Locale Sa 001

Reference data for the Sanskrit locale — endonym संस्कृतम्, written in the Devanagari script, left-to-right (LTR).

Identifiers

• BCP 47 tag: sa-001
• ISO 639-1: sa
• ISO 639-3: san
• Script: Deva (Devanagari)
• Region: 001 (World)
• Text direction: ltr — left-to-right (LTR)

Speakers (approximate)

• L1 (native): 20,000
• L2 (additional): 5,000,000
• L1+L2 (total): 5,020,000

Regional variants

This is the base/macro locale for Sanskrit. Region-specific variants in this dataset:

• Locale Sa in (Sanskrit (India))

Pluralization

CLDR has no explicit plural rule defined for this language; it falls back to the root rule of a single other category (1 form) — every count uses the same word form, as in Japanese or Chinese.

See Unicode Messageformat for writing plural messages using these categories.

Translating into this locale

Sanskrit (संस्कृतम्) is a classical language written mainly in Devanagari. Translation into Sanskrit is a scholarly or ceremonial task; use classical grammar (Pāṇini) and established vocabulary. See Locale Sa in.

Translate ideas, not words.

• Sanskrit is highly inflected with free word order; case endings carry the grammatical roles. Do not copy English word order.
• Use participles, absolutives (ktvā), and compounds (samāsa) where Sanskrit prefers them over subordinate clauses. Avoid very long compounds that obscure meaning.
• Use classical vocabulary for modern concepts when a coinage exists; the Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan and Sanskrit glossaries provide modern terms. Avoid inventing words.

Grammar.

• Three genders, three numbers (singular, dual, plural), and eight cases (including the vocative). Verbs have ten tenses/moods, three persons, and active/middle/passive voices.
• Sandhi (euphonic joining) is mandatory in continuous text; use correct sandhi or split words with avagraha in teaching materials.

Register.

• There is no T-V distinction in the pronoun; formal address uses "भवान्" (masculine) and "भवती" (feminine). "त्वम्" is the informal pronoun.
• Style ranges from simple prose to elaborate kāvya; choose by purpose.

Orthography and typography.

• Devanagari with the danda (।) and the double danda (॥) at verse ends; Vedic accent marks are only for Vedic texts.
• Digits: Devanagari (०-९) in print, Arabic in UI. Use Unicode Devanagari with the correct virama, anusvara, and visarga.

Common pitfalls

• Translating English word order and prepositions.
• Incorrect sandhi or case endings.
• Inventing unattested coinages.
• Using Hindi forms (like "है") in Sanskrit.

Learn more

• Locale for BCP 47 identifiers, locale-sensitive formatting, pluralization, and text-direction concepts that apply across all locales.
• Unicode Messageformat for writing plural/selection messages correctly for this locale's grammar.
• Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan
• Monier-Williams, A Sanskrit-English Dictionary