देवनागरी
Introduction
This
section is intended as a reference and aid to help recognize and determine the
transcription of the Devanagari script used in the
lexicon
to write words in Sanskrit, Pali and Hindi. Its
script is recognizable by a distinctive horizontal line that runs along the top
of the letters, linking them together. It is written from left to right using an abugida
writing system, in which each letter represents a consonant that carries the
inherent vowel ‘a’, similar to the
‘silent vowels’ of the Thai alphabet,
whilst all
other vowels, or the absence thereof, require either modification of these
consonants, or they have their own symbol.
The first transcription of the consonants
is inclusive of the inherent vowel ‘a’, whereas the second one shows how it is
pronounced with a killer stroke, a sign that silences the inherent vowel at the
end of a word or syllable. Vowels exist in an independent form as well as in a
diacritic form. Behind each vowel, in between brackets, its diacritic form is
given. Most of the consonants have a vertical right stroke which disappears if a
consonant is the first letter of a consonant cluster. Besides a couple of
examples our list only shows clusters that are either not subject to this rule,
don't have a vertical right stroke, follow different rules or have specialties.
See also
comparative language list.
回
Consonants
क ..... ka - k
ख .....
kha - kh
ग ..... ga - g
घ ..... gha - gh
च
..... ca - c (ts)
छ
..... cha - ch (tsh)
ज .....
ja
- j (dzj)
झ .....
jha
- jh (dzj)
ट
.....
ṭa
-
ṭ
ठ
.....
ṭha
-
ṭh
त
..... ta - t
थ
..... tha - t
ड
.....
ḍa
-
ḍ
ढ
.....
ḍha
-
ḍh
द
..... da - d
ध
..... dha - dh
ब
..... ba - b
भ
..... bha - bh
प
..... pa - p
फ
..... pha - ph |
ङ
..... nga - ng (ŋ/ṅ)
ञ.....
na - n (ɲ)
ण
..... na - n (ɳ/ṇ)
न
..... na - n
म
..... ma - m
य
..... ya - y (j)
र
..... ra - r
ल
..... la - l
व
..... va -
v
श
..... sha - s (ś/ʃ)
ष
..... sa - s (ṣ/ʂ)
स
..... sa - s
ह
..... ha -
h |
Vowels
अ
(-)
..... a
आ
(ा) ..... aa (ah/ā)
ओ
(ो) ..... oo (oh/ō)
औ (ौ)
..... au
इ
(ि) ..... i
ई
(ी) ..... ie (ih/ī)
उ
(ु) ..... u (oe)
ऊ
(ू) ..... uu (oeh/ū)
ए
(े) ..... e (ē)
ऐ
(ै) ..... ai (ay) |
Specific to Sanskrit only:
ऋ
(ृ) ..... ṛ
ॠ
(ॄ)
.....
ṝ
ऌ (ॢ)
.....
ḷ
ॡ (ॣ) .....
ḹ |
Clusters
Most of the consonants have a vertical
right stroke, which disappears if a consonant is used as the first letter of a consonant
cluster, e.g.:
- क्क
(क+क)
..... kk
- ख्य
(ख+य) .....
khy
- ग्म
(ग+म)
..... gm
-
etc.
The letter ‘r’ has no vertical right stroke
and when being used as the first letter when forming a cluster, it always gets a ‘c’ sign on
top of the horizontal line of the latter consonant, e.g.:
-
र्क (र+क)
.....
rk
- र्म
(र+म)
.....
rm
-
etc.
When the letter ‘r’ is the second letter of
a consonant cluster, it is in most cases indicated by a slant stroke at the bottom of
the left side on the vertical right stroke of the first consonant, if there is
one available, e.g.:
-
क्र
(क+र)..... kr
- ज्र (ज+र)
..... jr
- ध्र
(ध+र) ..... dhr
-
स्र (स+र)
..... sr
-
etc.
However, some consonant clusters are not
subject to this rule, perhaps because the first consonant doesn't have a vertical right stroke,
they follow different rules,
or are simply exceptional, i.e.:
क्त (क+त) ..... kt
क्ष
(क+ष) .....
kṣ
ग्र (ग+र)
..... gr
ज्ञ (ज+ञ)
..... jng
ड्र (ड+र)
.....
ḍr
त्त
(त+त)
..... tt
त्न (त+न)
..... tn
त्र
(त+र)
..... tr
द्ग (द+ग)
..... dg
द्घ
(द+घ) ..... dgh
द्द
(द+द) ..... dd
द्ध
(द+ध) ..... ddh
द्न
(द+न) ..... dn
द्ब (द+ब)
..... db
द्भ (द+भ)
..... dbh
द्म (द+म)
..... dm
द्य (द+य)
..... dy |
द्र (द+र)
..... dr
द्व (द+व)
..... dv
प्त (प+त)
..... pt
श्च (श+च)
.....
śc
श्न
(श+न)
.....
śn
श्र
(श+र)
.....
śr
श्ल
(श+ल)
.....
śl
श्व
(श+व)
.....
śv
ष्ट (ष+ट)
.....
ṣṭ
ष्ठ (ष+ठ)
.....
ṣṭh
ह्ण (ह+ण)
..... hṇ
ह्न
(ह+न)
..... hn
ह्म
(ह+म)
..... hm
ह्य
(ह+य)
..... hy
ह्र
(ह+र)
..... hr
ह्व
(ह+व)
..... hv |
Numerals
|
१ ..... 1
२
..... 2
३
..... 3
४
..... 4
५
..... 5 |
६ ..... 6
७
..... 7
८
..... 8
९ ..... 9
० ..... 0 |
|
Peculiarities
ं
nasalizes sound,
e.g. अं
.....
ṃ, am
ँ
nasalizes sound,
e.g. ॐ ..... aum (= ओ+ँ) or साँची
....Sanchi
़ softens sound,
e.g. फ़ (फ+़)
..... fa - f
्
silences sound,
e.g. अमित्र्
..... amitr (versus
अमित्र -
amitra)
ः
allophone,
e.g. अः
.....
aḥ
回
|