-क

Hindi

Etymology

Borrowed from Sanskrit -क (-ka). Doublet of -आ (-ā).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Hindi) IPA^(key): /kə/, [kɐ]

Suffix

-क • (-ka) m

1. (productive only with Sanskrit loans) a diminutive masculine nominal suffix

Derived terms

Hindi terms suffixed with -क

अंकक

अंकुरक

अनुदेशक

अर्धक

अल्पसंख्यक

आलुक

इच्छुक

ऊतक

केंद्रक

ठंडक

त्रासक

प्रचारक

प्रस्तावक

बद्धक

मदक

युग्मक

विधेयक

संक्रामक

सांस्कृतिक

सार्थक

स्वस्तिक

Konkani

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Suffix

-क • (-k) (Latin script -k, Kannada script -ಕ)

1. marks the accusative/dative case

Usage notes

Always appended to the oblique stem of the noun.

‎भाचो (bhātsô) + ‎-क (-ka) → ‎भाच्याक (bhātsyāk)

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

Alternative scripts

• -ক (Assamese script)
• -ᬓ (Balinese script)
• -ক (Bengali script)
• -𑰎 (Bhaiksuki script)
• -𑀓 (Brahmi script)
• -က (Burmese script)
• -ક (Gujarati script)
• -ਕ (Gurmukhi script)
• -𑌕 (Grantha script)
• -ꦏ (Javanese script)
• -𑂍 (Kaithi script)
• -ಕ (Kannada script)
• -ក (Khmer script)
• -ກ (Lao script)
• -ക (Malayalam script)
• ᠊ᡬᠠ (Manchu script)
• -𑘎 (Modi script)
• ᠊ᢉᠠ (Mongolian script)
• -𑦮 (Nandinagari script)
• -𑐎 (Newa script)
• -କ (Odia script)
• -ꢒ (Saurashtra script)
• -𑆑 (Sharada script)
• -𑖎 (Siddham script)
• -ක (Sinhalese script)
• -𑩜 (Soyombo script)
• -𑚊 (Takri script)
• -க (Tamil script)
• -క (Telugu script)
• -ก (Thai script)
• -་ཀ (Tibetan script)
• -𑒏 (Tirhuta script)
• -𑨋 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-Iranian *-kas, from Proto-Indo-European *-kos. Compare Proto-Slavic *-ъka for the diminutive sense.

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /kɐ/
• (Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /kɐ/

Suffix

-क • (-ka) stem, m (noun-forming suffix, female equivalent -का)

2. a diminutive masculine nominal suffix

   ‎शश (śaśa, “hare”) + ‎-क (-ka) → ‎शशक (śaśaka, “rabbit”), literally “little hare”

   ‎पुत्र (putrá, “son”) + ‎-क (-ka) → ‎पुत्रक (putraká, “little son”)

Usage notes

The suffix is most often accented when forming a diminutive.

Declension

Masculine a-stem declension of -क

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	-कः -kaḥ	-कौ, -का1 -kau, -kā1	-काः, -कासः1 -kāḥ, -kāsaḥ1
accusative	-कम् -kam	-कौ, -का1 -kau, -kā1	-कान् -kān
instrumental	-केन -kena	-काभ्याम् -kābhyām	-कैः, -केभिः1 -kaiḥ, -kebhiḥ1
dative	-काय -kāya	-काभ्याम् -kābhyām	-केभ्यः -kebhyaḥ
ablative	-कात् -kāt	-काभ्याम् -kābhyām	-केभ्यः -kebhyaḥ
genitive	-कस्य -kasya	-कयोः -kayoḥ	-कानाम् -kānām
locative	-के -ke	-कयोः -kayoḥ	-केषु -keṣu
vocative	-क -ka	-कौ, -का1 -kau, -kā1	-काः, -कासः1 -kāḥ, -kāsaḥ1

¹Vedic.

Derived terms

Sanskrit terms suffixed with -क (diminutive)

अंशक

अवमूर्धक

अविक

घोटक

Descendants

• → Hindi: -क (-ka, diminutive suffix)

Suffix

-क • (-ka) stem, n (noun-forming suffix)

2. forms abstract or collective nouns

   Synonym: -का (-kā)

   ‎मातृ (mātṛ, “mother”) + ‎-क (-ka) → ‎मातृक (mātṛka, “the nature of a mother”)

   ‎वृद्ध (vṛddha, “old”) + ‎-क (-ka) → ‎वार्द्धक (vārddhaka, “old age; a multitude of old men”)

Declension

Neuter a-stem declension of -क

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	-कम् -kam	-के -ke	-कानि, -का1 -kāni, -kā1
accusative	-कम् -kam	-के -ke	-कानि, -का1 -kāni, -kā1
instrumental	-केन -kena	-काभ्याम् -kābhyām	-कैः, -केभिः1 -kaiḥ, -kebhiḥ1
dative	-काय -kāya	-काभ्याम् -kābhyām	-केभ्यः -kebhyaḥ
ablative	-कात् -kāt	-काभ्याम् -kābhyām	-केभ्यः -kebhyaḥ
genitive	-कस्य -kasya	-कयोः -kayoḥ	-कानाम् -kānām
locative	-के -ke	-कयोः -kayoḥ	-केषु -keṣu
vocative	-क -ka	-के -ke	-कानि, -का1 -kāni, -kā1

¹Vedic.

Derived terms

Sanskrit terms suffixed with -क (neuter)

अंशक

अधिक

Suffix

-क • (-ka) stem (adjective-forming suffix)

2. forms adjectives from other parts of speech

   ‎अन्त॑ (ánta, “end”) + ‎-क (-ka) → ‎अन्त॑क (ántaka, “making an end”)

   ‎म॒नु॒ष्य॑ (manuṣyà, “a man”) + ‎-क (-ka) → ‎मानु॑ष्यक (mā́nuṣyaka, “human”)

   ‎अनु॑ (ánu, “after”) + ‎-क (-ka) → ‎अनु॑क (ánuka, “following”)

   ‎एक॑ (éka, “one”) + ‎-क (-ka) → ‎ए॒क॒क (ekaká, “single”)

   ‎अस्ति (asti, “(there) is”) + ‎-क (-ka) → ‎आस्तिक (āstika, “one who believes in the existence (of God)”)

   1. specifically used to make a more manageable stem for bahuvrihi compounds

      ‎शत (śata, “hundred”) + ‎तन्त्री (tantrī, “string”) + ‎-क (-ka) → ‎शततन्त्रीक (śatatantrīka, “hundred-stringed”)

4. forms adjectives from other adjectives, often with no difference in meaning

   ‎ब॒द्ध (baddhá) + ‎-क (-ka) → ‎बद्ध॑क (báddhaka)

Declension

Masculine a-stem declension of -क singular dual plural nominative -कः -kaḥ -कौ, -का1 -kau, -kā1 -काः, -कासः1 -kāḥ, -kāsaḥ1 accusative -कम् -kam -कौ, -का1 -kau, -kā1 -कान् -kān instrumental -केन -kena -काभ्याम् -kābhyām -कैः, -केभिः1 -kaiḥ, -kebhiḥ1 dative -काय -kāya -काभ्याम् -kābhyām -केभ्यः -kebhyaḥ ablative -कात् -kāt -काभ्याम् -kābhyām -केभ्यः -kebhyaḥ genitive -कस्य -kasya -कयोः -kayoḥ -कानाम् -kānām locative -के -ke -कयोः -kayoḥ -केषु -keṣu vocative -क -ka -कौ, -का1 -kau, -kā1 -काः, -कासः1 -kāḥ, -kāsaḥ1 1Vedic. Feminine ā-stem declension of -का singular dual plural nominative -का -kā -के -ke -काः -kāḥ accusative -काम् -kām -के -ke -काः -kāḥ instrumental -कया, -का1 -kayā, -kā1 -काभ्याम् -kābhyām -काभिः -kābhiḥ dative -कायै -kāyai -काभ्याम् -kābhyām -काभ्यः -kābhyaḥ ablative -कायाः, -कायै2 -kāyāḥ, -kāyai2 -काभ्याम् -kābhyām -काभ्यः -kābhyaḥ genitive -कायाः, -कायै2 -kāyāḥ, -kāyai2 -कयोः -kayoḥ -कानाम् -kānām locative -कायाम् -kāyām -कयोः -kayoḥ -कासु -kāsu vocative -के -ke -के -ke -काः -kāḥ 1Vedic. 2Brāhmaṇas. Neuter a-stem declension of -क singular dual plural nominative -कम् -kam -के -ke -कानि, -का1 -kāni, -kā1 accusative -कम् -kam -के -ke -कानि, -का1 -kāni, -kā1 instrumental -केन -kena -काभ्याम् -kābhyām -कैः, -केभिः1 -kaiḥ, -kebhiḥ1 dative -काय -kāya -काभ्याम् -kābhyām -केभ्यः -kebhyaḥ ablative -कात् -kāt -काभ्याम् -kābhyām -केभ्यः -kebhyaḥ genitive -कस्य -kasya -कयोः -kayoḥ -कानाम् -kānām locative -के -ke -कयोः -kayoḥ -केषु -keṣu vocative -क -ka -के -ke -कानि, -का1 -kāni, -kā1 1Vedic.

The feminine on -की (-kī) is used with vṛddhi derivatives:

Feminine ī-stem declension of -की

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	-की -kī	-क्यौ, -की1 -kyau, -kī1	-क्यः, -कीः1 -kyaḥ, -kīḥ1
accusative	-कीम् -kīm	-क्यौ, -की1 -kyau, -kī1	-कीः -kīḥ
instrumental	-क्या -kyā	-कीभ्याम् -kībhyām	-कीभिः -kībhiḥ
dative	-क्यै -kyai	-कीभ्याम् -kībhyām	-कीभ्यः -kībhyaḥ
ablative	-क्याः, -क्यै2 -kyāḥ, -kyai2	-कीभ्याम् -kībhyām	-कीभ्यः -kībhyaḥ
genitive	-क्याः, -क्यै2 -kyāḥ, -kyai2	-क्योः -kyoḥ	-कीनाम् -kīnām
locative	-क्याम् -kyām	-क्योः -kyoḥ	-कीषु -kīṣu
vocative	-कि -ki	-क्यौ, -की1 -kyau, -kī1	-क्यः, -कीः1 -kyaḥ, -kīḥ1

¹Vedic.
²Brāhmaṇas.

Derived terms

Sanskrit terms suffixed with -क (adjectival)

अंशक

अधिक

अनुक

अष्टक

Sanskrit terms suffixed with -क (pleonastic)

अङ्गारक

अनसूयक

इहत्यक

Related terms

• -अक (-aka)
• -इक (-ika)
• -उक (-uka)

References

• William Dwight Whitney (1889), Sanskrit Grammar‎^[1], § 1222, pages 466-9

Further reading

• Wackernagel, Jakob; Albert Debrunner (1896-1964), Altindische Grammatik [Grammar of Ancient Indian] (Indogermanische Bibliothek. 2. Reihe: Wörterbücher)‎^[2] (in German), Vol. II.2: Die Nominalsuffixe, Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, published 1954, 360-8, pages 515-540