udharan

Udharan is a term used in several South Asian languages, especially Hindi and Marathi, to refer to an example or illustration that clarifies a point. In Devanagari script, it is commonly written as उदाहरण (udhāharan) meaning “an example,” or as उद्धरण (uddharan) meaning “a quotation” or extract. The romanized form udharan can reflect either sense depending on the spelling and context, and transliteration conventions vary.

The two common forms—उदाहरण and उद्धरण—have distinct meanings in formal writing. उदाहरण is used to present a specific instance that demonstrates a concept, while उद्धरण is used to cite or quote text from a source. Because the words are closely related in meaning, they appear in similar discussions, but they serve different rhetorical or scholarly functions: illustration versus quotation.

Usage and context vary by language and genre. In education, speakers say या एक उदाहरण दीजिए (please provide an example) to introduce udaharan. In journalism or literature, उद्धरण is used to reference a text verbatim. In everyday language, udharan functions as a general term for any illustrative case or cited excerpt that helps to support an argument.

See also: example, quotation, citation, illustration.