प्रजा

Hindi

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Sanskrit प्रजा (prajā).

Pronunciation

• (Delhi) IPA^(key): /pɾə.d͡ʒɑː/, [pɾɐ.d͡ʒäː]

Noun

प्रजा • (prajā) f (Urdu spelling پرجا)

1. subjects

   प्रजा की मत है कि अपने राजा ने देश को लूट लिया है।

   prajā kī mat hai ki apne rājā ne deś ko lūṭ liyā hai.

   The subjects believe that their own king has ransacked the nation.

2. people (as a single entity)

   Synonyms: जनता (jantā), रिआया (riāyā)

Declension

Declension of प्रजा (fem ā-stem)

	singular	plural
direct	प्रजा prajā	प्रजाएँ prajāẽ
oblique	प्रजा prajā	प्रजाओं prajāõ
vocative	प्रजा prajā	प्रजाओ prajāo

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

Alternative scripts

• প্ৰজা (Assamese script)
• ᬧ᭄ᬭᬚᬵ (Balinese script)
• প্রজা (Bengali script)
• 𑰢𑰿𑰨𑰕𑰯 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀧𑁆𑀭𑀚𑀸 (Brahmi script)
• ပြဇာ (Burmese script)
• પ્રજા (Gujarati script)
• ਪ੍ਰਜਾ (Gurmukhi script)
• 𑌪𑍍𑌰𑌜𑌾 (Grantha script)
• ꦥꦿꦗꦴ (Javanese script)
• 𑂣𑂹𑂩𑂔𑂰 (Kaithi script)
• ಪ್ರಜಾ (Kannada script)
• ប្រជា (Khmer script)
• ປ຺ຣຊາ (Lao script)
• പ്രജാ (Malayalam script)
• ᢒᡵᠠᡯᠠᢇ (Manchu script)
• 𑘢𑘿𑘨𑘕𑘰 (Modi script)
• ᢒᠷᠠᠽᠠ᠋᠎ᠠ (Mongolian script)
• 𑧂𑧠𑧈𑦵𑧑 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐥𑑂𑐬𑐖𑐵 (Newa script)
• ପ୍ରଜା (Odia script)
• ꢦ꣄ꢬꢙꢵ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆥𑇀𑆫𑆘𑆳 (Sharada script)
• 𑖢𑖿𑖨𑖕𑖯 (Siddham script)
• ප්‍රජා (Sinhalese script)
• 𑩰 𑪙𑩼𑩣𑩛 (Soyombo script)
• 𑚞𑚶𑚤𑚑𑚭 (Takri script)
• ப்ரஜா (Tamil script)
• ప్రజా (Telugu script)
• ปฺรชา (Thai script)
• པྲ་ཛཱ (Tibetan script)
• 𑒣𑓂𑒩𑒖𑒰 (Tirhuta script)
• 𑨞𑩇𑨫𑨥𑨊 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

From प्र- (pra-, “pro-”) +‎ जा (jā, “birth, offspring, race”). Literally, “that which is brought forth”.

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /pɾɐ.d͡ʑɑː/
• (Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /ˈpɾɐ.d͡ʑɑː/

Noun

प्रजा • (prajā) stem, f

1. subject of a king, rule
2. procreation
3. offspring
   • (Can we date this quote?), The Buddha, Dhammapada(pāḷi) (subsequently translated from Pali to Sanskrit), Appamādavaɡɡa, page 32; republished in The Eighteenth Book in the Suttanta-Pitaka: Khuddaka-Nikāya‎^[1], Colombo, 2009:

     8. ප්‍රමාදමප්‍රමාදෙන යදා නුදති පණ‍්ඩිතඃ
     ප්‍රඥාප්‍රසාදමාරුහ්‍ය ත්‍වශොකඃ ශොකිනීං ප්‍රජාම්
     පර්‍වතස‍්ථ ඉව භූමිෂ‍්ඨාන් ධීරො බාලානවෙක්‍ෂතෙ

     8 Pramādamapramādena yadā nudati paṇḍitaḥ
     Prajñāprasādamāruhya tvaśokaḥ śokinīṃ prajām
     Parvatastha iva bhūmiṣṭhān dhīro bālānavekṣate

     8. When the astute dispel negligence by means of diligence,
     having ascended the palace of wisdom, the sorrow-free then behold this generation of sorrow,
     as a wise man on a mountain-top beholds the fools below.

     (literally, “8. When the astute dispel negligence by means of diligence,
     having ascended the palace of wisdom, the sorrow-free then behold this generation of sorrow,
     as a wise man on a mountain-top beholds the fools on the ground.”)

     (Wiktionary translation adapted from translation of the Pali by Ajahn Sujato.)

4. race
5. posterity
6. man, mankind

Declension

Feminine ā-stem declension of प्रजा
Nom. sg.	प्रजा (prajā)
Gen. sg.	प्रजायाः (prajāyāḥ)
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	प्रजा (prajā)	प्रजे (praje)	प्रजाः (prajāḥ)
Vocative	प्रजे (praje)	प्रजे (praje)	प्रजाः (prajāḥ)
Accusative	प्रजाम् (prajām)	प्रजे (praje)	प्रजाः (prajāḥ)
Instrumental	प्रजया (prajayā)	प्रजाभ्याम् (prajābhyām)	प्रजाभिः (prajābhiḥ)
Dative	प्रजायै (prajāyai)	प्रजाभ्याम् (prajābhyām)	प्रजाभ्यः (prajābhyaḥ)
Ablative	प्रजायाः (prajāyāḥ)	प्रजाभ्याम् (prajābhyām)	प्रजाभ्यः (prajābhyaḥ)
Genitive	प्रजायाः (prajāyāḥ)	प्रजयोः (prajayoḥ)	प्रजानाम् (prajānām)
Locative	प्रजायाम् (prajāyām)	प्रजयोः (prajayoḥ)	प्रजासु (prajāsu)

Derived terms

• प्रजाकल्प (prajākalpa, “the time of creation”)
• प्रजाकामा (prajākāmā, “desiring offspring”)
• प्रजातन्तु (prajātantu, “a line of descendants, a race”)
• प्रजापति (prajāpati, literally “a lord of creatures”)

Descendants

• → Hindi: प्रजा (prajā)
• → Old Javanese: prajā
  • Javanese: ꦥꦿꦗ (praja)
    • → Indonesian: praja
• Pali: pajā
• Sinhalese: ප්‍රජාව (prajāwa)
• → Telugu: ప్రజ (praja), → ప్రజలు (prajalu)
• → Thai: ประชา (bprà-chaa, “people”)

References

• Monier Williams (1899) “प्रजा”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 658.