Vachan (Number): Rules for Singular-Plural, Always-Plural Words — REET Hindi Grammar
This page covers the definition of vachan (number), the rules for forming the plural (unmarked, case-marked and vocative forms), words that are always singular or always plural, and honorific plural usage. REET 2024 carried 5 vachan questions, three of which were on 'always plural' words alone.
- 5 questions in REET 2024
- Class 1–8 level
- 7 min read
How REET asks this topic
REET 2024 carried 5 vachan questions: 'word always used in the plural' came up three times (answers: लोग, प्राण, लोग), the plural of 'संस्कृति' (संस्कृतियाँ), and 'word with the same form in singular and plural' (मनुष्य). The level is simple, but options often plant 'always singular' words like सामग्री, भोजन, आनंद as traps — so learn both lists side by side.
What is vachan?
The form of a noun or pronoun that shows whether it refers to one thing or many is called vachan (number). Hindi has two numbers — singular (लड़का, नदी, पुस्तक) and plural (लड़के, नदियाँ, पुस्तकें). Sanskrit has three numbers — singular, dual and plural — but Hindi has no dual.
Number doesn't affect the noun alone — it affects the whole sentence, since adjectives and verbs change too: 'अच्छा लड़का खेलता है' → 'अच्छे लड़के खेलते हैं'. So for words whose form doesn't change (घर, मनुष्य, बालक, हाथी), identify the number from the verb instead: 'मनुष्य आया' (singular), 'मनुष्य आए' (plural).
Rules for forming the plural (unmarked form)
| Rule | Singular → Plural |
|---|---|
| Masculine nouns ending in 'आ': 'आ' → 'ए' | लड़का → लड़के, कमरा → कमरे, घोड़ा → घोड़े, बेटा → बेटे |
| Exception: relational and some tatsam आ-ending masculine nouns don't change | पिता, चाचा, दादा, राजा, नेता, योद्धा — 'पिता आए', 'राजा आए' |
| Feminine nouns ending in a consonant: add 'एँ' | बहन → बहनें, पुस्तक → पुस्तकें, आँख → आँखें, रात → रातें |
| Feminine nouns ending in 'आ': add 'एँ' after the 'आ' | माता → माताएँ, लता → लताएँ, कथा → कथाएँ, सुविधा → सुविधाएँ |
| Feminine nouns ending in 'इ/ई': → 'इयाँ' | नदी → नदियाँ, तिथि → तिथियाँ, संस्कृति → संस्कृतियाँ, रोटी → रोटियाँ |
| Feminine nouns ending in 'इया': 'या' → 'याँ' | चिड़िया → चिड़ियाँ, गुड़िया → गुड़ियाँ, डिबिया → डिबियाँ |
| Feminine nouns ending in उ/ऊ/औ: → 'एँ' ('ऊ' shortens) | वस्तु → वस्तुएँ, बहू → बहुएँ, गौ → गौएँ |
| Other masculine nouns (not ending in आ): form stays unchanged | घर, बालक, मनुष्य, हाथी, साधु, डाकू — 'दो हाथी आए' |
Words such as गण, वर्ग, जन, वृंद, दल are also added to express plurality: छात्रगण, गुरुजन, अध्यापक वर्ग, मित्रवृंद.
Case-marked and vocative plural forms
| Situation | Rule | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| With a case marker (ने, को, से, में, पर) | Add 'ओं' at the end; words ending in ई/इ become 'इयों' | लड़कों ने, घरों में, पुस्तकों को, नदियों का, पूँजीपतियों को, साधुओं से |
| Vocative plural | Add 'ओ' — no anusvar or chandrabindu | भाइयो और बहनो!, बच्चो!, साथियो! |
'भाइयों और बहनों!' is incorrect in the vocative; the correct form is 'भाइयो और बहनो!'. This comes up repeatedly in sentence-correction questions.
Always-singular and always-plural words
| Always plural | Always singular |
|---|---|
| लोग — 'लोग आए हैं', 'हम लोग' | जनता — 'जनता जाग गई है' |
| प्राण — 'उसके प्राण निकल गए' | Material nouns: पानी, दूध, घी, सोना, चाँदी, तेल |
| दर्शन — 'आपके दर्शन हुए' | Abstract nouns: प्रेम, क्रोध, आनंद, दया, सत्य |
| हस्ताक्षर — 'उसके हस्ताक्षर नहीं मिले' | सामग्री, सामान, भोजन, आकाश, वर्षा |
| आँसू — 'आँसू बहने लगे' | Collective nouns (a group as one unit): सेना, भीड़, कक्षा — 'भीड़ जमा हो गई' |
| होश — 'उसके होश उड़ गए' | सभ्यता, संस्कृति (in general usage) — 'भारतीय संस्कृति प्राचीन है' |
| समाचार (in the sense of news) — 'क्या समाचार हैं?' | To express their plural sense, another word is added: पानी की बूँदें, सोने के गहने |
Abstract nouns and words like 'संस्कृति' do take the plural when they refer to different kinds — 'विश्व की विभिन्न संस्कृतियाँ'. So if a question asks for the plural of 'संस्कृति', 'संस्कृतियाँ' is correct.
Honorific plural and points worth noting
To show respect, plural verb forms are used even for one person: 'पिताजी आ रहे हैं', 'गुरुजी पढ़ा रहे हैं', 'आप कहाँ जा रहे हैं?' — the person is one, but the grammatical usage is plural. In formal or self-important speech, 'हम' is sometimes used in place of 'मैं' too.
Some words change number depending on meaning. 'बाल' is singular for a single hair on the head ('बाल टूट गया') and plural for the mass of hair as a whole ('उसके बाल सुंदर हैं'). Words like 'मनुष्य', 'किसान', 'बालक' — masculine nouns not ending in आ — stay identical in both numbers in their unmarked form; that's exactly why REET 2024's correct answer was 'मनुष्य', while 'घोड़ा' (घोड़े) does change and 'यह' (ये) is a pronoun rather than this kind of noun.
Remember pronoun number-forms too: मैं → हम, तू → तुम, यह → ये, वह → वे. 'ये' and 'वे' are plural; in written standard Hindi, use 'यह' and 'वह' only for the singular.
How to teach children
Activity: one-many bag (Class 1–3)
Pull one pencil out of a bag — 'पेंसिल'; pull out five — 'पेंसिलें'. Do the same with गेंद-गेंदें, केला-केले. With concrete objects, children 'see' the change happen before the rule is even stated.
Activity: find the rule (Class 4–6)
Write 12 singular-plural pairs on the board and ask groups to sort them by their final letter. Children discover the patterns themselves — 'आ → ए', 'ई → इयाँ' — through this inductive method.
Teaching materials
A two-column chart — 'always plural' and 'always singular' — that children keep adding examples to from stories or newspapers.
Common misconception
Children write 'बच्चों!' in the vocative and turn 'पिता' plural as 'पिते'. Fix: have them practise writing the opening lines of a letter or speech to drill the correct vocative form 'बच्चो!'; build a separate list of relational words that don't change.
Assessment idea
Have children rewrite sentences in the plural, changing the noun, adjective and verb all three — for example 'मेरी सहेली गाना गाती है' → 'मेरी सहेलियाँ गाना गाती हैं'.
Memory trick / exam tip
'लोग प्राण दर्शन हस्ताक्षर आँसू होश' — six words, always plural; remember them with a sentence: 'लोगों के दर्शन से आँसू आए, होश उड़े, प्राण बचे, हस्ताक्षर हुए।' And when an option shows सामग्री, भोजन, जनता, आनंद, पानी, cross them out first — these are always singular.
Questions asked in REET 2024 (solved)
Question 33
Which of the following options is always used in the plural (बहुवचन)?
- Aलोग
- Bकिसान
- Cभोजन
- Dमनुष्य
Explanation
‘लोग’ शब्द सदैव बहुवचन में प्रयुक्त होता है, जैसे — ‘हम लोग’, ‘लोग आए हैं’। ‘किसान’, ‘भोजन’ और ‘मनुष्य’ एकवचन और बहुवचन दोनों में प्रयुक्त हो सकते हैं। अतः सही उत्तर ‘लोग’ है।
Question 79
Among the following options, the word always used unchanged in the plural form is -
- Aसंस्कृति
- Bसामग्री
- Cसभ्यता
- Dप्राण
Explanation
‘प्राण’ शब्द हिन्दी में सदैव बहुवचन में प्रयुक्त होता है, जैसे — ‘उसके प्राण निकल गए’। इसी प्रकार ‘दर्शन’, ‘हस्ताक्षर’, ‘आँसू’ आदि भी बहुवचन में प्रयुक्त होते हैं। ‘संस्कृति’, ‘सामग्री’, ‘सभ्यता’ एकवचन में प्रयुक्त होते हैं।
Question 42
Which of the following words is always used in the plural form?
- Aआनन्द
- Bयात्रा
- Cलोग
- Dप्रतीक
Explanation
‘लोग’ शब्द सदैव बहुवचन में प्रयुक्त होता है, जैसे — ‘लोग आ रहे हैं’। आनन्द, यात्रा और प्रतीक शब्दों का प्रयोग एकवचन और बहुवचन दोनों में हो सकता है।
Question 46
The plural form of the word 'संस्कृति' (culture) will be –
- Aसंस्कृतियाँ
- Bसाँस्कृतिक
- Cअपसंस्कृति
- Dसंस्कृतिएँ
Explanation
इकारान्त स्त्रीलिंग शब्दों के बहुवचन में ‘याँ’ जुड़ता है, जैसे — रीति → रीतियाँ। इसी प्रकार ‘संस्कृति’ का बहुवचन ‘संस्कृतियाँ’ होगा। ‘सांस्कृतिक’ विशेषण है और ‘अपसंस्कृति’ उपसर्ग से बना नया शब्द है।
Question 45
Which of the following words can be used identically in both singular (एकवचन) and plural (बहुवचन)?
- Aमनुष्य
- Bघोड़ा
- Cमशीन
- Dयह
Explanation
‘मनुष्य’ शब्द एकवचन और बहुवचन दोनों में एक-सा रहता है (एक मनुष्य आया / दो मनुष्य आए); बहुवचन का पता क्रिया से चलता है। ‘घोड़ा’ का बहुवचन ‘घोड़े’, ‘मशीन’ का ‘मशीनें’ और ‘यह’ का ‘ये’ होता है।
Practice questions
Question 1
The plural (bahuvachan) form of 'चिड़िया' is —
- Aचिड़ियें
- Bचिड़ियाँ
- Cचिड़ियाएँ
- Dचिड़िये
Explanation
Feminine words ending in 'इया' change 'या' to 'याँ': चिड़िया → चिड़ियाँ.
Question 2
Which of the following words is always used in the singular (ekvachan)?
- Aहस्ताक्षर
- Bदर्शन
- Cजनता
- Dआँसू
Explanation
'जनता' is always singular ('जनता जाग गई'). हस्ताक्षर, दर्शन and आँसू are always used in the plural.
Question 3
From the point of view of sambodhan (vocative), the correct form is —
- Aप्यारे बच्चों!
- Bप्यारे बच्चो!
- Cप्यारा बच्चों!
- Dप्यारे बच्चें!
Explanation
The vocative plural takes only 'ओ' at the end, never an anusvar: 'बच्चो!'
Question 4
The plural (bahuvachan) of 'वस्तु' is —
- Aवस्तुओं
- Bवस्तुएँ
- Cवस्तुयें
- Dवस्तुंएँ
Explanation
Feminine nouns ending in उ take 'एँ': वस्तु → वस्तुएँ. 'वस्तुओं' is the case-marked form, as in वस्तुओं का.
Question 5
In which sentence is the honorific plural (aadarsoochak bahuvachan) used?
- Aबच्चे खेल रहे हैं।
- Bदादाजी पूजा कर रहे हैं।
- Cपक्षी उड़ रहे हैं।
- Dकिसान खेत जोत रहे हैं।
Explanation
'दादाजी' is one person, but out of respect the verb 'कर रहे हैं' is plural. In the other sentences there genuinely are multiple subjects.
Question 6
The vibhakti-rahit (case-marker-less) plural form of the word 'राजा' is —
- Aराजे
- Bराजाएँ
- Cराजा
- Dराजाओं
Explanation
Words like 'राजा' — some आ-ending masculine nouns — don't change in the unmarked plural: 'राजा आए'. 'राजाओं' is the case-marked form.
Question 7
In which option are all the words always used in the plural (bahuvachan)?
- Aप्राण, होश, लोग
- Bप्राण, पानी, लोग
- Cभोजन, होश, लोग
- Dप्राण, होश, सामग्री
Explanation
प्राण, होश, लोग are all always plural. पानी, भोजन and सामग्री are always singular.
Question 8
The plural (bahuvachan) form of 'यह मेरा घर है।' is —
- Aये मेरे घरें हैं।
- Bये मेरे घर हैं।
- Cयह मेरे घर हैं।
- Dये मेरा घर है।
Explanation
यह → ये, मेरा → मेरे, है → हैं; 'घर', being a masculine noun not ending in आ, stays unchanged.
Question 9
The sentence with the vibhakti-yukt (case-marker-attached) plural of 'पुस्तक' is —
- Aपुस्तकें मेज़ पर हैं।
- Bपुस्तकों को अलमारी में रखो।
- Cपुस्तक पढ़ो।
- Dनई पुस्तकें आईं।
Explanation
With the case marker 'को', the plural of 'पुस्तक' becomes 'पुस्तकों'. 'पुस्तकें' is the unmarked plural.
Question 10
The most suitable way to introduce the concept of vachan (number) in Class 2 is —
- Aबहुवचन के नियमों की सूची रटवाना
- Bकक्षा की वस्तुओं को एक और अनेक की संख्या में दिखाकर उनके नाम बुलवाना
- Cसंस्कृत के द्विवचन से तुलना करना
- Dव्याकरण की परिभाषा लिखवाना
Explanation
For young children, experiencing 'one' versus 'many' with real classroom objects is the most effective introduction; the rules come afterward.
Frequently asked questions
How many vachan questions come in REET?+
REET 2024 carried 5 vachan questions across Hindi Language I and II — three on 'always plural' words, one on a plural form, and one on a word identical in both numbers.
How many numbers does Hindi have?+
Hindi has two numbers — singular and plural. Sanskrit has three, adding the dual.
Which words are always used in the plural?+
The main ones are लोग, प्राण, दर्शन, हस्ताक्षर, आँसू, होश and समाचार (in the sense of news).
Why doesn't 'भाइयो और बहनो' take an anusvar?+
In the vocative plural, only 'ओ' is added at the end, never an anusvar — so 'भाइयो, बहनो, बच्चो' are the correct forms.
What's the plural of 'नदी'?+
The unmarked plural is 'नदियाँ' and the case-marked form is 'नदियों' (as in नदियों में).
Read next
Official Sources
Change Log
- 17 September 2026 — English page published — mirrors the fact-checked Hindi page, independently bilingual-accuracy checked