# साधु
## Hindi
### Etymology

Borrowed from Sanskrit साधु (sādhú).

### Pronunciation

* (Delhi) IPA: /sɑː.d̪ʱuː/, [säː.d̪ʱuː]

### Noun

साधु • (sādhu) m
* (Hinduism) a sadhu; monk

#### Declension
### References

* McGregor, Ronald Stuart (1993) “साधु”, in The Oxford Hindi-English Dictionary, London: Oxford University Press

## Pali
### Alternative forms

* sādhu (Latin script)
* 𑀲𑀸𑀥𑀼 (Brahmi script)
* সাধু (Bengali script)
* සාධු (Sinhalese script)
* သာဓု or သႃꩪု (Burmese script)
* สาธุ (Thai script)
* ᩈᩣᨵᩩ (Tai Tham script)
* ສາຘຸ (Lao script)
* សាធុ (Khmer script)
* 𑄥𑄂𑄙𑄪 (Chakma script)

### Adjective

साधु
* Devanagari script form of sādhu

## Sanskrit
### Alternative scripts

* সাধু (Assamese script)
* ᬲᬵᬥᬸ (Balinese script)
* সাধু (Bengali script)
* 𑰭𑰯𑰠𑰲 (Bhaiksuki script)
* 𑀲𑀸𑀥𑀼 (Brahmi script)
* သာဓု (Burmese script)
* સાધુ (Gujarati script)
* ਸਾਧੁ (Gurmukhi script)
* 𑌸𑌾𑌧𑍁 (Grantha script)
* ꦱꦴꦣꦸ (Javanese script)
* 𑂮𑂰𑂡𑂳 (Kaithi script)
* ಸಾಧು (Kannada script)
* សាធុ (Khmer script)
* ສາຘຸ (Lao script)
* സാധു (Malayalam script)
* ᠰᠠ᠎᠊ᠠᢡᡠ (Manchu script)
* 𑘭𑘰𑘠𑘳 (Modi script)
* ᠰᠠᢗᢑᠾᠤ (Mongolian script)
* 𑧍𑧑𑧀𑧔 (Nandinagari script)
* 𑐳𑐵𑐢𑐸 (Newa script)
* ସାଧୁ (Odia script)
* ꢱꢵꢤꢸ (Saurashtra script)
* 𑆱𑆳𑆣𑆶 (Sharada script)
* 𑖭𑖯𑖠𑖲 (Siddham script)
* සාධු (Sinhalese script)
* 𑪁𑩛𑩮𑩒 (Soyombo script)
* 𑚨𑚭𑚜𑚰 (Takri script)
* ஸாது⁴ (Tamil script)
* సాధు (Telugu script)
* สาธุ (Thai script)
* སཱ་དྷུ (Tibetan script)
* 𑒮𑒰𑒡𑒳 (Tirhuta script)
* 𑨰𑨊𑨜𑨃 (Zanabazar Square script)

### Etymology

From Proto-Indo-Iranian *sáHdʰuš.

### Pronunciation

* (Vedic) IPA: /sɑː.dʱú/
* (Classical Sanskrit) IPA: /ˈs̪ɑː.d̪ʱu/

### Adjective

साधु • (sādhú) stem
* straight, right
* leading straight to a goal, hitting the mark, unerring (as an arrow or thunderbolt)
* straightened, not entangled (as threads)
* well-disposed, kind, willing, obedient
* successful, effective, efficient (as a hymn or prayer)
* ready, prepared (as soma)
* peaceful, secure
* powerful, excellent, good for (locative) or towards (locative, genitive, dative, accusative, with प्रति (prati), अनु (anu), अभि (abhi), परि (pari), or compound)
* fit, proper, right
* good, virtuous, honourable, righteous
* well-born, noble, of honourable or respectable descent
* correct, pure
* classical (as language)

#### Declension
### Adverb

साधु • (sādhú)
* straight, aright, regularly
* well, rightly, skilfully, properly, agreeably
    sādhú √vṛt (+ locative) — to behave well towards
    sādhú √kṛ — to set eight
    sādhú √ās — to be well or at ease
* well, greatly, in a high degree
* assuredly, indeed

### Interjection

साधु • (sādhú)
* good! well done! bravo!
* well, enough of, away with (+instrumental)!
* well come on! (+imperative or 1. pr.)

### Noun

साधु • (sādhú) stem, m
* a good or virtuous or honest man
* a holy man, saint, sage, seer; a sadhu
* (Jainism) a जिन (jina) or deified saint
* a jeweller
* a merchant, money-lender, usurer
* (grammar) a derivative or inflected noun
* a saintly woman
* a kind of root (= मेदा (medā))

#### Declension
### Noun

साधु • (sādhú) stem, n
* the good or right or honest, a good etc. thing or act
    साध्व् अस्ति (sādhv asti) (+dative) — it is well with
    sādhu-√man (+ accusative) — to consider a thing good, approve
* gentleness, kindness, benevolence

#### Descendants

* Ashokan Prakrit: 𑀲𑀸𑀥𑀼 (sādhu)
** Ardhamagadhi Prakrit: 𑀲𑀸𑀳𑀼 (sāhu)
** Magadhi Prakrit: 𑀰𑀸𑀳𑀼 (śāhu)
*** Assamese: সাউ (xau)
*** Bengali: সাউ (śau), সাহা (śaha)
** Maharastri Prakrit: 𑀲𑀸𑀳𑀼 (sāhu)
*** Hindustani: sāh, sāhū
    Hindi: साह, साहू
    Urdu: صاح (sāh), ساہُو (sāhū)
*** Marathi: साव (sāv)
*** Nepali: साहू (sāhū)
*** Punjabi:
    Gurmukhi script: ਸਾਊ (sāū)
    Shahmukhi script: ساؤُ (sāū)
*** Sindhi:
    Arabic script: سَائُو
    Devanagari script: साऊ
** Sauraseni Prakrit: 𑀲𑀸𑀳𑀼 (sāhu)
*** Hindustani: sāh, sāhū
    Hindi: साह, साहू
    Urdu: صاح (sāh), ساہُو (sāhū)
*** Marathi: साव (sāv)
*** Nepali: साहू (sāhū)
*** Punjabi:
    Gurmukhi script: ਸਾਊ (sāū)
    Shahmukhi script: ساؤُ (sāū)
*** Sindhi:
    Arabic script: سَائُو
    Devanagari script: साऊ
* Pali: sādhu
** → Burmese: သာဓု (sadhu.)
** → Shan: သႃႇထူႉ (sàa thṵ̂u)
** → Thai: สาธุ (sǎa-tú)
** → Chinese: 善哉 (shànzāi) (calque)
* → English: sadhu
* → Gujarati: સાધુ (sādhu)
* → Hindi: साधु (sādhu)
* → Kannada: ಸಾಧು (sādhu)
* → Marathi: साधू (sādhū)
* → Malay: sadu
** Indonesian: sadu (“best”)
* → Old Javanese: sādhu (“good, virtuous; sadhu”)
** Javanese: ꦱꦢꦸ (sadu)
** → Balinese: ᬲᬵᬥᬸ (sadu)
** → Indonesian: sadu (“sadhu”) (semantic loan)
* → Tamil: சாது (cātu)

### References

* “साधु॑” in Carl Cappeller, A Sanskrit–English Dictionary: Based upon the St. Petersburg Lexicons, Strasbourg: Karl J. Trübner, 1891, →OCLC, page 612, column 2.
* Arthur Anthony Macdonell (1893) “साधु”, in A practical Sanskrit dictionary with transliteration, accentuation, and etymological analysis throughout, London: Oxford University Press, page 346
* Monier Williams (1899) “Sādhú”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 1201, column 2.