Language/Marathi/Grammar/Punctuation

Marathi Grammar → Marathi writing → Punctuation

As a Marathi language teacher with over 20 years of experience, I am passionate about helping students learn the intricacies of Marathi grammar, vocabulary, and culture. In this lesson, we will focus on one important aspect of Marathi writing: punctuation.

Punctuation is an essential part of any written language as it helps to convey the intended meaning of the text. In Marathi, punctuation marks are used to indicate pauses, emphasis, and connections between words and phrases. By learning the punctuation conventions used in Marathi writing, you will be able to communicate your ideas more clearly and effectively.

Marathi Punctuation Conventions

Marathi uses a set of punctuation marks that are similar to those used in English. However, there are some minor differences in the usage of these marks that you should keep in mind. Here are the most common punctuation marks used in Marathi:

• Full stop (पूर्णविराम): Used to indicate the end of a sentence.
• Comma (अल्पविराम): Used to separate items in a list or to indicate a pause in a sentence.
• Question mark (प्रश्नवाचक चिन्ह): Used at the end of a sentence to indicate a question.
• Exclamation mark (विस्मयादिबोधक चिन्ह): Used at the end of a sentence to indicate emphasis or strong emotion.
• Quotation marks (उद्धरणाचे आवार): Used to enclose direct speech or a quotation.

Here is a table that shows the Marathi punctuation marks with their English equivalents:

Marathi	Pronunciation	English
पूर्णविराम	poor-n-VEE-ruhm	Full stop
अल्पविराम	ahl-p-n-VEE-ruhm	Comma
प्रश्नवाचक चिन्ह	pruh-shn-vaa-chaak chinh	Question mark
विस्मयादिबोधक चिन्ह	vis-maa-yaad-i-bo-dhak chinh	Exclamation mark
उद्धरणाचे आवार	udh-hruh-naa-che aa-vaar	Quotation marks

In addition to these marks, Marathi also uses a few other punctuation marks such as the colon, semi-colon, and parenthesis, although their usage is less common.

Spacing Rules

In Marathi writing, a few important spacing rules should be observed. Here are the most important ones:

• Spacing after punctuation marks: In Marathi, there should be no space between a punctuation mark and the preceding word, but a space should be added after the punctuation mark.
• Spacing after numerals and abbreviations: A space should be inserted after numerals and abbreviations, such as "दि.", "मि.", and "से.", when used in the middle of a sentence.
• No spacing between compound words: In Marathi, compound words are written without a space between the words, such as "अंतराळ" (inner room).

Here is an example sentence that shows these spacing rules:

"मला ५ वर्षांचे अशी प्रतिष्ठा आहे आणि माझ्या आई-वडिलांनी मला संजोगाने या व्यवसायाला शिकवलं." (I have been in this profession for 5 years now and my parents taught me this business by coincidence.)

Notice that there is no space before the full stop at the end of the sentence, but a space is added after it. Also, a space is inserted after the numeral "५" and the abbreviation "आणि" (and), but not before them. Finally, the compound word "आई-वडिल" (parents) is written without a space.

Tips for Using Punctuation in Marathi

Here are a few tips to keep in mind when using punctuation in your Marathi writing:

• Use punctuation sparingly: Punctuation marks should be used only when needed to avoid cluttering the text. Overuse of punctuation marks can make the text difficult to read and understand.
• Use punctuation consistently: Consistent use of punctuation marks throughout the text helps to convey the intended meaning of the text.
• Use proper spacing: Proper spacing after punctuation marks, numerals, and abbreviations helps to make the text more readable.

By following these tips and practicing your Marathi writing with proper punctuation, you can improve your language skills and effectively convey your ideas in writing.

Table of Contents - Marathi Course - 0 to A1

• Course Presentation

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Basic Greetings and Introductions

• Greetings
• Introductions

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Basic Sentence Structure

• Subject-Object-Verb
• Negation

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Numbers and Time

• Numbers 1-20
• Telling Time

  ---

Nouns and Pronouns

• Nouns
• Pronouns

  ---

Common Verbs and Adjectives

• Common Verbs
• Common Adjectives

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Questions and Answers

• Question Words
• Answering Questions

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Food and Dining

• Food Vocabulary
• Dining Phrases

  ---

Marathi Festivals and Traditions

• Festivals
• Traditions

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Travel and Transportation

• Transportation Vocabulary
• Accommodation Vocabulary

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Prepositions and Conjunctions

• Prepositions
• Conjunctions

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Family and Relationships

• Family Members
• Relationship Phrases

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Marathi Literature and Cinema

• Literature
• Cinema

Related Lessons

• Pronouns
• Questions
• Gender
• Future Tense
• Negation nakaar नकार
• Devanagari script
• How to Use Have
• Negation
• Give your Opinion
• Causative verbs