numbers in Hindi

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Riho Alla

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May 26, 2010, 10:35:20 AM5/26/10
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Hi!

I am quite confused learning numbers in Hindi, because of Kavita Kumar's textbook "Speak Hindi: From Day 1". Several numbers have different variations, which were unknown for me until today, among others:
  • करोड़ karoṛ - '10 millions' / 'million' (?)
 This dictionary gives the equivalent of 'million'. McGregor's dictionary says but, that it has a meaning of 'ten millions'. That the same claims this dictionary. I think, that in Sanskrit there is no equivalent to 'million'. Only 'hundred thousand' (लक्षं lakṣam) and 'ten millions' (कोटि koṭi) and I have had an opinion, that if there is meant 'million', then in general sense, eg. 'करोड़पति' karoṛpati ('millionaire') or 'I have million things to do today...' . That's why I thought, that there must be also no equivalent to 'million' in Hindi. But Kavita Kumar's book gives an equivalent 'thousand thousand' (='million'?). What is the Truth? :-)

  • इकत्तीस ikattīs / इकतीस iktīs - 'thirty-one'
R.S.McGregor's dictionary says, that 'iktīs' is a possible variation of 'ikattīs'. Is 'iktīs' a common variation in Hindi? Which one is more often used for '31'?
  • चवालीस cavālīs / चौवालिस cauvālīs - 'fourty-four'
McGregor's dictionary mentions only the first one. This dictionary acknowledges both variants. Are both variants common in Hindi? Which noe is more often used in Hindi?
  • तिरपन tirpan - 'fifty-three'
Kavita Kumar's textbook gives a transliteration 'trepan'. Is 'trepan' usual preference among Hindi speaking people?

Maybe too many questions at once...

Riho

Hamza

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May 26, 2010, 10:49:44 AM5/26/10
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Platts' dictionary gives प्रयुत and नियुत/निजुत for "million." As far as I know, करोड़ is ten million.

Also, http://www.2indya.com/2009/07/14/numerals-in-sanskrit-multiples-of-10/
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Alok Kumar

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May 26, 2010, 11:14:23 AM5/26/10
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करोड - karor is equal to 10 million. you are right, in sanskrit/ hindi there is no single word for a million. a thousand thousand translates to सहस्त्र सहस्त्र. करोड़पति karorpati does not literally translate to "millionaire". However, when you say millionaire in english I am sure you count everybody who has from 1 million to 999 million as a millionaire. if you translate that sense to hindi, karorpati can be understood as millionaire, or it can just be taken to mean "very rich"

इकत्तीस ikattīs / इकतीस iktīs - 'thirty-one' - these are just regional variations of pronunciation. i am from the eastern part of India and I pronounce it as इकतीस iktis, whereas people from the northern parts of the country pronounce it as इकत्तीस ikattis. the answer to your question - usage varies by region.

the same answer applies to the other numbers

चौवालिस cauvālīs - eastern region
चवालीस cavālīs   - northern/ western region

तिरपन tirpan - 'fifty-three' - eastern region
'trepan'. or 'tirepan' is used more in the northern/ western regions.

to confuse you a little bit, while spoken variations exist, most written/ published books go with the northern variant and therefore the people from other parts of the country are more familiar with the northern variant. to give you an example from south-eastern usa, people say "y'all " but when written in a book it is written as "you all". this doesn't mean that the spoken colloquial version is wrong.
 
alok

http://kumar-alok.blogspot.com


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Riho Alla

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May 27, 2010, 4:13:46 AM5/27/10
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Thank you for your help! Interesting, regional varieties...

Riho

narayan prasad

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Jun 5, 2010, 4:41:03 AM6/5/10
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I have never heard चवालीस. Frequently that  I hear and use myself may be phonetically represented in devanAgarii as चउआलीस, i.e. without the व sound. In conversation frequently the स in चउआलीस is dispensed with.
 
---Narayan Prasad

--- On Wed, 26/5/10, Alok Kumar <alokku...@gmail.com> wrote:
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