In Hindi grammar, Karak (कारक) refers to the grammatical relationship between a noun (or pronoun) and the verb in a sentence. The word itself breaks down as kar (to do) + ak (one who) — essentially, any word that has a relationship with the verb is a Karak.
Think of it this way: in any sentence, something happens. Who does it? To whom? With what? From where? For whom? Each of these questions points to a different Karak. English calls these "cases" — the difference is that Hindi marks them with postpositions called vibhakti (विभक्ति) or parsharg (परसर्ग) that attach after the noun.
Here is the analogy that sticks: imagine a stage play. The verb is the central action on stage. Every other character (noun) in the scene has a specific role — the one performing the action, the one receiving it, the prop being used, the person it benefits, the origin point of movement, the relationship of ownership, the place it all happens, and finally the one being called out. Each of these roles is a Karak.
There are 8 Karak in standard Hindi grammar:
| Karak | English Name | Primary Vibhakti | |---|---|---| | कर्ता (Kartha) | Nominative | ने | | कर्म (Karma) | Accusative | को | | करण (Karan) | Instrumental | से (by/with) | | सम्प्रदान (Sampradaan) | Dative | को / के लिए | | अपादान (Apadan) | Ablative | से (separation) | | सम्बन्ध (Sambandh) | Genitive | का / के / की | | अधिकरण (Adhikaran) | Locative | में / पर | | सम्बोधन (Sambodhan) | Vocative | हे / अरे / ओ |
The biggest challenge in the UP Police exam is that the same postposition से appears in two different Karak — Karan and Apadan. That distinction alone accounts for a large share of the questions you will see.
The doer of the action. Vibhakti: ने (but only in past tense with transitive verbs). In present and future tense, Kartha often appears without any vibhakti.
Key rule: ने appears only with past tense transitive (सकर्मक) verbs. If the verb is intransitive (अकर्मक), ने does not come even in past tense.
The object on which the action falls. Vibhakti: को (sometimes absent).
The instrument or means by which the action is performed. Vibhakti: से meaning "by" or "with".
Ask yourself: किस साधन से? (By what means?)
The recipient — one for whom the action is done, or to whom something is given. Vibhakti: को or के लिए.
Critical distinction: when को marks a recipient (giving/benefit), it is Sampradaan. When को marks a direct object, it is Karma. Ask: किसके लिए? (For whom?)
Indicates separation or point of origin — where something moves away from. Vibhakti: से meaning "from."
Ask yourself: कहाँ से? (From where?) or किससे अलग? (Separated from what?)
The से problem: Look — this is the most tested distinction in UP Police. Both Karan and Apadan use से. The rule: if से shows the means/instrument of an action, it is Karan. If से shows separation, origin, or a starting point, it is Apadan. Karan से can be replaced by "के द्वारा" (by means of). Apadan से cannot.
Shows a relationship of possession, belonging, or connection between two nouns. Vibhakti: का / के / की (changes based on gender and number of the following noun).
Note: Sambandh Karak does not directly connect to the verb — it connects two nouns. This is why some grammarians argue it is not a true Karak, but for exam purposes, treat it as one of the eight.
Indicates the place, time, or occasion of an action. Vibhakti: में (inside/within) or पर (on/upon).
Ask: कहाँ? (Where?) or कब? (When?)
Used when directly addressing or calling out to someone. Vibhakti: हे / अरे / ओ / अजी before the noun, or an exclamation mark after it.
The giveaway: if you see हे, अरे, ओ, or an exclamation mark (!) associated with a noun, it is Sambodhan Karak — nearly 100% of the time in exams.
Memorize the eight Karak initials in order: क-क-क-सं-अ-सं-अ-सं (Kartha, Karma, Karan, Sampradaan, Apadan, Sambandh, Adhikaran, Sambodhan). Say it aloud as "Ka-Ka-Ka-Sam-Ap-Sam-Adhi-Sam." Once locked in, when a question asks you to identify a Karak, run through this chain and apply the vibhakti test. Standard recall without a chain: ~20 seconds of searching memory. With this chain: 5 seconds — you reach the right Karak in 3 steps.
When you see से in a sentence and need to decide between Karan and Apadan, do the के द्वारा replacement test: replace से with के द्वारा. If the sentence still makes sense, it is Karan Karak. If the sentence breaks or sounds wrong, it is Apadan Karak.
Example 1: कलम से लिखो → कलम के द्वारा लिखो — sensible. Karan. Example 2: छत से ईंट गिरी → छत के द्वारा ईंट गिरी — nonsensical. Apadan.
Standard method (thinking through definitions): ~30 seconds. This substitution test: ~8 seconds.
When को appears, ask one question: is there an act of giving, benefit, or purpose involved? If yes — Sampradaan. If no, and को is simply marking a human/animate object of the verb — Karma.
माँ ने बच्चे को मिठाइयाँ दीं — giving action (देना) → Sampradaan. राम ने मोहन को मारा — hitting action (no giving) → Karma. This single-question filter collapses a 3-step analysis into 1 step, saving ~15 seconds per question.
Any sentence containing the particles हे, अरे, ओ, अजी before a noun, or a standalone exclamation mark after a noun in a calling context, is always Sambodhan Karak in UP Police-level questions. You do not need to analyze further. Eliminate the other three options immediately.
Exam data: all Sambodhan questions in the PYQ set use हे explicitly. Recognizing this costs 0 analysis time — it is a pattern match. Saves ~20 seconds vs. eliminating by process of exclusion.
If the vibhakti is में or पर and the question asks about that specific underlined word, the answer is Adhikaran Karak — eliminate the other three options without reading them. At UP Police Constable difficulty, no question will trap you with a nuanced exception to this rule. Saves 3-4 seconds of option-reading per question.
Here is your decision tree for Karak questions in the exam hall. Read the underlined word, identify its postposition (vibhakti), then follow this path:
Step 1 — Spot the vibhakti (postposition):
Step 2 — को disambiguation: Is there giving, benefit, or purpose? Yes → Sampradaan. No → Karma.
Step 3 — से disambiguation: Apply the के द्वारा replacement test. Sensible → Karan. Nonsensical → Apadan.
Total decision time using this framework: 10-15 seconds per question. Do not read options before completing this tree — it prevents option-induced confusion.
Why this question: Tests Adhikaran Karak with में, the most straightforward locative marker. Tests whether you can identify the underlined word's relationship to place.
Solving path: The underlined word is बोतल में. Vibhakti is में. Hit Step 1 of the framework → में = Adhikaran Karak. Answer: (B). Time taken: 5 seconds.
Why this question: The classic Apadan trap — से indicating separation from a physical location. If you confuse this with Karan, you lose a mark.
Solving path: Vibhakti is से. Go to Step 3. Apply replacement test: छत के द्वारा ईंट गिरी — makes no sense. Therefore Apadan, not Karan. Answer: (A). Time taken: 8 seconds.
Why this question: Tests whether you can identify Karan Karak when से is used as "by means of" rather than "from." Option (A) has के लिए (Sampradaan), options (B) and (C) have को (Karma/Sampradaan) — only (D) has the instrumental से.
Solving path: Scan each option for से. Options A, B, C use के लिए and को. Option D: साधुओं की संगति से — apply replacement test: साधुओं की संगति के द्वारा बुद्धि सुधरती है — sensible. Karan Karak. Answer: (D). Time taken: 12 seconds.
Why this question: Direct identification of the vibhakti for Sampradaan. No sentence analysis needed — pure vibhakti recall.
Solving path: Question asks what Karak marker के लिए belongs to. Framework Step 1: के लिए → Sampradaan Karak directly. Answer: (B). Time taken: 4 seconds.
Why this question: Tests the को disambiguation — same postposition serves both Karma and Sampradaan. The verb is देना (to give), making बच्चे को a recipient, not a direct object.
Solving path: Underlined word is बच्चे को. Vibhakti is को. Step 2: Is there giving? Yes — दीं (gave). Therefore Sampradaan, not Karma. Answer: (B). Time taken: 8 seconds.
Why this question: Tests Sambodhan Karak with the हे particle. Straightforward if you know the pattern — traps those who overlook the exclamation marker.
Solving path: हे ईश्वर! — particle हे is present. Framework: हे → Sambodhan Karak immediately. Answer: (A). Time taken: 4 seconds.
Why this question: Another Sambodhan question — confirms that हे प्रभु is the standard exam pattern for vocative case questions. Reinforces the instant identification trick.
Solving path: हे प्रभु — particle हे present. Sambodhan Karak. Answer: (C). Time taken: 4 seconds.
Why this question: Parallel to the first Adhikaran question — confirms that में = Adhikaran is a consistent and reliable rule across multiple paper years.
Solving path: Vibhakti is में (मोटल/बोतल में). Framework Step 1 → Adhikaran Karak. Answer: (B). Time taken: 5 seconds.
Confusing Karma and Sampradaan when को appears. You see को, you mark Karma automatically — wrong. Always apply the "giving/benefit/purpose" test. बच्चे को दिया is Sampradaan; मोहन को मारा is Karma. The verb is your signal.
Marking Karan instead of Apadan for separation sentences. Both use से, so students default to Karan. Remember: if there is physical or metaphorical separation, origin, or departure — it is Apadan. The के द्वारा test takes 3 seconds and eliminates this error completely.
Missing Kartha when ने is absent. Present and future tense subjects do not take ने, but they are still Kartha Karak. Students see no vibhakti and panic. No postposition on the subject = Kartha in present/future tense.
Treating सम्बन्ध कारक as a verb-related case. Sambandh connects two nouns (मोहन की किताब), not a noun to a verb. If the underlined word is connected to another noun via का/के/की, it is Sambandh — not Karma or any other verb-linked case.
Overlooking हे/अरे and marking the noun as Kartha. When हे ईश्वर appears, ईश्वर is being addressed, not performing an action. First-time test-takers sometimes mark it as Kartha because the word looks like a subject. Look for the calling/addressing context before marking Kartha.
Confusing पर (Adhikaran) with के लिए (Sampradaan) in purpose sentences. मेज पर रखो = Adhikaran (location). तुम्हारे लिए रखा = Sampradaan (purpose). Do not let surface similarity distract you — पर is always location at this exam level.