Sandhi (संधि)
Swar Sandhi, Vyanjan Sandhi and Visarg Sandhi Rules
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Overview
Sandhi refers to the joining of two sounds (varnas) at the boundary where one word or morpheme ends and another begins. In Hindi grammar, understanding sandhi is essential because UPTET frequently tests candidates on identifying the type of sandhi, performing sandhi (joining) and sandhi-vichchhed (separation).
This topic carries consistent weightage in the Hindi grammar section of both Paper I and Paper II. Questions typically ask you to identify which sandhi rule applies, give the correct joined form, or break a compound word into its original components. Mastery of the three main categories—Swar Sandhi, Vyanjan Sandhi and Visarg Sandhi—along with their subtypes is non-negotiable for scoring well.
Students must be able to recognise patterns quickly: which vowels combine to form which resultant sound, how consonants change when they meet certain sounds, and the special behaviour of visarg (ः) before vowels and consonants.
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Key Concepts
- **Sandhi (संधि)** = "joining"; the phonetic fusion of two adjacent sounds following specific rules.
- **Sandhi-vichchhed (संधि-विच्छेद)** = separation of a joined word back into its original components.
- **Three main types**: Swar Sandhi (vowel + vowel), Vyanjan Sandhi (consonant + vowel/consonant), Visarg Sandhi (visarg + vowel/consonant).
- **Swar Sandhi has five subtypes**: Deergh, Gun, Vriddhi, Yan and Ayadi—each with a distinct vowel-combination pattern.
- **Vyanjan Sandhi** involves changes in consonants when they meet other sounds; often a hard consonant softens or a nasal appears.
- **Visarg Sandhi** deals with visarg (ः) transforming into 'र', 'स', 'श' or merging with the following vowel/consonant.
- Sandhi rules originate from Sanskrit but apply to tatsam words commonly used in Hindi.
- Recognising the *meeting point* of two components is the key to quick sandhi-vichchhed.
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Formulas / Key Facts
### A. Swar Sandhi (स्वर संधि) — Vowel + Vowel
| Subtype | Rule | Example | |---------|------|---------| | **Deergh Sandhi (दीर्घ)** | Similar simple vowels combine into their long form: अ/आ + अ/आ → आ; इ/ई + इ/ई → ई; उ/ऊ + उ/ऊ → ऊ | विद्या + आलय = विद्यालय (आ + आ → आ) | | **Gun Sandhi (गुण)** | अ/आ + इ/ई → ए; अ/आ + उ/ऊ → ओ; अ/आ + ऋ → अर् | देव + इन्द्र = देवेन्द्र (अ + इ → ए) | | **Vriddhi Sandhi (वृद्धि)** | अ/आ + ए/ऐ → ऐ; अ/आ + ओ/औ → औ | एक + एक = एकैक (अ + ए → ऐ) | | **Yan Sandhi (यण्)** | इ/ई + dissimilar vowel → य्; उ/ऊ + dissimilar vowel → व्; ऋ + dissimilar vowel → र् | अति + अधिक = अत्यधिक (इ + अ → य) | | **Ayadi Sandhi (अयादि)** | ए + dissimilar vowel → अय्; ऐ + dissimilar vowel → आय्; ओ + dissimilar vowel → अव्; औ + dissimilar vowel → आव् | ने + अन = नयन (ए + अ → अय) |