𑀅𑀫𑁆𑀳𑁂

Pali

Alternative forms

Alternative scripts

amhe (Latin script)
अम्हे (Devanagari script)
অম্হে (Bengali script)
අම‍්හෙ (Sinhalese script)
အမှေ or ဢမှေ (Burmese script)
อมฺเห or อัมเห (Thai script)
ᩋᨾ᩠ᩉᩮ (Tai Tham script)
ອມ຺ເຫ or ອັມເຫ (Lao script)
អម្ហេ (Khmer script)
𑄃𑄟𑄴𑄦𑄬 (Chakma script)

Pronoun

𑀅𑀫𑁆𑀳𑁂

Brahmi script form of amhe (“we, us”), which is nominative/accusative plural of 𑀅𑀳𑀁 (ahaṃ)

Prakrit

Alternative forms

𑀅𑀲𑁆𑀫𑁂 (asme) — Māgadhī

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *n̥smé

Proto-Indo-Iranian *asmá

Sanskrit अ॒स्म (asmá)

Ashokan Prakrit 𑀅𑀨𑁂 (aphe)

Prakrit 𑀅𑀫𑁆𑀳𑁂

Inherited from Ashokan Prakrit 𑀅𑀨𑁂 (aphe), from Sanskrit अ॒स्म (asmá), from Proto-Indo-Iranian *asmá, from Proto-Indo-European *n̥smé.

This nominative and accusative forms are not inherited from Vedic Sanskrit अ॒स्मे (asmé, locative of वयम् (vayám, “we”)), but rather innovated based on the analogy of the masculine of the thematic pronominals. First attested in writing in Middle Indo-Aryan as the more derived Ashokan Prakrit 𑀅𑀨𑁂 (aphe), it is shared with Sauraseni Prakrit 𑀅𑀫𑁆𑀳𑁂 (amhe), Maharastri Prakrit 𑀅𑀫𑁆𑀳𑁂 (amhe) and Pali amhe.

Pronoun

𑀅𑀫𑁆𑀳𑁂 (amhe) (Devanagari अम्हे, Kannada ಅಮ್ಹೇ) (attested in Māhārāṣṭrī, Śaurasenī)

we
Synonym: (Jain Maharastri) 𑀯𑀬𑀁 (vayaṃ)

Declension

Maharastri declension of 𑀅𑀫𑁆𑀳𑁂
	Singular	Plural
Nominative	—	𑀅𑀫𑁆𑀳𑁂 (amhe)
Accusative	—	𑀅𑀫𑁆𑀳𑁂 (amhe)
Instrumental	—	𑀅𑀫𑁆𑀳𑁂𑀳𑀺𑀁 (amhehiṃ)
Dative	—	—
Ablative	—	𑀅𑀫𑁆𑀳𑁂𑀳𑀺𑀁𑀢𑁄 (amhehiṃto)
Genitive	—	𑀅𑀫𑁆𑀳𑀸𑀡𑀁 (amhāṇaṃ)
Locative	—	𑀅𑀫𑁆𑀳𑁂𑀲𑀼 (amhesu)
Vocative	—	—
Note: Many of these forms may be unattested.

Descendants

Descendants

Apabhramsa: अम्हे (amhe)
- Central Indo-Aryan:
  - Old Hindi: हम (hama), हंम (haṃma)
    - Braj: हम (ham)
    - Hindustani:
      Hindi: हम (ham)
      Urdu: ہم (ham)
- Eastern Indo-Aryan:
  - Bengali-Assamese:
    - Kamarupi Prakrit: 𑖁𑖦𑖿𑖮𑖸 (āmhe, “I, we”)
      - Early Assamese: আমি (ami, “I, we”), আহ্মি (amhi)
        Assamese: আমি (ami)
      - Kamta: আমি (ami)
    - Rajbanshi: হামি (hami)
    - Old Bengali: আহ্মি (āmhi)
      - Bengali: আমি (ami)
      - Rohingya: aññi
      - Sylheti: ꠀꠝꠤ (ami)
  - Bihari:
    - Bhojpuri: हम / 𑂯𑂧 (ham)
  - Odia: ଆମେ (āme), ଆମ୍ଭେ (āmbhe)
- Northern Indo-Aryan:
  - Nepali: हामी (hāmī)
  - Garhwali: हम (ham)
- Southern Indo-Aryan:
  - Konkani: आमि / ಆಮಿ / ami (āmi)
  - Old Marathi: 𑘁𑘦𑘲𑘽 / आमीं (āmīṃ), 𑘁𑘦𑘿𑘮𑘲 / आम्ही (āmhī)
    - Marathi: आम्ही (āmhī)
- Western Indo-Aryan:
  - Gujarati: અમે (ame)
  - Romani: amen, ame
  - Saurashtra: ꢂꢪꢶ / அமி (ami)

Further reading

E.B. Cowell (1868), The Prákṛit Prakáśa‎^[1], London: Trübner & Co., page 155
Pischel, Richard; Jha, Subhadra (contributor) (1957), Comparative Grammar of the Prakrit Languages, Varanasi: Motilal Banarasidass, page 299
Woolner, Alfred Cooper, An Introduction to Prakrit‎, Calcutta: Baptist Mission Press, 1917, page 39.
Turner, Ralph Lilley (1969–1985), “amhē”, in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages, London: Oxford University Press, page 43