Upsarg in Hindi (उपसर्ग): List, Examples, Types and Questions for SSC CGL, CHSL

Upsarg (उपसर्ग) are the word parts that are added before a word to change its meaning, such as प्र + बल = प्रबल and वि + ज्ञान = विज्ञान. In SSC Hindi, you are asked to identify the upsarg of a word, to separate a word into upsarg and root word, or to find the word that is formed by a given upsarg. These upsarg in Hindi notes for SSC give the full list with examples and a few tricks.

What Is an Upsarg?

An upsarg (उपसर्ग) is a word part (a prefix) that comes before a word and changes or adds to its meaning. It has no meaning of its own when used alone. The new word that is formed is called a derived word (उपसर्गयुक्त शब्द).

22 Upsarg of Sanskrit (संस्कृत के उपसर्ग)

Trick to remember the 22 upsarg: प्र, परा, अप, सम्, अनु, अव, निस्, निर्, दुस्, दुर्, वि, आ, नि, अधि, अपि, अति, सु, उत्, अभि, प्रति, परि, उप — read the list aloud in this order every day for a week.

Hindi Upsarg (हिंदी के उपसर्ग)

Urdu and Persian Upsarg (उर्दू-फारसी के उपसर्ग)

How to Identify the Upsarg

1. Remove the first part of the word and check whether the remaining part has a meaning (बल, ज्ञान, यश).
2. Check the first letters with the list of 22 upsarg (प्र, वि, सु, अति, परि ...).
3. Check the meaning: निर् and निस् mean "without", while दुर् and दुस् mean "bad".
4. If the sandhi has changed the form (सम् + योग = संयोग), look at the original upsarg.

Solved Examples

Example 1. प्रबल का उपसर्ग क्या है?
प्रबल = प्र + बल, so the upsarg is प्र.

Example 2. निराश का उपसर्ग क्या है?
निराश = निर् + आश, so the upsarg is निर्.

Example 3. "सुगम" में कौन-सा उपसर्ग है?
सुगम = सु + गम, so the upsarg is सु.

Example 4. "अभिमान" का उपसर्ग बताइए।
अभिमान = अभि + मान, so the upsarg is अभि.

Quick Tips

• Learn the list of 22 Sanskrit upsarg in order.
• Learn the meaning with each upsarg, because the questions are often about the meaning.
• Separate निर् and निस्, and दुर् and दुस्, with examples.
• Practise the Hindi and Urdu upsarg too, because they are asked separately.

Quick Revision Points

• There are 22 upsarg of Sanskrit.
• An upsarg is added before a word.
• निर् and निस् mean without or out of.
• दुर् and दुस् mean bad or difficult.
• ला, बे, ना and गैर are Urdu and Persian upsarg.

Practice Questions With Answers

1. प्रबल में उपसर्ग कौन-सा है?
   Answer: प्र
2. निराश में उपसर्ग कौन-सा है?
   Answer: निर्
3. सुगम में उपसर्ग कौन-सा है?
   Answer: सु
4. अभिमान में उपसर्ग कौन-सा है?
   Answer: अभि
5. पराजय में उपसर्ग कौन-सा है?
   Answer: परा
6. बेकार में उपसर्ग कौन-सा है?
   Answer: बे (उर्दू-फारसी)
7. How many Sanskrit upsarg are there?
   Answer: 22
8. दुर्जन में उपसर्ग कौन-सा है?
   Answer: दुर्
9. प्रतिदिन में उपसर्ग कौन-सा है?
   Answer: प्रति
10. अनमोल में उपसर्ग कौन-सा है?
    Answer: अन (हिंदी का उपसर्ग)

How to Practise This Chapter

Practise 10 questions every day and write the steps on paper. Then attempt timed sets from our practice papers and the previous year papers page. See all topics on the General Hindi notes page and the next topic Pratyay in Hindi. Also read Sandhi in Hindi and Samas in Hindi.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is upsarg in Hindi?

An upsarg is a word part that is added before a word to change its meaning, such as प्र in प्रबल.

How many upsarg are there in Sanskrit?

There are 22 upsarg of Sanskrit.

What is the difference between upsarg and pratyay?

An upsarg comes before the word, and a pratyay comes after the word.

What are the upsarg of Urdu in Hindi?

ला, बे, ना, गैर, बा, हम, बद and खुश are some of them.

What is the upsarg in the word विज्ञान?

The upsarg is वि.

What is the difference between निर् and निस्?

Both mean without or out of, but they are used before different letters, such as निराश and निस्तेज.

How do I find the upsarg of a word?

Remove the first part of the word and check that the remaining part has a meaning, and then match the first part with the list.

Is upsarg asked in SSC exams?

Yes. Upsarg and pratyay questions are asked in the Hindi section of some SSC exams and in state-level exams.

Which are the upsarg of Hindi?

अ, अन, कु, सु, नि, भर, औ and उन are some Hindi upsarg.

Can the upsarg change the meaning completely?

Yes. For example, हार becomes प्रहार, उपहार, संहार and विहार with different upsarg.

How can I learn the list fast?

Read the 22 upsarg in order every day and write one example with each.

What is the upsarg in अत्यंत?

The upsarg is अति (अति + अंत = अत्यंत by sandhi).