Pronunciation guide: Devanagari, IAST and endings
Vowels
| अ | a | a in “about” |
| आ | ā | a in “father” (long) |
| इ | i | i in “sit” |
| ई | ī | ee in “see” (long) |
| उ | u | u in “put” |
| ऊ | ū | oo in “food” (long) |
| ऋ | ṛ | vowel r, like “ri” in “rich” (short) |
| ॠ | ṝ | the same, held longer |
| ऌ | ḷ | vowel l, like “le” in “table” |
| ए | e | ay in “day” (always long) |
| ऐ | ai | ai in “aisle” |
| ओ | o | o in “go” (always long) |
| औ | au | ow in “now” |
Vowel signs (mātrās) after a consonant: का kā · कि ki · की kī · कु ku · कू kū · कृ kṛ · के ke · कै kai · को ko · कौ kau. A consonant with no sign has a built-in short a (क = ka).
Consonants
Throat (velar)
| क | k | k in “skin” |
| ख | kh | k with a puff, “blockhead” |
| ग | g | g in “go” |
| घ | gh | gh in “doghouse” |
| ङ | ṅ | ng in “sing” |
Palate
| च | c | ch in “church” |
| छ | ch | ch with a puff, “staunch heart” |
| ज | j | j in “jam” |
| झ | jh | dgeh in “hedgehog” |
| ञ | ñ | ny in “canyon” |
Tongue curled back (retroflex)
| ट | ṭ | t with the tongue tip curled back |
| ठ | ṭh | the same with a puff |
| ड | ḍ | d, tongue curled back |
| ढ | ḍh | the same with a puff |
| ण | ṇ | n, tongue curled back |
Teeth (dental)
| त | t | t with the tongue on the teeth (French t) |
| थ | th | t with a puff, “at home” (never “thin”) |
| द | d | d on the teeth |
| ध | dh | dh in “adhere” |
| न | n | n in “nut” |
Lips
| प | p | p in “spin” |
| फ | ph | p with a puff, “uphill” (never “f”) |
| ब | b | b in “bat” |
| भ | bh | bh in “abhor” |
| म | m | m in “mat” |
Others
| य | y | y in “yes” |
| र | r | a light tapped r |
| ल | l | l in “love” |
| व | v | between v and w |
| श | ś | sh in “shine” |
| ष | ṣ | sh with the tongue curled back |
| स | s | s in “sun” |
| ह | h | h in “hand” |
An h after a consonant (kh, gh, th, dh, ph, bh…) means a puff of breath; it is never the English “th”, “ph” or “sh” sound.
Special signs
| कं | ṃ | anusvāra: a nasal hum, sounding like the nasal of the next consonant (saṃskṛta) |
| कः | ḥ | visarga: a soft breath echoing the vowel before it (devaḥ ≈ “deva-ha”) |
| क् | — | virāma: removes the built-in a (क ka → क् k) |
| कँ | m̐ | candrabindu: the vowel is said through the nose |
| कऽ | ’ | avagraha: an a dropped after e or o (so ’ham = so aham) |
What the marks in IAST mean
- Line on top (ā ī ū ṝ): a long vowel, held about twice as long.
- Dot under r, l (ṛ ṝ ḷ): r or l used as a vowel.
- Dot under t, d, n, s (ṭ ḍ ṇ ṣ): tongue tip curled back (retroflex).
- ṃ: anusvāra (nasal hum) · ḥ: visarga (echoing breath).
- ṅ: ng as in “sing” · ñ: ny as in “canyon” · ś: sh as in “shine”.
Long and short syllables, and stress
A syllable is heavy if its vowel is long (ā ī ū ṝ e ai o au), or it is followed by two consonants, or it ends in ṃ or ḥ; otherwise it is light. Usual modern stress (as in Latin): stress the second-last syllable if it is heavy (saṃ·skṛ·ta: skṛ is light, so the stress falls on the heavy saṃ; ma·hā·bhā·ra·ta; rā·mā·ya·ṇa); if not, go back to the third-last, then the fourth-last. Old Vedic pitch accents are not shown.
Common endings (inflections)
Nouns: deva (masculine, “god”)
| devaḥ | the god (subject) | devāḥ | the gods |
| devam | the god (object) | devān | the gods (object) |
| devena | by / with the god | devaiḥ | by the gods |
| devāya | to / for the god | devebhyaḥ | to / for the gods |
| devāt | from the god | devebhyaḥ | from the gods |
| devasya | of the god | devānām | of the gods |
| deve | in / on the god | deveṣu | in the gods |
| he deva | O god! | he devāḥ | O gods! |
Verbs: bhū “to be, become”, present tense
| bhavati | he / she / it is | bhavanti | they are |
| bhavasi | you are (one person) | bhavatha | you are (several) |
| bhavāmi | I am | bhavāmaḥ | we are |
Dictionary headwords are stems (deva, bhū); in texts the words carry these endings, and sounds join across word boundaries (sandhi).
Sanskrit Dictionary
Dictionary scope: अ a, आ ā, ब b, भ bh, इ i, ई ī, उ u, ऊ ū, ऋ ṛ, ॠ ṝ, ऌ ḷ, ए e, ऐ ai, ओ o, औ au, क k, ख kh, ग g, घ gh, ङ ṅ, च c, छ ch, ज j, झ jh, ञ ñ, ट ṭ, ठ ṭh, ड ḍ, ढ ḍh, ण ṇ, त t, थ th, द d, ध dh, न n, प p, फ ph, म m, य y, र r, ल l, व v, श ś, ष ṣ, स s and ह h · 114,538 entries
Every headword in Monier Williams’ Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1872), in Sanskrit alphabetical order. Jump by letter above, use the page tabs, or keep scrolling — more words load as you go.
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55,387 headwords · page 148 of 554
- कासार kāsāraa pond, a pool.
- कासीराम kāsīrāmaname of a man; (more correctly kāśī-rāma?).
- कासीस kāsīsagreen vitriol, green sulphate of iron;
- कासू kāsūa sort of spear or lance; indistinct speech; speech in general; light, lustre; disease…
- कासृति kā-sṛtia by-way, a secret path.
- कास्तीर kāstīraname of a town.
- काहका kāhakāa kind of musical instrument;
- काहल kāhaladry, withered; large, excessive; mischievous; (as), m. a cat; a cock; a sound in general…
- काहलिन् kāhalinname of a Ṛṣi.
- काहलि kāhalian epithet of Śiva.
- काहाबाह kāhābāhaa rumbling noise in the bowels.
- काही kāhīthe plant Wrightia Antidysenterica;
- काहूजी kāhūjīname of the father of the writer Mahādeva (author of an astronomical work).
- कि1 kia pronominal base, like ka and ku, in the words kim, kiyat, kis, kīdṛkṣa, kīdṛś, kīdṛśa…
- कि2 kia verbal root;
- किंस्त्य kiṃstyaa kind of fruit (?).
- किकि kikia blue jay; the cocoa tree, Nārikela;
- किकिदिव kikidivaor kikidivi, is, m. or kikidīvi, is, m. a blue jay; Vedic another kind of animal.
- किकिन् kikinor kikī, f. a blue jay.
- किकीदिव kikīdivaor kikīdivi or kikīdīvi, is, m. a blue jay.
- किकिरा kikirā(with 1. kṛ) to tear in pieces, to rend into rags and tatters.
- किक्किटा kikkiṭāan onomatopoetic word used like an interjection in invocations.
- किक्किश kikkiśaa kind of worm, pernicious to the hair, nails, and teeth.
- किक्किसाद kikkisādaa species of snake.
- किक्नस kiknasaparticles of ground corn, bruised grain, groats.
- किखि kikhia monkey, an ape; (is), f. a small jackal, a fox.
- किङ्कणी kiṅkaṇīa small bell; (a various reading for kiṅkiṇī, q.v.)
- किङ्कर kiṅkaraetc. See under kim below.
- किङ्किण kiṅkiṇa(an onomatopoetic word), a kind of musical instrument; name of a son of Bhajamāna.
- किङ्किणि kiṅkiṇior ī, f. a small bell; a girdle of small bells, or any tinkling ornament; name of an acid…
- किङ्किणीक kiṅkiṇīkaor am, m. or n. (?), a small bell.
- किङ्किणीकिन् kiṅkiṇīkinornamented or decorated with small bells.
- किङ्किर kiṅkiraa horse; the Indian cuckoo, the Kokila or Koil; a large black bee; Kāmadeva, the god of…
- किङ्किरात kiṅkirātaa parrot; the Indian cuckoo or Kokila; Kāma-deva, the god of love; the tree Jonesia…
- किङ्किराल kiṅkirālaname of a plant, = varvūra.
- किङ्किरिन् kiṅkirinname of a plant, commonly Buïnchi, Flacourtia Sapida;
- किङ्क्षण kiṅ-kṣaṇaSee under kim next col.
- किञ्च kiñcaSee under kim next col.
- किञ्चन1 kiñcanaa species of the Palāśa or Butea Frondosa. (For 2. kiñ-cana see under 2. ka and kim…
- किञ्चनक kiñcanakaname of a king of the Nāgas.
- किञ्चित् kiñcitetc. See under kim next col.
- किञ्चिलिक kiñcilikaor kiñculaka or kiñculuka, as, m. an earth-worm.
- किञ्ज kiñjathe blossom of the plant Mesua Ferrea; the filament of a lotus.
- किञ्जल kiñjalathe filament of a plant, especially of a lotus.
- किञ्जल्क kiñjalkathe filament of a plant, especially the filament or blossom of a lotus; (am), n. the…
- किञ्जल्किन् kiñjalkinconsisting of filaments.
- किट् kiṭkeṭati, cikeṭa, keṭitum, to go or approach, to alarm or terrify; to dread, fear.
- किटकिटाय kiṭakiṭāya(an onomatopoetic expression), A. kiṭakiṭāyate, to gnash the teeth.
- किटि kiṭia hog;
- किटिभ kiṭibhaa bug; a louse, = keśa-kīṭa; (am), n. a species of exanthema;
- किटिम kiṭimaor am, m. or n. (?), a species of leprosy.
- किट्ट kiṭṭaor kiṭṭaka, am, n. secretion, excretion, excrement, dirt.
- किट्टाल kiṭṭālascoria, rust of iron etc.; a copper vessel.
- किट्टिम kiṭṭimaa kind of liquid.
- किण kiṇaa corn, a callosity; a scar; a wart, a mole; an insect found in wood.
- किणि kiṇior kiṇihī, f. the plant Achyranthes Aspera;
- किण्व kiṇvaferment, a drug or seed used to produce fermentation in the manufacture of spirits from…
- किण्विन् kiṇvina horse;
- कित् kitSee cit and ketaya.
- कित kitaname of a man.
- कितव kitavaa gamester, a gambler; a cheat, a fraudulent man or woman; a mad or crazy person; name of…
- किनाट kināṭathe inner bark of a tree.
- किन्तनु kin-tanuetc. See under kim.
- किन्दुविल्व kinduvilvaor am, m. or n. (?), or according to various readings kinduvilla, kendu-villa, or…
- किन्धिन् kindhina horse; (a various reading for kilkin.)
- किन्नु kin-nuSee under kim below.
- किप्य kipyaa kind of worm.
- किम् kim(originally nom. and acc. sing. n. of 2. ka, q.v.), how? whence? wherefore? why?
- किम् kimis much used as a particle of interrogation like the Latin num, an, sometimes…
- किम् kimis very frequently connected with other particles, as follows: kim aṅga, wherefore then?…
- किंयु kiṃ-yuwhat wishing?
- किमीय kimīyabelonging or relating to whom or what?
- किमीदिन् kimīdinname of a class of evil spirits.
- कियत् kiyathow great? how large? how far? how much? of what extent? of what qualities? (Vedic loc…
- कियाम्बु kiyāmbua kind of aquatic plant.
- कियाह kiyāhaa fox, a horse of a red or bay colour.
- कियेधा kiye-dhācontaining or surrounding much, epithet of Indra.
- किर kiraa hog.
- किरक kirakaa scribe.
- किरण kiraṇadust, very small dust; a rein (?); a ray or beam of light, a sun or moon-beam; the sun…
- किरत् kirator antī, at, scattering, spreading; lighting, shedding light.
- किरि kiria hog, = kiṭi.
- किरिक kirikasparkling, beaming.
- किर्याणी kiryāṇīa wild hog.
- किरात kirātaname of a degraded mountain-tribe, one of the barbarous tribes who inhabit woods and…
- किरातक kirātaka(at the end of compounds) the warrior or mountain-tribe of the Kirātas; name of a plant…
- किराति kirātian epithet of the river Gaṅgā;
- किरातिनी kirātinīname of a plant, the Indian spikenard;
- किरारि kirāriname of a people; (a various reading has virāri.)
- किरिकिच्चिका kirikiccikāa kind of musical instrument.
- किरिटि kiriṭithe fruit of the marshy date tree, Phœnix Paludosa.
- किरिश kiriśaname of a man.
- किरीट kirīṭaor am, m. or n., a diadem, a crest, a garland or any ornament used as a crown, a tiara…
- किरीटिन् kirīṭindecorated with a diadem, crested, crowned; (ī), m. a king; an epithet of Indra; one of…
- किरोडाट्य kiroḍāṭyakiroḍāṭyati, to cheat.
- किर्मिर kirmiravariegated;
- किर्मी kirmīa hall, a building, an apartment; an image of gold, a figure of iron; the Palāśa tree…
- किर्मीर kirmīravariegated; (as), m. a variegated colour; the orange tree; name of a Rākṣasa or goblin…
- किर्मीरित kirmīritavariegated, spotted.
- किर्याणी kiryāṇīSee under kira.
Source and licence. Monier Williams, A Sanskrit-English Dictionary, Etymologically and Philologically Arranged (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1872; first edition). Digital text: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries (MW72, csl-orig/v02/mw72), © Cologne Digital Sanskrit Lexicon project contributors, Cologne University, accessed 7 October 2026, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0, provided without warranty.
Changes made here: entries for अ a, आ ā, ब b, भ bh, इ i, ई ī, उ u, ऊ ū, ऋ ṛ, ॠ ṝ, ऌ ḷ, ए e, ऐ ai, ओ o, औ au, क k, ख kh, ग g, घ gh, ङ ṅ, च c, छ ch, ज j, झ jh, ञ ñ, ट ṭ, ठ ṭh, ड ḍ, ढ ḍh, ण ṇ, त t, थ th, द d, ध dh, न n, प p, फ ph, म m, य y, र r, ल l, व v, श ś, ष ṣ, स s and ह h only; meanings trimmed for length and MW abbreviations expanded; Devanagari generated from the SLP1 keys with indic_transliteration; spelling notes, IPA pronunciations and labelled (“inferred”/“not given”) etymologies added. This adapted dictionary text is shared under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence. Fonts: Noto Serif and Noto Serif Devanagari (SIL Open Font License).