Devanagari/Alphabet
In Devanagari, there are 12 vowels and 44 consonants (conjunction consonants are also included).
The alphabet written with pronunciation
[edit | edit source]Here are the letters in an alphabetical order. The vowels are on top, followed by the consonants.
| phoneme | romanization | example (in English) |
example (in Hindi) |
| Vowels | |||
| अ | a (short) | fun | अब (ab, now) |
| आ | ā (long) | father | आठ (āth, eight) |
| इ | i (short) | sick | इमली (imlī Tamarind) |
| ई | ī (long) | sheep | मिठाई (mithāī, sweets) |
| उ | u (short) | put | उर्दू (Urdū) |
| ऊ | ū (long) | shoot | ऊन (ūn, wool) |
| ऋ | ri (short) (in Sanskrit words) | crystal | ऋषि (rishi, wise (person)) |
| ॠ | rī (long) (in Sanskrit words) | ||
| ऌ | li (in Sanskrit words) | ||
| ॡ | lī (in Sanskrit words) | ||
| ए | e (long) | (French) née | एक (ek, one) |
| ऐ | ai (long) | hi | ऐनक (ainak, glasses) |
| ओ | ō (long) | loaf | ओड़िया (Odia) |
| औ | au (long) | scout | औरत (aurat, woman) |
| ऑ | ô (short, used in English words like hot) | robot | ऑक्सीजन (oxygen) |
| Vowel diacritics used with consonants | |||
| ा | ā(long) | सामान (sāmān, baggage) | |
| ि | i (short) | पिता (pitā, father) | |
| ी | ī (long) | घी (ghī, butter) | |
| ु | u (short) | दुकान (dukān, shop) | |
| ू | ū (long) | जूता (jūtā, shoe) | |
| ृ | ri (short) | कृषि (krishi, agriculture) | |
| े | ē(long) | देना (dénā, to give) | |
| ै | ai(long) | है (hai, is (verb "to be")) | |
| ो | o (short) | सोमवार (somvār, Monday) | |
| ौ | au (long) | नौ (nau, nine) | |
| ॉ | ô (short, used in English words like hot) | कॉलेज (kôlej, college, university) | |
| अयोगवाह | |||
| ं | (anusvār, nasal consonant) | रंग (rang, color) | |
| ँ | (chandrabindu, nasalizes the preceding vowel) | फ़्राँसीसी (fransīsī, French) | |
| अः | ah (in Sanskrit words) | दुःख (duhkh, sadness) | |
| Consonants | |||
| क | k | come | कमरा (kamrā, room) |
| क़ | q (words of Arabic, English and Persian origin) | Qatar | हक़ (haq, right) |
| ख | kh | khaki | खराब (kharāb, bad) |
| ख़ | kh (words of Arabic and Persian origin) | ख़ूबसूरत (khoobsoorat, beautiful) | |
| ग | g | girl | गाना (gānā, song, to sing) |
| ग़ | gh (words of Arabic and Persian origin) | Afghanistan | ग़ालिब (Ghaalib, name of an Indian poet) |
| घ | gh | ghee | घर (ghar, home, dwelling) |
| ङ | ṅ (like ng in sing) | finger | वाङ्मय (Vāṅmay, literature) |
| च | ch | chair | चार (chār, four) |
| छ | chh | छह (chhah, six) | |
| ज | j | Jungle | जाना (jānā, to go) |
| ज़ | z (words of Arabic, English and Persian origin) | zero | ज़िंदगी (zindagī, Life) |
| झ | jh | झूठ (jhūth, lie) | |
| ञ | ñ (only in combination with च छ ज झ) | jalapeño | ज्ञान (ज्+ञान) (Knowledge) |
| ट | t | ton | टमाटर (tamātar, tomato) |
| ठ | th | ठंडा (thandā, cold) | |
| ड | d | dull | डर (dar, Fear) |
| ड़ | r (rolling) | भेड़ (bher, sheep) | |
| ढ | dh | ढेर (dher, accumulation) | |
| ढ़ | rh | डेढ़ (derh, one and a half) | |
| ण | n | अणु (anu, molecule) | |
| त | t | Tente | तमिल (tamil, Tamil) |
| थ | th | Thunder | |
| द | d | दो (do, two) | |
| द़ | dh (words of Arabic origin) | Abu Dhabi | रमद़ान (Ramadhaan, Islamic month of fasting) |
| ध | dh | The | धन्यवाद (dhanyavād, Thanks) |
| न | n | none | नमक (namak, salt) |
| प | p | punk | पति (pati, husband) |
| फ | ph | fun | फिर (phir, then) |
| फ़ | f (words of foreign origin) | failure | फ़ारसी (Farsī, Persian) |
| ब | b | balloon | बीस (bīs, twenty) |
| भ | bh | abhorred | भारत (bhārat, India) |
| म | m | mom | माथा (māthā, forehead) |
| य | y | yum | यह (yah, this) |
| र | r | Run | रविवार (ravivār, Sunday) |
| ल | l | Luck | लाना (lānā, bring) |
| ळ | l (used in some dialects of Hindi like Hariyanavi and languages like Marathi) | ||
| व | v, w | One (the first half of its pronounciation) | वायु (vāyu, air) |
| श | sh | shell | शनिवार (shanivār, Saturday) |
| ष | shh (in Sanskrit words) | Nation | षड्यंत्र (shhadyantra, conspiracy) |
| स | s | silk | सात (sāt, seven) |
| ह | h | hill | होना (honā, to be) |
| क्ष | kshh = क् + ष (compound vowel) | क्षेत्र (kshhetra, Area) | |
| त्र | tra = त् + र (compound vowel) | trēs | त्रिशूल (trishūl, Trident) |
| ज्ञ | jña = ज् + ञ (compound vowel) | ज्ञान (jñān, Knowledge) | |
| श्र | shra = श् + र (compound vowel) | श्री (shrī, Mr) | |