Language/Sanskrit/Pronunciation/Alphabet-and-Pronunciation
Hello Polyglots,
In today's lesson, you will learn how to write the different letters of the Sanskrit alphabet, how to pronounce these letters whether it is through the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), or through a video with the pronunciation of the letters by a native speaker.
Sanskrit is a classical language of South Asia and also it is the oldest language as well. It is the sacred language of Hinduism, the language of classical Hindu philosophy, and of historical texts of Buddhism and Jainism.
Here is its alphabet and the pronunciation of each letter. You will also find at the end of this lesson a virtual keyboard to be able to type each special character of this language.
As you conclude this lesson, take a moment to explore these relevant topics: Food, How to Use "Be".
Sanskrit Alphabet and IPA Pronunciation[edit | edit source]
Consonants[edit | edit source]
| Letter | क | ख | ग | घ | ङ | च | छ | ज | झ | ञ | ट | ठ | ड | ढ | ण | त | थ | द | ध | न | प | फ | ब | भ | म | य | र | ल | व | श | ष | स | ह | ळ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | ka | kha | ga | gha | ṅa | ca | cha | ja | jha | ña | ṭa | ṭha | ḍa | ḍha | ṇa | ta | tha | da | dha | na | pa | pha | ba | bha | ma | ya | ra | la | va | śa | ṣa | sa | ha | ḷa |
| IPA | /kʌ/ | /kʰʌ/ | /ɡʌ/ | /ɡʱʌ/ | /ŋʌ/ | /cʌ/ | /cʰʌ/ | /ɟʌ/ | /ɟʱʌ/ | /ɲʌ/ | /ʈʌ/ | /ʈʰʌ/ | /ɖʌ/ | /ɖʱʌ/ | /ɳʌ/ | /tʌ/ | /tʰʌ/ | /dʌ/ | /dʱʌ/ | /nʌ/ | /pʌ/ | /pʰʌ/ | /bʌ/ | /bʱʌ/ | /mʌ/ | /jʌ/ | /rʌ/ | /lʌ/ | /ʋʌ/ | /ɕʌ/ | /ʂʌ/ | /sʌ/ | /ɦʌ/ | /ɭʌ/ |
Vowels[edit | edit source]
| Letter | अ | आ | इ | ई | उ | ऊ | ऋ | ॠ | ऌ | ॡ | ए | ऐ | ओ | औ | अं | अँ | अः |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diacritic | ◌ | ा | ि | ी | ु | ू | ृ | ॄ | ॢ | ॣ | ॅ | ै | ो | ौ | ं | ँ | ः |
| Name | a | ā | i | ī | u | ū | ṛ | ṝ | ḷ | ḹ | e | ai | o | au | aṅ | aṃ | aḥ |
| IPA | /ʌ/ | /aː/ | /i/ | /iː/ | /u/ | /uː/ | /r/ | /rː/ | /l/ | /lː/ | /eː/ | /aːi/ | /o/ | /aːu/ | /aŋ/ | /ə˞/ | /əh/ |
Video - Sanskrit Alphabet Pronunciation by a Native Speaker[edit | edit source]
Sanskrit Devanagari Online Virtual Keyboard[edit | edit source]