Samas (समास) — The Six Types and How to Spot Each in Ten Seconds

One Question Decides Every Samas

समास is the joining of two or more words into a single compound word (समस्त पद), with the connecting particles dropped. Breaking it back open is called विग्रह.

राजा का पुत्र → राजपुत्र. Here 'राजा का पुत्र' is the विग्रह and 'राजपुत्र' is the समस्त पद.

Hindi grammar sections carry 1–3 marks from this topic in almost every paper, and candidates lose them by memorising lists of examples instead of learning the test.

The test is a single question: which part carries the meaning?

• ›First word dominant → अव्ययीभाव
• ›Second word dominant → तत्पुरुष (with its sub-types कर्मधारय and द्विगु)
• ›Both words dominant → द्वंद्व
• ›Neither — a third thing is meant → बहुव्रीहि

Write the विग्रह down first, every single time. Nine out of ten wrong answers come from classifying a compound without ever breaking it open.

1. In the compound 'नीलकमल' (विग्रह: नीला कमल), which samas is present?

2. The word 'दशानन' (meaning Ravana) is an example of:

3. Which samas is present in the word 'यथाशक्ति'?

4. Which of the following is an example of Dvandva samas?

5. The correct expansion and samas for 'चक्रधर' (meaning Vishnu) is:

6. In ordinary usage, the word 'त्रिभुज' contains which samas?

7. The samas in which both the words are equally dominant is called:

8. In 'राजपुत्र' (विग्रह: राजा का पुत्र), the samas is: