Sandhi-Samas Questions for SSC GD

Sandhi — What It Is and Why It Matters

Sandhi means the merging of two sounds or letters when they come next to each other in a word. When two words or parts of words join, the end sound of the first and the start sound of the second change to make pronunciation smooth. For example, Vidya plus Alaya becomes Vidyalaya. SSC GD asks you to either identify the Sandhi type of a given word or to do Sandhi-Viched (split the word back into its original two parts).

• Sandhi means union or joining of sounds — smooth pronunciation is the goal.
• Sandhi-Viched means breaking the joined word back into its two original parts.
• There are three main types: Swar Sandhi (vowel), Vyanjan Sandhi (consonant), Visarg Sandhi (visarg sign).
• Swar Sandhi is the most tested — it has 5 subtypes.
• SSC GD mostly asks: identify the type OR do the Viched — rarely asks you to form the Sandhi yourself.

Swar Sandhi — 5 Subtypes You Must Know

Swar Sandhi happens when a vowel meets another vowel. There are 5 subtypes. Think of the mnemonic DAGUE — Dirgha, Ayadi, Guna, Uddharana (Vriddhi), Yaan — to remember all five. Each subtype has a rule about what two vowels combine to produce.

• Dirgha Sandhi: same vowels meet and become a long vowel. aa plus aa = aa (Maha + Atma = Mahatma).
• Guna Sandhi: a or aa meets i/ii or u/uu — becomes e or o. Dev + Indra = Devendra.
• Vriddhi Sandhi: a or aa meets e/ai or o/au — becomes ai or au. Sada + Eva = Sadaiva.
• Yaan Sandhi: i, u, ri before a different vowel — i becomes y, u becomes v. Ati + Achar = Atyachar.
• Ayadi Sandhi: e, ai, o, au before any vowel — e becomes ay, o becomes av. Ne + An = Nayan.

Vyanjan Sandhi and Visarg Sandhi — Quick Rules

Vyanjan Sandhi happens when a consonant meets a consonant or a vowel. The most common rule tested is: if a hard consonant (like k, ch, t, p) comes before a soft vowel or soft consonant, it can change form. Visarg Sandhi involves the visarg mark (looks like two dots after a letter). The key rule: visarg plus s or sh becomes sh or stays, and visarg plus a soft sound often becomes o.

• Vyanjan Sandhi example: Shat plus Abda = Shadabda (t becomes d before soft vowel).
• Visarg Sandhi example: Manah plus Ratha = Manorath (visarg before r becomes o).
• Nihi plus Char = Nichar — visarg disappears and sound changes.
• SSC GD tests Visarg Sandhi less often than Swar Sandhi — focus more time on Swar.
• Quick check trick: if you see a visarg in the Viched, it is Visarg Sandhi — simple identification.

Samas — What It Is

Samas means compound word formation — two or more words merge into one word to shorten expression. The Vigrah (also called Samas-Viched) is the expanded meaning of the compound. For example, Rajputra — the Vigrah is Rajaa ka Putra (son of the king). SSC GD asks you to identify the Samas type OR to match a compound word to its correct Vigrah.

• Samas = compound word; Vigrah = expanded full meaning of the compound.
• There are 6 main types of Samas in Hindi grammar.
• The first word is called Purvpad and the second is Uttarpad.
• The most tested types are Tatpurush, Dwand, Bahuvrihi, and Avyayibhav.
• Karmadharaya and Dwigu are subtypes of Tatpurush — SSC GD sometimes tricks you here.

6 Types of Samas — Simple Identification Guide

Use the trick TADKAB — Tatpurush, Avyayibhav, Dwand, Karmadharaya, Avyayibhav, Bahuvrihi — wait, easier: remember DKTABB. Each type has a signature pattern in its Vigrah that identifies it instantly.

• Avyayibhav: first word is an indeclinable (avyay) like yatha, anusaar, prati — the whole compound becomes avyay. Example: Yathashakti = shakti ke anusaar.
• Tatpurush: second word (Uttarpad) is dominant; a Karak relation is hidden. Example: Rajputra = Rajaa ka Putra.
• Karmadharaya: both words describe the same person or thing (adjective + noun or noun + noun). Example: Nilkamala = Nila jo Kamala hai.
• Dwigu: first word is a number. Example: Trilokan = Teen Lokon ka samuha.
• Dwand: both words are equal and joined by aur. Example: Mata-Pita = Mata aur Pita.
• Bahuvrihi: neither word is dominant — the compound describes a third thing. Example: Lambodar = Lamba hai udar jiska, i.e., Ganesh.

• Confusing Karmadharaya with Tatpurush — in Karmadharaya the Vigrah has hai or jo, while Tatpurush has a Karak vibhakti like ka, ke, ko, se. Check the Vigrah carefully.
• Confusing Bahuvrihi with Karmadharaya — Bahuvrihi always points to a THIRD entity outside the compound. If the meaning refers to something else (like Lambodar = Ganesh), it is Bahuvrihi.
• In Sandhi-Viched, students forget to restore the visarg sign in Visarg Sandhi answers — the visarg must appear in the first split part.
• Mixing up Yaan Sandhi and Ayadi Sandhi — remember: if the first vowel is i or u it is Yaan; if it is e or o it is Ayadi.
• Treating Dwigu as a separate top-level Samas — SSC GD sometimes lists it as a subtype of Tatpurush or as independent; read the option carefully and match what the question is calling it.

• SANDHI types = SVV: Swar, Vyanjan, Visarg. Three S-V-V soldiers guard the gate.
• Swar Sandhi subtypes mnemonic DGVYA: Dirgha, Guna, Vriddhi, Yaan, Ayadi — remember as Do Good Values Yield Achievement.
• Samas quick identifier: EQUAL words joined by aur = Dwand. NUMBER first = Dwigu. THIRD thing described = Bahuvrihi. AVYAY first = Avyayibhav. ADJECTIVE + NOUN same thing = Karmadharaya. KARAK hidden = Tatpurush.
• Bahuvrihi trick: cover both words and ask does the meaning point outside? If YES = Bahuvrihi. Lambodar — neither Lamba nor Udar is the answer — Ganesh is. So it goes outside = Bahuvrihi.

• SSC GD Hindi section has 25 questions total and Sandhi-Samas alone covers 3 to 5 of them — this is a high-return topic for 10 minutes of prep.
• Questions are mostly recognition-based: a compound word is given and you pick the Samas type from 4 options, OR a word is given and you pick the correct Sandhi-Viched. Rarely will you be asked to form the Sandhi yourself.
• Bahuvrihi vs Karmadharaya is the most repeated trick question in SSC GD PYQs — always check if the Vigrah points to a third entity.
• Sandhi questions often use formal Sanskrit-origin Hindi words like Mahatma, Devendra, Sadaiva — if you see these in options, check for Swar Sandhi types first.
• Time tip: each Sandhi or Samas question should not take more than 30 to 40 seconds. If you know the Vigrah pattern, the answer is instant. Do not overthink — trust your mnemonic.