Namaste and welcome!
In today’s lesson, we will learn about the Nepali alphabet, also known as Devanagari script.
This alphabet is the foundation of the Nepali language and is used in reading, writing, and speaking.
We’ll explore the vowels and consonants, how they are written, and how to pronounce them correctly.
Whether you’re a beginner or want to improve your skills, this lesson will help you get comfortable with the Nepali script.
Let’s begin our journey into the beautiful world of the Nepali alphabet!
The Nepali alphabet, used to write the Nepali language, is based on the Devanagari script. Here are the basic characters of the Nepali alphabet:
Vowels (स्वर)
अ, आ, इ, ई, उ, ऊ, ऋ, ए, ऐ, ओ, औ, अं, अः
a, ā, i, ī, u, ū, ṛ, e, ai, o, au, ṃ, ḥ
Consonants (व्यञ्जन)
क, ख, ग, घ, ङ
ka, kha, ga, gha, ṅa
च, छ, ज, झ, ञ
ca, cha, ja, jha, ña
ट, ठ, ड, ढ, ण
ṭa, ṭha, ḍa, ḍha, ṇa
त, थ, द, ध, न
ta, tha, da, dha, na
प, फ, ब, भ, म
pa, pha, ba, bha, ma
य, र, ल, व
ya, ra, la, va
श, ष, स, ह
śa, ṣa, sa, ha
क्ष, त्र, ज्ञ
kṣa, tra, gya
Additional Characters
- ऋ (Ṛ) represents a vowel sound.
- क्ष (kṣa), त्र (tra), and ज्ञ (gya) are conjunct consonants.
In the Nepali script (Devanagari), dependent vowels are diacritical marks attached to consonants to modify their inherent vowel sound. These marks are called “matras” and they change the pronunciation of the consonant they are attached to. Here are the dependent vowels (matras) in Nepali:
Dependent Vowels (Matras)
| Independent Vowel | Dependent Vowel | Symbol | Example | Transliteration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| अ | – | क | ka | |
| आ | ा | ा | का | kā |
| इ | ि | ि | कि | ki |
| ई | ी | ी | की | kī |
| उ | ु | ु | कु | ku |
| ऊ | ू | ू | कू | kū |
| ऋ | ृ | ृ | कृ | kṛ |
| ए | े | े | के | ke |
| ऐ | ै | ै | कै | kai |
| ओ | ो | ो | को | ko |
| औ | ौ | ौ | कौ | kau |
| अं | ं | ं | कं | kaṃ |
| अः | ः | ः | कः | kaḥ |
Examples
- क + ा = का (kā)
- क + ि = कि (ki)
- क + ी = की (kī)
- क + ु = कु (ku)
- क + ू =. कू (kū)
- क + ृ = कृ (kṛ)
- क + े = के (ke)
- क + ै = कै (kai)
- क + ो = को (ko)
- क + ौ = कौ (kau)
- क + ं = कं (kaṃ)
- क + ः = कः (kaḥ)
These dependent vowels are crucial for correct pronunciation and meaning in Nepali. They modify the inherent ‘a’ vowel sound present in consonants to form different syllables.
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