Devanagari/Alphabet
In Devanagari, there are 12 vowels and 48 consonants (conjunction consonants are also included).
The alphabet written with pronunciation
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) |
| ख | kh | khaki | खराब (kharāb, bad) |
| ग | g | girl | गाना (gānā, song, to sing) |
| घ | gh | ghee | घर (ghar, home, dwelling) |
| ङ | ṅ (like ng in sing) | finger | वाङ्मय (Vāṅmay, literature) |
| च | ch | churn | चार (chār, four) |
| छ | chh | छह (chhah, six) | |
| ज | j | Jungle | जाना (jānā, to go) |
| 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) |
| ढ | dh | Adhere | ढेर (dher, accumulation) |
| ण | n | अणु (anu, molecule) | |
| त | t | Tente | तमिल (tamil, Tamil) |
| थ | th | Thunder | |
| द | d | दो (do, two) | |
| ध | dh | They | धन्यवाद (dhanyavād, Thanks) |
| न | n | none | नमक (namak, salt) |
| प | p | punk | पति (pati, husband) |
| फ | ph | fun | फिर (phir, then) |
| 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 pronunciation) | 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) | Shrunk | श्री (shrī, Mr) |