Hindi Days: Mascul

In Hindi, nouns have gender. This affects the words around them. Adjectives and verbs must agree with the noun. Since days are masculine, you will use masculine endings like -ā for adjectives and verbs. Think of the days as a group of seven brothers. You wouldn't say "She is coming on Monday," referring to the day itself as 'she'. The day is a 'he'. Simple, right? It's like a grammar club where only the guys are allowed.

1. 1Most days in Hindi end with the suffix vār. This little tag is your best friend. It signals the day.
2. 2Take the planet/deity name (e.g., Som for Moon).
3. 3Add vār.
4. 4Result: Somvār (Monday).
5. 5Treat the whole package as Masculine Singular.
6. 6For example, if you want to say "The coming Friday," you say aglā shukravār. Note the ā at the end of aglā. If it were feminine, it would be aglī, but Friday is a bro, so aglā it is.

Use this rule literally every time you mention a day of the week. Scheduling a meeting? "Next Tuesday is open" (aglā mangalvār khālī hai). Complaining about the work week? "Monday was long" (somvār lambā thā). Anytime a day is the subject or object of your sentence, remember its gender.

Don't apply this to other time words blindly. Rāt (night) is feminine. Subah (morning) is feminine. Shām (evening) is feminine. The days of the week are the exception in the time family, standing tall as the masculine squad. Also, don't use this gender rule if you are just using the day as an adverb without an adjective (e.g., "I go on Monday"). Well, you still don't treat it as feminine, but the gender marking might not be as visible unless you add an adjective like "on that Monday".

Here is where people trip up.

• The "Ko" Confusion: Beginners often try to say "on Monday" by translating "on" as par. Nope! In Hindi, for days, we use ko. Somvār ko.
• The Feminine Slip: Because subah (morning) is feminine, learners sometimes drag that gender over to the day. "Acchī somvār" is wrong. It's acchā somvār. Don't let the morning boss the day around!

Compare Somvār (Monday - Masc.) with Tārīkh (Date - Fem.). If you ask "What is the date?", tārīkh triggers feminine grammar (kaun sī tārīkh hai?). But if you ask "What is the day?", din triggers masculine grammar (kaun sā din hai?). Yes, even the word for "day" (din) is masculine. Consistency for the win!

Q: Are there any exceptions?

Zero. Zilch. Even Itvār (Sunday), which doesn't end in vār sometimes, is still masculine.

Q: Can I use vār alone?

Vār implies a day or a turn/time, and yes, it's masculine too. But you usually stick it to the end of the name.

Q: What about slang names for days?

Stick to the standard names for now to keep your grammar safe. The gender won't change even if you shorten them in speech.