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{{short description|Sanskrit honorific}}
{{Redirect-multi|3|Sri|Shree|Sree||Shri (disambiguation)}}
[[File:Shri-symbol.svg|thumb|right|alt=The Sanskrit letter Sri|The Sanskrit character {{Transliteration|sa|śrī}} in the [[Devanagari]] script]]

'''Shri'''{{efn|Other spellings include '''Shree''', '''Sri''', '''Sree''', '''Shrih''' and '''śrī'''.}} ({{IPAc-en|ʃ|r|iː}};<ref name="oxford">{{cite web |title=Shri |url=https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/shri |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191030060633/https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/shri |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 30, 2019 |website=Lexico |publisher=Oxford English Dictionary |access-date=30 October 2019}}</ref> {{Langx|sa|श्री|translit=Śrī}}, {{IPA|sa|ɕriː|pron}}) is a Sanskrit term denoting resplendence, wealth and prosperity, primarily used as an [[honorific]].<ref name="oxford"/>

The word is widely used in [[languages of South Asia|South]] and [[classification schemes for Southeast Asian languages|Southeast Asian languages]] such as [[Hindi language|Hindi]], and also among [[Philippine languages]]. It is usually transliterated as ''Sri'', ''Sree'', ''Shri'', ''Shiri'', ''Shree'', ''Si'', or ''Seri'' based on the local convention for transliteration. In Tamil it evolved to [[Tamil honorifics#Tiru|Tiru]].

The term is used in [[Indian subcontinent]] and [[Southeast Asia]] as a polite form of address equivalent to the English "Mr." in written and spoken language.

"Shri" is also used as a title of [[veneration]] for deities or as honorific title for individuals.

"Shri" is also an epithet for Hindu goddess [[Lakshmi]], while a ''[[yantra]]'' or a mystical diagram popularly used to worship her is called [[Shri Yantra]].

==Etymology==
[[File:Maharaja Sri Gupta inscription on the Allahabad pillar Samudragupta inscription.jpg|thumb|{{center|1=[[File:Blank - Spacer.png|20px]][[File:Gupta allahabad m.svg|11px]][[File:Gupta allahabad haa.jpg|11px]][[File:Gupta allahabad raa.jpg|11px]][[File:Gupta allahabad j.svg|12px]][[File:Blank - Spacer.png|15px]][[File:Gupta allahabad shrii.jpg|14px]][[File:Blank - Spacer.png|15px]][[File:Gupta allahabad gu.jpg|14px]]<sub>[[File:Gupta allahabad pt.jpg|12px]]</sub><br>''[[Mahārāja]][[File:Blank - Spacer.png|10px]]Shrī[[File:Blank - Spacer.png|10px]][[Gupta (king)|Gupta]]''<br>"Great King, Lord [[Gupta (king)|Gupta]]"}}in [[Gupta script]], on the [[Allahabad pillar]] inscription of [[Samudragupta]] (4th century CE).<ref>[[:File:Allahabad stone pillar inscription of Samudragupta.jpg|Full inscription]], {{cite book |last1=Fleet |first1=John Faithfull |title=Corpus Inscriptionum Indicarum Vol. 3 |date=1888 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.49403/page/n197 1]-17 |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.49403}}</ref>]]
[[Monier Monier-Williams|Monier-Williams's]] dictionary gives the meaning of the root verb {{Transliteration|sa|ISO|''śrī''}} as "to cook, boil, to burn, diffuse light", but as a feminine abstract noun, it has received a general meaning of "grace, splendour, beauty; wealth, affluence, prosperity".<ref>{{Cite book |last=Turner |first=Sir Ralph Lilley |author-link=Ralph Lilley Turner |author2=Dorothy Rivers Turner |title=A comparative dictionary of the Indo-Aryan languages. |url=https://dsal.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/philologic/contextualize.pl?p.4.soas.198140 |access-date=22 April 2010 |orig-year=1962 |date=January 2006 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=London |page=736 |quote='''śhrīˊ''' 12708 '''śhrīˊ''' feminine ' light, beauty ' R̥gveda, ' welfare, riches ' Avestan (Iranian) Pali Prakrit ''sirī'' &ndash; feminine, Prakrit ''sī'' &ndash; feminine ' prosperity '; Marāṭhī &ndash; ''s'' honorific affix to names of relationship (e.g. āj̈ā &ndash; ''s'', ājī &ndash; ''s'') Jules Bloch ''La Formation de la Langue Marathe'' Paris 1920, page 412. &ndash; Sinhalese ''siri '' ' health, happiness ' (Wilhelm Geiger ''An Etymological Glossary of the Sinhalese Language'' Colombo 1941, page 180) a loanword from Pali <-> See addendum śrḗyas &ndash;, śrḗṣṭha &ndash; . See Addenda: śrīˊ &ndash; occurring for the first time in Addenda : śrīparṇī &ndash; . |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121215020900/http://dsal.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/philologic/contextualize.pl?p.4.soas.198140 |archive-date=15 December 2012 }}</ref><ref name=Apte>{{cite book|last=Apte|first=Vaman Shivaram|title=Revised and enlarged edition of Prin. V. S. Apte's The practical Sanskrit-English dictionary|year=1957–59|publisher=Prasad Prakashan|page=1575|quote=1 Wealth, riches, affluence, prosperity, plenty; ... -2 Royalty, majesty, royal wealth;... -3 Dignity, high position, state;... -4 Beauty, grace, splendour, lustre;... -5 Colour, aspect; ... -6 The goddess of wealth, Lak-ṣmī, the wife of Viṣṇu;... -7 Any virtue or excellence. -8 Decoration. -9 Intellect, understanding. -1 Super- human power. -11 The three objects of human existence taken collectively (धर्म, अर्थ and काम). -12 The Sarala tree. -13 The Bilva tree. -14 Cloves. -15 A lotus. -16 The twelfth digit of the moon. -17 N. of Sarasvatī, (the goddess of speech). -18 Speech. -19 Fame, glory. -2 The three Vedas (वेदत्रयी);... -m. N. of one of the six Rāgas or musical modes. -a. Splendid, radiant, adorning. (The word श्री is often used as an honorific prefix to the names of deities and eminent persons; श्रीकृष्णः, श्रीरामः, श्रिवाल्मीकिः, श्रीजयदेवः; also celebrated works, generally of a sacred character; श्रीभागवत, श्रीरामायण)&c.; it is also used as an auspicious sign at the commencement of letters, manuscripts &c}}</ref>

The word {{Transliteration|sa|ISO|śrī}} may also be used as an adjective in Sanskrit, which is the origin of the modern use of shri as a title. From the noun is derived the Sanskrit adjective "śrīmat" (śrimān in the masculine nominative singular, śrīmatī in the feminine) by adding the suffix indicating possession, literally "radiance-having" (person, god, etc.). This is used in modern vernacular as form of address ''[[Shrimati]]'' (abbreviated Smt) for married women, while ''Sushri'' (with "su", "good", added to the beginning) can be used for women in general ([[Ms.|regardless of marital status]]).

=== Spelling and pronunciation ===
In Devanagari script for Sanskrit, Hindi, Marathi and other languages, the word {{angle bracket|{{lang|sa|श्री}}}} is a combination of three sounds: {{lang|sa|श्}} ({{Transliteration|sa|ISO|ś}}), {{lang|sa|र्}} ({{Transliteration|sa|ISO|r}}) and {{lang|sa|ई}} ({{Transliteration|sa|ISO|ī}}, long ''i''). There are two conventions in India to transliterate the consonant {{lang|sa|श्}} ([[ISO 15919|ISO]]: {{Transliteration|sa|ISO|''ś''}}) to English: some use ''s'' (which in narrower transcription represents only {{lang|sa|स्}}) as in ''[[Sri Lanka]]'' and ''[[Srinagar]]'', while others use ''sh'' as in ''[[Shimla]]'' and ''[[Shimoga]]''.<ref name="phonetics">{{cite arXiv|eprint=1701.08655|class=cs.CL|first1=Shrikant|last1=Malviya|first2=Rohit|last2=Mishra|title=Structural Analysis of Hindi Phonetics and a Method for Extraction of Phonetically Rich Sentences from a Very Large Hindi Text Corpus|last3=Tiwary|first3=Uma Shanker|year=2017|pages=2}}</ref> Similarly, {{lang|sa|री}} ({{Transliteration|sa|ISO|rī}}; {{lang|sa|र् + ई}}) is also transliterated to English in two different ways as ''ri'' and ''ree'', although the latter is non-standard in Hindi.<ref name="phonetics" /><ref name="un-ref">{{Citation|author=United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs|title=Technical reference manual for the standardization of geographical names|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mh8u32ANQxAC|year=2007|publisher=United Nations Publications, 2007|isbn=978-92-1-161500-5|quote=... ISO 15919 ... There is no evidence of the use of the system either in India or in international cartographic products ... The Hunterian system is the actually used national system of romanization in India ...}}</ref> Hence this word {{lang|sa|श्री}} may be rendered in English as Shri (the standard spelling), Shree, Sri or Sree; some other transcriptions used are Shri, Shiri, Shrii.

Sanskrit is written in many other Indian scripts as well, each of which has its own equivalents of these Devanāgari characters.

==Usage==
[[File:Ravi Varma-Lakshmi.jpg|thumb|Shri is an epithet of the Hindu goddesses - [[Lakshmi]].]]

''Shri'' is a [[honorific|polite form of address]] equivalent to the English "Mr." or "Ms.".<ref name="Measures1962">{{cite book|author=Howard Measures|title=Styles of address: a manual of usage in writing and in speech|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Zfg9AAAAYAAJ|access-date=19 January 2011|year=1962|publisher=Macmillan|pages=136, 140}}</ref>

''Shri'' is also frequently used as an [[epithet]] of some Hindu [[god]]s, in which case it is often translated into English as ''Holy''. Also, in language and general usage, ''Shri'', if used by itself and not followed by any name, refers to the supreme consciousness, i.e. god.{{Citation needed|date=March 2021}}

''Shri'', also rendered ''Sridevi'', is an epithet of [[Lakshmi]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Lochtefeld|first=James G.|title=The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism|publisher=The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc|year=2001l|isbn=978-0-8239-3179-8|language=en|page=640}}</ref><ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |date=2023-09-26 |title=Lakshmi {{!}} Goddess of Wealth, Fortune & Prosperity {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Lakshmi |access-date=2023-10-01 |encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica |language=en |archive-date=2023-10-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231022160658/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Lakshmi |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[Vedas]] speak of Shri as a goddess, who personified ten qualities coveted by other divine beings: food, royalty, holiness, kingdom, fortune, sovereignty, nobility, power, righteousness, and beauty. The Vedic ''Shri'' is believed to have identified with later conceptions of Lakshmi, as the embodiment of royalty and dignity.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Herman |first1=Phyllis K. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=97EYBwAAQBAJ&dq=vedic+shri+lakshmi&pg=PA57 |title=The Constant and Changing Faces of the Goddess: Goddess Traditions of Asia |last2=Shimkhada |first2=Deepak |date=2009-03-26 |publisher=Cambridge Scholars Publishing |isbn=978-1-4438-0702-9 |pages=56 |language=en |access-date=2022-12-03 |archive-date=2023-06-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230621084320/https://books.google.com/books?id=97EYBwAAQBAJ&dq=vedic+shri+lakshmi&pg=PA57 |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Other current usage==
There is a common practice of writing ''Shri'' as the first word centralised in line at the beginning of a document.

Another usage is as an emphatic compound (which can be used several times: ''shri shri'', or ''shri shri shri'', etc.) in princely styles, notably in [[Durbar (court)|Darbar]] Shri, [[Desai]] Shri, and [[Thakur (title)|Thakur]] Shri or [[Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar|Shrii Shrii Anandamurti]], the founder of the social and spiritual movement [[Ananda Marga]] (the Path of Bliss).

The honorific can also be applied to objects and concepts that are widely respected, such as the [[Sikh]] religious text, the [[Guru Granth Sahib|Shri Guru Granth Sahib]]. Similarly, when the [[Ramlila]] tradition of reenacting the [[Ramayana]] is referred to as an institution, the term Shri Ramlila is frequently used.

A common Sikh greeting is “''[[Sat Sri Akaal|Sat Shri Akaal]]'' (Gurmukhi: ਸਤਿ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਅਕਾਲ)”, meaning “Truth is divine and eternal”. Shri here is used to denote divinity or godliness.

===Indian music===
The use of the term is common in the names of [[raga]]s (musical motifs), either as a prefix or postfix. Some examples are [[Shree (Carnatic raga)|Shree]], Bhagyashree, Dhanashree, Jayashree, Subhashree, Itishree, Jiteshree, and [[Shree ranjani]].

==Other languages==

=== South and Southeast Asia ===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Language/Script !! Form !! Notes
|-
| [[Bengali–Assamese script|Bengali]] || শ্রী ||
|-
| [[Balinese language|Balinese]] || {{lang|ban|ᬰ᭄ᬭᬷ}}, {{lang|ban|ᬰ᭄ᬭᬶ}}, or {{lang|ban|ᬲ᭄ᬭᬶ}} (all read as ''sri'') || Comparable to the Javanese usage: a particle prefixed to royal names, the goddess of rice-culture.
|-
| [[Burmese language|Burmese]] || {{lang|my|သီရိ}} (''thiri'') and {{lang|my|သရေ}} (''tharay'')  || See [[Tamil language|Tamil]] below.
|-
| [[Maldivian language|Dhivehi]]
|ސިރީ (''siree'' or ''sirī'')
|Used in the full titles of sultans and kings
|-
| [[Gujarati language|Gujarati]] || શ્રી ||
|-
| [[Gurmukhi]]  ([[Punjabi language|Punjabi]]) || ਸ਼੍ਰੀ ||
|-
| [[Javanese language|Javanese]] || {{Jav|ꦯꦿꦷ}}, {{Jav|ꦯꦿꦶ}}, or {{Jav|ꦱꦿꦶ}} (all read as ''sri'')|| Often used to address royal or venerated figures, such as the King of [[Yogyakarta Sultanate|Yogyakarta]], [[Hamengkubuwono X|'''Sri''' Sultan Hamengkubuwono]] and the title "Sri Bhaginda" (equivalent to "your majesty"), and for names of deities, such as the Javanese rice goddess [[Dewi Sri]]. In modern [[Javanese language|Javanese]], it is a common part of proper names of [[Javanese people]], e.g the name of Indonesian finance minister [[Sri Mulyani Indrawati]] and [[Indonesian Marine Corps|Indonesian marine corps]] officer Lt. Col [[:id:Sri Utomo|Sri Utomo]]. "Sri" is also a widely used name in [[Java]] used for names of placements, organizations, institutions, etc
|-
| [[Kannada]] || {{lang|kn|ಶ್ರೀ}} (''Sri'' or ''Sree'')||
|-
| [[Khmer language|Khmer]] || {{lang|km|ស្រី}} (''Srey'') and  {{lang|km|សេរី}} (''Serey'') ||
|-
| [[Lao language|Lao]] || {{lang|lo|ສີ}} (''Si'') and  {{lang|lo|ສຣີ}} (''Sri'' or ''Sree'') ||
|-
| [[Malay language|Malay]] (including [[Malaysian language|Malaysian]] and [[Indonesian language|Indonesian]] varieties)|| [[Jawi alphabet|Jawi]]: {{lang|ms|سري}}, [[Latin]]: ''Seri'' ([[Malaysian language|Malaysian]])<br>''Sri'' ([[Indonesian language|Indonesian]])
|Often used as a title of veneration for [[Malay styles and titles|honorific titles]] in [[Malays (ethnic group)|Malay]] kingdoms and sultanates. This includes the honorific title for the [[Sultan of Brunei]]: ''Kebawah Duli Yang Maha Mulia Paduka '''Seri''' Baginda Sultan'' [[Hassanal Bolkiah]] and [[Yang di-Pertuan Agong|King of Malaysia]]: ''Kebawah Duli Yang Maha Mulia '''Seri''' Paduka Baginda''. It is also used for the name of places in the Malay world such as [[Bandar Seri Begawan]] in [[Brunei]] and [[Siak Sri Indrapura]] city in [[Sumatra]], [[Indonesia]]

Usage of "Sri" in [[Indonesia]] is used for honorary titles for a king or other great person, for example the King of [[Yogyakarta]] [[Hamengkubuwono X|'''Sri Sultan''' Hamengkubuwono]] and ''Sri Baginda'' which means "Your Majesty", and is also used for people's names, mainly [[Javanese people]] such as Indonesian finance minister [[Sri Mulyani]], [[Indonesian Marine Corps|Indonesian marine]] officer Lt. Col [[:id:Sri Utomo|Sri Utomo]], [[Indian-Indonesian]] businessman [[Sri Prakash Lohia]], etc. It also refers to the Javanese rice goddess "[[Dewi Sri]]". "Sri" is also used as names of companies, placements, institutions, etc (e.g &mdash; [[Sriwijaya Air]], [[Sriwijaya University]], etc).<br> 
The oldest recorded word of "Sri" founded in Indonesia was written in the [[Yūpa#Yūpa inscription in Indonesia|Mulawarman inscription]] founded in [[Kutai]], [[East Kalimantan]] dating back to the [[4th century AD]] which read: '''''sri'''matah '''sri'''-narendrasya, kundungasya mahatmanah'' (meaning: ''"the maharaja [[Kudungga]], who was very noble"'')
|-
| [[Malayalam]] || ശ്രീ (''Sri'' or ''Sree'')||
|-
| [[Meitei language|Meitei]] ([[Manipuri language|Manipuri]]) || {{lang|mni|{{Script|Mtei|ꯁ꯭ꯔꯤ}}|}} (transliterated as ''"shri/shree/sri/sree"'' in [[Meitei script]]) || Used as honorific as in [[Shri Biren]] and [[Shri Shri Govindaji Temple]]
|-
|[[Newar language|Nepal Bhasa (Newari)]]
|𑐱𑑂𑐬𑐷 (Sri)
|
|-
| [[Odia language|Odia]] || ଶ୍ରୀ ||
|-
| [[Philippine languages]] / [[Baybayin]]|| ᜐ᜔ᜇᜒ (Sri or Si or Sree) || Formerly used as an honorific title for rulers in [[History of the Philippines (900–1565)|old Indianized precolonial states and polities]] in the [[Philippines]], such as [[Sri Lumay]] of [[Cebu (historical polity)|Cebu]] or Sri Bata Shaja of [[Butuan (historical polity)|Butuan]] or Sripada/Sipad of [[Lupah Sug|Lupah Sūg]] or Sikatuna of [[Dapitan Kingdom|Bo-ol]].
|-
| [[Sinhala language|Sinhala]] || ශ්‍රී (''Sri'' or ''Sree'') also ශ්රී (''Sri'' or ''Sree'') or සිරි (''Siri'')|| Meaning "resplendent", as in ''[[Sri Lanka]]'', "Resplendent Island".
|-
| [[Tamil language|Tamil]] || ஸ்ரீ (''Sri'' or ''Sree'') || The Tamil equivalent [[Tamil honorifics#tiru|tiru]] is also used.
|-
| [[Telugu language|Telugu]] || శ్రీ (''Sri'' or ''Sree'')||
|-
| [[Thai language|Thai]] || {{lang|th|ศิริ}} (''Siri'') and  {{lang|th|ศรี}} ([[Thai honorifics#Si/Sri|''Sri'' or ''Sree'' or ''Si'']]) || Used in many Thai place names, as seen below.
|-
| [[Cham language|Vietnamese/Cham]] || ''Chế'' || Vietnamese transcription of honorific name prefix used among the Cham ethnic minority.
|}

===Place names===
The honorific is incorporated into many [[Location (geography)|place]] names. A partial list follows:
*[[Sriharikota]], India
*[[Srimangal]], Bangladesh
*[[Srisailam]], Andhra Pradesh, a [[Shiva|Siva]] temple, also one of the holiest places of worship for Hindus.
*[[Srikakulam]], a town in northern Andhra Pradesh.
*[[Sri City]], an integrated township located on the Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu border.
*[[Srikshetra|Shri Kshetra]], name of the [[Puri]] [[Jagannath]] Dham, [[Odisha]]. One of the [[Char Dham|four Dhams]] in the Hindu religion.
* Sree Mandira is a famous [[Hindu temple]] dedicated to [[Jagannath]] ([[Krishna]]) and located in the coastal town of [[Puri]] in Odisha.
* [[Sri Lanka]], an [[island country]] at the southern tip of [[India]].
* [[Sriperumbudur|Sri Perumbudur]], a town in the state of [[Tamil Nadu]]
* [[Srirangam|Sri Rangam]], an island zone in the city of [[Tiruchirapalli]], in [[Tamil Nadu]].
* [[Shrinagar|Srinagar]], ''nagar'' meaning "city", is the capital of the [[union territory]] of [[Jammu and Kashmir (union territory)|Jammu and Kashmir]]
* [[Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte]], the administrative capital of [[Sri Lanka]].
* [[Sri Maha Bodhi]], a sacred fig tree in the Mahamewna Gardens, Anuradhapura, [[Sri Lanka]].
* [[Srivijaya]], a former kingdom centered on [[Sumatra]], [[Indonesia]].
* [[Siak Sri Indrapura|Siak ''Sri'' Indrapura]], the capital seat of [[Siak Regency]]. It was the place of the [[Sultanate of Siak Sri Indrapura]].
* [[Thai honorifics#Si/Sri|Sri]] ({{lang|th|ศรี}}), pronounced and usually transliterated ''Si'' in [[Thailand]] place names:
:''Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya'' ({{lang|th|พระนครศรีอยุธยา}}), formal name of the city and province of [[Ayutthaya (city)|Ayutthaya]]
:[[Nakhon Si Thammarat|Nakhon ''Si'' Thammarat]] ({{lang|th|นครศรีธรรมราช}}) city and province
:Sisaket ({{lang|th|ศรีสะเกษ|italic=unset}}) [[Sisaket|city]] and [[Sisaket province|province]]
:[[Si Racha|''Si'' Racha]] ({{lang|th|ศรีราชา}}), the namesake town of [[Siracha sauce|Siracha hot sauce]]<ref>{{cite web |last1=Dean |first1=Sam |title=What Does the Word Sriracha Mean? |url=https://www.bonappetit.com/test-kitchen/ingredients/article/what-does-the-word-sriracha-mean |website=[[Bon Appétit]] |date=7 March 2013 |access-date=23 April 2024 |archive-date=4 September 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240904034728/https://www.bonappetit.com/test-kitchen/ingredients/article/what-does-the-word-sriracha-mean |url-status=live }}</ref>
* [[Wat Si Saket|Wat ''Si'' Saket]] in Vientiane, Laos.
* [[Bandar Seri Begawan|Bandar ''Seri'' Begawan]], the capital of Brunei.
* [[Seri Menanti]], the royal town of [[Negeri Sembilan]], Malaysia.
* [[Banteay Srei]], a 10th-century Hindu temple in [[Angkor]], [[Cambodia]]
* [[Srey Santhor]], a district located in [[Kampong Cham Province|Kampong Cham]], Cambodia.
* [[Serei Saophoan (city)|Serei Saophoan]], the capital city of [[Banteay Meanchey Province|Banteay Meanchey]], Cambodia.

== References ==
{{Notelist}}
<references />

[[Category:Titles in India]]
[[Category:Honorifics]]
[[Category:Prefixes]]
[[Category:Lakshmi]]