पालि

Pali

Indo-European (Indo-Aryan, Middle) · historical / hidden variety

FamilyIndo-European (Indo-Aryan, Middle) SpeakersExtinct (liturgical) ScriptDevanagari, Sinhala, Thai, Burmese, Khmer (multiple) CountriesTheravada Buddhist world Official inTheravada Buddhist canon Vitalityextinct ISO 639-3pli

Pali (𑀧𑀸𑀮𑀺) is the liturgical language of Theravada Buddhism, in which the Tipitaka (Pali Canon) — the foundational scriptures of Theravada — is preserved. A Middle Indo-Aryan (Prakrit) language closely related to the dialects of ancient India around the Buddha's lifetime (5th c. BCE), Pali shows phonological reductions characteristic of Middle Indic (loss of ṛ, simplification of consonant clusters). Standardised in Sri Lanka in the 1st c. BCE under King Vattagamani when the canon was first written down. Today written in many local Brahmic scripts (Sinhala, Burmese, Thai, Khmer, Devanagari) — never had a unique script.

Where it is spoken

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87 core words in Pali

Water

उदक

udaka

Fire

अग्गि

aɡːi

Sun

सुरिय

surija

Moon

चन्द

tɕanda

Star

तारा

taːraː

Night

रत्ति

ratti

Rain

वुट्ठि

ʋuʈːʰi

Snow

हिम

himɐ

Wind

वात

ʋaːtɐ

Earth

पठवी

pɐʈʰɐʋiː

Stone

पासाण

paːsaːɳa

Mountain

पब्बत

pabːata

Sea

समुद्द

samudda

Mother

माता

maːtaː

Father

पिता

pitaː

Daughter

धीता

dʱiːtaː

I

अहं

ahaŋ

You

त्वं

tvaŋ

We

मयं

majaŋ

Name

नाम

naːma

Person

पुग्गल

puɡːala

Head

सीस

siːsa

Eye

चक्खु

tɕakːʰu

Ear

कण्ण

kɐɳɳɐ

Nose

नासा

naːsaː

Mouth

मुख

mukʰa

Tooth

दन्त

danta

Tongue

जिव्हा

dʒivhaː

Hand

हत्थ

hatːʰa

Foot

पाद

paːda

Heart

हदय

hadaja

Bone

अट्ठि

aʈːʰi

Blood

लोहित

lohita

Poop

गूथ

ɡuːtʰɐ

Love

पेम

pema

Tree

रुक्ख

rukːʰa

Dog

सुनख

sunakʰa

Cat

बिळाल

biɭaːla

Fish

मच्छ

mattʃʰa

Bird

सकुण

sakuɳa

Egg

अण्ड

aɳɖa

Bear

अच्छ

atʃːʰa

Horse

अस्स

assa

House

घर

ɡʱara

Milk

खीर

kʰiːra

Honey

मधु

madʱu

Salt

लोण

loɳa

Wine

सुरा

suraː

Rice

तण्डुल

taɳɖula

Iron

अयो

ajo

Wheel

चक्क

tʃakka

Silk

कोसिय

kosija

Book

पोत्थक

potːʰaka

Eat

खादति

kʰaːdati

Drink

पिवति

pivati

Sleep

सुपति

supati

One

एक

eka

Two

द्वे

dve

Three

ति

ti

Four

चत्तारि

tʃattaːri

Five

पञ्च

pɐɲtʃɐ

Hundred

सतं

sɐtɐ̃

Hello

नमो

namo

Thank you

अनुमोदामि

anumodaːmi

Good

साधु

saːdʱu

New

नव

nava

Red

रत्त

ratta

White

सेत

setɐ

Black

कण्ह

kaɳha

Green

हरित

harita

Cuckoo

कोकिल

koːkilɐ

Computer

गणक

ɡɐɳɐkɐ

Sources

Words compared

Compared with languages in the same classification: Indo-European (Indo-Aryan, Middle)

Meaning PaliPedagogical PaliMaharastri PrakritModern Spoken SanskritSanskritBraj BhashaHindko
Water उदक /udaka/ udaka /udaka/ उदग /udaɡa/ जलम् /dʑalam/ जलम् /dʑalam/ पानी /paːniː/ پانڑی /paːɽ̃iː/
Fire अग्गि /aɡːi/ aggi /aɡːi/ अग्गि /aɡɡi/ अग्निः /aɡniɦ/ अग्निः /aɡniɦ/ आग /aːɡ/ اگ /aɡ/
Sun सुरिय /surija/ suriya /suɾija/ सूर /suːɾa/ सूर्यः /suːɾjaɦ/ सूर्यः /suːɾjaɦ/ सूरज /suːrədʒ/ سورج /soːradʒ/
Moon चन्द /tɕanda/ canda /tɕanda/ चंद /tʃanda/ चन्द्रः /tɕandɾaɦ/ चन्द्रः /tɕandɾaɦ/ चंद्र /tʃəndɾ/ چن /tʃan/
Star तारा /taːraː/ tārā /ˈtaːraː/ तारा /taːɾaː/ तारा /taːraː/ तारा /taːraː/ तारा /taːraː/ تارا /taːɾaː/
Night रत्ति /ratti/ ratti /ratti/ रत्ती /rattiː/ रात्रिः /raːtriɦ/ रात्रिः /raːtriɦ/ रात /raːt/ رات /raːt/
Rain वुट्ठि /ʋuʈːʰi/ वुट्ठि /ʋuʈːʰi/ वुट्ठि /ʋuʈːʰi/ वर्षा /ʋarʂaː/ वर्षा /ʋarʂaː/ बरखा /bəɾkʰaː/ مینہ /mĩː/
Snow हिम /himɐ/ hima /himə/ हिम /hima/ हिम /ɦimə/ हिम /ɦimɐ/ बरफ /bərəf/ برف /bərəf/
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Word order compared

Compare with major world languages

Pali
ahaṃ āvasathassa paccamukhe āpaṇe diṭṭhaṃ vatthaṃ paridhāpetuṃ icchāmi
I want to try on a suit I saw ‌in a shop across from the hotel
Ich möchte einen Anzug anprobieren den ich in einem Geschäft gegenüber vom Hotel gesehen habe
मैं होटल के सामने एक दुकान में देखा सूट को पहनकर देखना चाहता हूँ
私は ホテルの 向かいの お店 で 見た スーツを 試着 したいです
我 想 试穿 酒店 对面的 商店 里 看到的 那套西装
أنا أريد أن أجرب بدلة رأيتها في محل مقابل الفندق
Я хочу примерить костюм который я увидел в магазине напротив отеля

Compare with languages in the same classification

Pali
ahaṃ āvasathassa paccamukhe āpaṇe diṭṭhaṃ vatthaṃ paridhāpetuṃ icchāmi
Je veux essayer un costume que j' ai vu dans un magasin en face de l'hôtel
Unë dua ta provoj një kostum që pashë në një dyqan përballë hotelit
Ἐγὼ βούλομαι πειρᾶσθαι ἱμάτιον ὃ εἶδον ἐν καπηλείῳ ἐναντίον τοῦ πανδοκείου
I want to try on a suit I seen ‌in a shop across from the hotel

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