and Ananya are looking at building materials in a garden.
- आदित्य Adityaअनन्ये, किम् एतत् काष्ठं पश्यसि?Ananye, kim etat kāṣṭhaṃ paśyasi?Ananya, do you see this wood?
- अनन्या Ananyaआम्, आदित्य! एतत् काष्ठं अतीव सुदृढम् अस्ति।ām, Āditya! etat kāṣṭhaṃ atīva sudṛḍham asti.Yes, Aditya! This wood is very strong.
- आदित्य Adityaकिं वयं एतेन काष्ठेन निर्माणं कुर्मः?kiṃ vayaṃ etena kāṣṭhena nirmāṇaṃ kurmaḥ?Shall we build with this wood?
- अनन्या Ananyaन, एतत् काष्ठं अतीव भारवत् अस्ति।na, etat kāṣṭhaṃ atīva bhāravat asti.No, this wood is too heavy.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “wood” translations and entries काष्ठ, दारु, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries काष्ठ, दारु, CC BY-SA 4.0.
