Let us learn some more a-ending masculine nouns and translate a few Pali words into English.

Similar to ‘buddha’, ‘dhamma’ and ‘saṅgha’ are also a-ending masculine nouns.

Some commonly occurring a-ending masculine nouns are :

• purisa = man
• kumāra = boy
• dārakā = young boy, child
• putta = son
• vāṇija = merchant
• brāhmaṇa = brahmin
• ratha = chariot
• vihāra = monastery
• upāsaka = lay devotee
• ācariya = teacher
• hattha = hand
• patta = bowl
• magga = path, road
• yācaka = beggar
• rukkha = tree

All the above nouns decline like the word ‘buddha’.

Please note : As the nominative singular form of these words end in ‘o’ (buddho), some old Pali grammar books mention this group of nouns as ‘o’-ending masculine nouns. However, we will call them as ‘a’-ending based on the original word / stem – Buddha, purisa, dhamma and so on.

Let us now translate a few declined forms of the above words.

1. yācakassa
   yācaka = beggar
   The termination added to the word ‘yācaka’ is ssa which occurs in the dative and genitive singular.
   Thus yācakassa = to / for the beggar (dative singular), or
   = of the beggar / beggar’s (genitive singular)
2. ācariyo
   ācariya = teacher. The termination ‘o’ denotes nominative singular case.
   Thus ācariyo = a / the teacher
3. hatthehi
   hattha = hand. The termination ‘ehi’ is added in instrumental and ablative plural.
   Thus, hatthehi = by / with / through the hands (instrumental)
   = from the hands (ablative)

Please revise the declension table and translation of cases based on the following activities.

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Here are some more important a-ending masculine nouns that we will come across frequently in the suttas :

• khandha = aggregate
• kāya = body
• rāga = greed
• dosa = hatred
• moha = delusion
• saṅkhāra = volitional formation
• deva = deity
• gāma = village
• dīpa = island, lamp