Sanskrit Phonology
Sanskrit Phonology#
The Sanskrit consonant system organizes consonants by place of articulation and manner of production.
Interactive Phonology Diagram#
This interactive phonology diagram maps Sanskrit consonants to their articulation points (uccāraṇa-sthāna).
Click or hover to highlight the place of articulation and the corresponding table row.
| Varga / Place | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
|---|
| 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 |
| Semivowel | Devanagari | IAST |
|---|
| Palatal | य | ya |
| Retroflex | र | ra |
| Dental | ल | la |
| Labial | व | va |
| Sibilant | Devanagari | IAST |
|---|
| Palatal | श | śa |
| Retroflex | ष | ṣa |
| Dental | स | sa |
| Glottal (velar) | ह | ha |
Phonological Features#
- Voicing (Ghoṣa): Voiced vs. unvoiced consonant pairs
- Example Voiced: ग (ga), द (da), ब (ba)
- Example Voiceless: क (ka), त (ta), प (pa)
- Aspiration (Prāṇa): Unaspirated (alpaprāṇa) vs. aspirated (mahāprāṇa) stops
- Example Unaspirated: क (ka)
- Example Aspirated: ख (kha)
- Retroflexes: Distinctive to Sanskrit; tongue tip curls back during articulation
- Dental: flat tongue at teeth
- Nasalization: Anusvāra assimilates to the place of the following consonant
This distinction is phonemic (changes meaning).
Consonant Classes (Varga)#
Note: the trailing ‘a’ is added to the consonants to ease pronunciation
Stop and Nasal Consonants (Sparśa & Anunāsika)#
| Place | Symbol | | | | |
|---|
| — | unvoiced | unvoiced | voiced | voiced | nasal |
| — | unaspirated | aspirated | unaspirated | aspirated | |
| Velar (कण्ठ्य) | क (ka) | ख (kha) | ग (ga) | घ (gha) | ङ (ṅa) |
| Palatal (तालव्य) | च (ca) | छ (cha) | ज (ja) | झ (jha) | ञ (ña) |
| Retroflex (मूर्धन्य) | ट (ṭa) | ठ (ṭha) | ड (ḍa) | ढ (ḍha) | ण (ṇa) |
| Dental (दन्त्य) | त (ta) | थ (tha) | द (da) | ध (dha) | न (na) |
| Labial (ओष्ठ्य) | प (pa) | फ (pha) | ब (ba) | भ (bha) | म (ma) |
Semivowels (Antastha) & Sibilants (Ūṣman)#
| Place | Semivowel | Sibilant |
|---|
| Palatal | य (ya) | श (śa) |
| Retroflex | र (ra) | ष (ṣa) |
| Dental | ल (la) | स (sa) |
| Labial | व (va) | — |
| Glottal | — | ह (ha) |
Vowels (Svara)#
Simple Vowels (śuddha)#
| Place | Devanāgarī | IAST |
|---|
| velar | अ, आ | a ā |
| palatal | इ, ई | i, ī |
| labial | उ, ऊ | u, ū |
| retroflex | ऋ, ॠ | ṛ, ṝ |
| dental | ऌ | ḷ |
Diphthongs (saṃyukta)#
| Devanāgarī | IAST | |
|---|
| ए, ऐ | e, ai | a/ā + i/ī, a/ā + e/ai |
| ओ, औ | o, au | a/ā + u/ū, a/ā + o/au |
Anusvāra and Visarga#
| Place | Devanāgarī | IAST |
|---|
| nasal | अं | aṃ |
| glottal | अ: | aḥ |