Basic Declension Pattern
The basic pattern of declension in Pali is as follows.
Direct cases (Nominative, Vocative, Accusative)
Singular
| Masculine | Neuter | Feminine | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nom/Voc | a | aṃ | ā |
| Acc | aṃ | aṃ | aṃ |
Plural
| Masculine | Neuter | Feminine | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nom/Voc/Acc | ā | āni | ā / āyo |
Oblique cases (Dative, Genitive, Ablative, Instrumental, Locative)
There are two basic patterns for the singular oblique cases, but only one pattern for the plurals.
Basic Declension
Singular, Pattern A
| Masculine / Neuter | Feminine | |
|---|---|---|
| Dat / Gen | assa | āya |
| Inst | ena | āya |
| Abl | asmā / amha | āya |
| Loc | asmiṃ / amhi | āya / āyaṃ |
Singular, Pattern B
| Masculine / Neuter | Feminine | |
|---|---|---|
| Dat / Gen | ano | ayā |
| Inst/Abl | anā | ayā |
| Loc | ane | ayā / ayaṃ |
Plural
| Masculine / Neuter / Feminine | |
|---|---|
| Dat / Gen | ānaṃ |
| Inst/Abl | ehi |
| Loc | esu |