ਦਾ

• (Standard Punjabi) IPA^(key): /d̪äː/
• Rhymes: -äː

Turner proposes an etymology from Old Punjabi ਸੰਦਾ (sandā, “genitive postposition”), from Sanskrit सन्तक (santaka, “belong to”). Compare Hindi का (kā).

ਦਾ • (dā) (Shahmukhi spelling دا)

1. (standard) of, belonging to; genitive case postposition

   ਸਭ ਤੋਂ ਮਹਾਂ ਉਹਨਾਂ ਲਿਖਾਰੀਆਂ ਦੀਆਂ ― sabh tõ mahā̃ uhanā̃ likhārīā̃ dīā̃ ― the greatest of those writers

   Synonyms: ਕਾ (kā), ਨਾ (nā), ਡਾ (ḍā) (dialectal)

2. (colloquial, uncommon) sometimes marks other cases associated with location or accompaniment in place of specific postpositions, such as:
   1. ਵਿਖੇ (vikhe, “locative case”), ਵਿੱਚ (vicca, “inessive case”)

      ਬਨਾਰਸ ਦੇ ਠੱਗ ― banāras de ṭhagga ― the tricksters in/at Varanasi

   2. ਲਈ (laī, “benefactive case”)

      ਮਦਦ ਦੀ ਲੋੜ ― madad dī loṛ ― a need for help

   3. ਕੋਲ਼ (koḷ, “possessive case”), ਨਾਲ (nāl, “comitative case”)

      ਬੱਚੇ ਦਾ ਦੁੱਧ ― baccē dā duddhă ― the child's milk

      ਦੁੱਧ ਬੱਚੇ ਦਾ ਹੈ ― duddhă baccē dā hai ― the milk is with the child

This postposition declines according to the gender and number of the head noun, while the dependent noun takes on the oblique case, as can be seen in the examples. In turn, the head noun usually declines to match the inflection of the postposition. However, masculine unextended head nouns in the plural direct case do not decline alongside the postposition; see the usage notes of the plural suffix -ਆਂ (-ā̃) for more details.

ਦਾ • (dā) m (Shahmukhi spelling دا)

1. trick, ruse

• “ਦਾ”, in Punjabi-English Dictionary, Patiala: Punjabi University, 2026
• “ਦਾ”, in Punjabipedia [ਪੰਜਾਬੀਪੀਡੀਆ] (in Punjabi), Patiala: Punjabi University, 2026
• Turner, Ralph Lilley (1969–1985), “santaka”, in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages, London: Oxford University Press, page 760