The query page
Basic query
Using the basic query interface, you can search for words or groups of words in the DCS (follow this link for technical details). Please note that the DCS works with a database of Sanskrit lemmata. This means you can search for the lemma nala (which finds all inflected forms of this noun), but not for specific forms like the instrumental nalena.
To search for a single word, enter the word in the "Word" field and press the "Search!" button (or press ENTER on your keyboard). If results matching your query are found, they appear below the input field as links to the respective detail pages. Sometimes the input string is ambiguous (for example, rāj may be a verb or a noun). Please select the word you were looking for from the list of results.
You can also find words based on their meanings from the Monier-Williams dictionary. For this type of search, check the "Search for meanings" checkbox below the "Word" field. This type of query is especially useful when you use the wildcards ? and *. Searching for *tree*, for instance, gives you all Sanskrit words whose meanings contain the term "tree".
When using the basic query, please note the following points:
- The basic query only finds results if you enter the word exactly as it appears in the DCS dictionary. If you type rāja instead of rājan, you will only get details for the noun rāja from the a declension and not for the much more common noun from the an declension. To see which words are in the DCS dictionary, you can check the dictionary page.
- When a word is found in the DCS, the number of occurrences appears right after the word.
Query with wildcards
For a more flexible search, you can use the following wildcards or placeholders:
| Wildcard | Meaning | Examples |
| * | No letter, one letter, or more than one letter |
r*j: rañj, rāj, ruj and ratnarāj *vi*rama: amitavikrama, vikrama, savibhrama |
| ? | Exactly one letter |
r?j: rāj, ruj ?vi?rama: avikrama |
You can combine wildcards or use more than one wildcard in a query. If there are too many results that match a query, you will be asked to make your search more specific. Therefore, something like a* won't work (use the dictionary page instead)!
Multi-word queries
You can add single words to a multi-word query by clicking the link after each search result. The current multi-word selection is shown at the bottom of the query page.
Press the "Go!" button to start the multi-word query. It will search for text lines that contain all selected words.
Diacritics
The DCS supports two different methods for entering diacritics. You can use either method or combine them as needed.
Method 1: keyboard shortcuts
Use the following key combinations (make sure JavaScript is enabled):
| Letter | Key | Additional key(s) |
|---|---|---|
| ā | A | Alt |
| ī | I | Alt |
| ū | U | Alt |
| ṛ | R | Alt |
| ṝ | R | Ctrl+Alt |
| ṅ | N | Shift+Alt |
| ñ | N | Ctrl+Alt |
| ṭ | T | Alt |
| ḍ | D | Alt |
| ṇ | N | Alt |
| ś | S | Ctrl |
| ṣ | S | Alt |
| ṃ | M | Alt |
| ḥ | H | Alt |
Method 2: letter sequences
This method works especially well on mobile devices. Type the following sequences, which are automatically converted:
| Letter | Type |
|---|---|
| ā | aa |
| ī | ii |
| ū | uu |
| ē | ee |
| ō | oo |
| ṛ | .r |
| ṝ | rrr |
| ḷ | .l |
| ḹ | lll |
| ṭ | .t |
| ḍ | .d |
| ṇ | .n |
| ṣ | .s |
| ś | -s |
| ñ | -n |
| ṅ | ;n |
| ṃ | .m |
| ḥ | .h |
The system also automatically applies some phonetic rules: typing "ng" becomes "ṅg", "nc" becomes "ñc", and "nj" becomes "ñj".