constants and vowel

 

Consonants - vyanjanani ,  Vowel Swaras

• क
  ka
• ख
  kha
• ग
  ga
• घ
  gha
• ङ
  ṅa

• च
  ca
• छ
  cha
• ज
  ja
• झ
  jha
• ञ
  ña

• ट
  ṭa
• ठ
  ṭha
• ड
  ḍa
• ढ
  ḍha
• ण
  ṇa

• त
  ta
• थ
  tha
• द
  da
• ध
  dha
• न
  na

• प
  pa
• फ
  pha
• ब
  ba
• भ
  bha
• म
  ma

• य
  ya
• र
  ra
• ल
  la
• व
  va

• श
  śa
• ष
  ṣa
• स
  sa
• ह

Some of these consonants are difficult to tell apart at first. 

Here are the consonants that are most easily confused:

• ख रव
  kha rava
  

• घ ध
  gha dha
  

• ङ ड
  ṅa ḍa
  

• च ज
  ca ja
  

• ट ठ ढ द
  ṭa ṭha ḍha da
  

• प फ य ष
  pa pha ya ṣa
  

• भ म
  bha ma
  

• व ब
  va ba

Vowels

When vowels do not follow consonants, they are written like this:

• अ
  a
• आ
  ā
• इ
  i
• ई
  ī
• उ
  u
• ऊ
  ū

• ऋ
  ṛ
• ॠ
  ṝ
• ऌ
  ḷ
• ॡ
  ḹ

• ए
  e
• ऐ
  ai
• ओ
  o
• औ
  au

First, here are the two clusters you absolutely must know:

• क्ष
  kṣa
• ज्ञ
  jña

Why must we know these two clusters? These two clusters do not resemble their original consonants at all, so we cannot guess what sounds they represent. That is why we must learn them separately.

Now, let's consider the other consonant clusters. Notice that most Devanagari consonants have a single vertical line running from top to bottom. Usually, this line is on the right side of the consonant:

• त
  ta
• ण
  ṇa
• स
  sa

In many consonant clusters, the first consonant loses this line and attaches to the consonant that follows it:

• त्स
  tsa
• ण्ड
  ṇḍa
• स्त
  sta

If ra is the first consonant, we simply add a small hook to the top of the second:

• र्त
  rta
• र्न
  rna
• र्म
  rma

If ra is second, we add a small tick to the first consonant:

• प्र
  pra
• क्र
  kra
• त्र
  tra

But consonants with a “hoop” shape (like ट, ठ, and ढ) use a different symbol instead:

• ट्र
  ṭra
• ठ्र
  ṭhra
• ढ्र
  ḍhra

If na is second, we write it in the same way as ra:

• प्न
  pna
• क्न
  kna
• त्न
  tna

If ha or da is first and ya or ma is second, we get these combinations:

• द्य
  dya
• द्म
  dma
• ह्य
  hya
• ह्म
  hma

If śa is first, it becomes a smaller form that sits on top of the second consonant:

• श्र
  śra
• श्व
  śva
• श्च
  śca
• श्ल
  śla

If ṣa is first, it often stacks vertically on top of the consonants that follow it:

• ष्ट
  ṣṭa
• ष्ठ
  ṣṭha
• ष्ठ्व
  ṣṭhva

Voiced aspirated consonants that follow da usually “dangle” off the bottom of the da:

• द्घ
  dgha
• द्ध
  ddha
• द्भ
  dbha

ta combines in various ways that are hard to predict:

• क्त
  kta
• त्त
  tta

And if three or more consonants are in a cluster, we sometimes get more complex combinations:

• त्त्र
  ttra
• स्त्र
  stra

• ङ्ख्य
  ṅkhya
• ङ्क्ष्य
  ṅkṣya
• ङ्क्त्य
  ṅktya

• द्घ्र
  dghra
• द्ध्र
  ddhra
• द्भ्र
  dbhra