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 16 of 554
- अनपहृत an-apahṛtanot carried off, not stolen.
- अनपाकरण an-apākaraṇaor an-apākarman, a, n. (in law) non-payment, nondelivery.
- अनपाय an-apāyafree from loss, undiminished; not passing away, imperishable; (as), m. freedom from loss…
- अनपायिन् anapāyinnot transient, imperishable; unfailing.
- अनपावृत् an-apāvṛtnot turned away, unremittingly.
- अनपाश्रय an-apāśrayanot dependent.
- अनपुंसक a-napuṃsaka(in gram.) not a neuter.
- अनपूपीय an-apūpīyaor an-apūpya, as, ā, am, unfit for (apūpa) cakes. See apūpa.
- अनपेक्ष an-apekṣaregardless, careless; indifferent; impartial; irrespective; irrelevant; (ā), f…
- अनपेक्षित an-apekṣitadisregarded; unheeded; unexpected.
- अनपेक्षिन् an-apekṣinregardless, careless; indifferent, etc.
- अनपेक्ष्य an-apekṣyadisregarding, irrespective of.
- अनपेत an-apetanot gone off, not past; not separated, faithful to, possessed of.
- अनप्त an-aptanot watery.
- अनप्नस् an-apnasdestitute of means (?), merit (?), shape (?),
- अनप्सरस् an-apsarasunlike an Apsaras, unworthy of an Apsaras.
- अनफा anaphāa particular configuration of the planets.
- अनभिज्ञ an-abhijñaunacquainted with, ignorant.
- अनभिद्रुह् an-abhidruhnot malicious.
- अनभिप्रेत an-abhipretasomething different from (or the reverse of) what was intended.
- अनभिभूत an-abhibhūtanot overcome, unsurpassed; not beset, unobstructed.
- अनभिमत an-abhimatanot to one's mind, disliked.
- अनभिम्लात an-abhi-mlātaunfaded.
- अनभिम्लान an-abhimlāna(non-fading), name of the chief of a Gotra.
- अनभिरूप an-abhirūpaor ī, am, not handsome, not pleasing.
- अनभिलक्षित an-abhilakṣitadestitute of (masonic?) marks or symbols, an impostor.
- अनभिलाष an-abhilāṣanon-relish; want of appetite; want of desire.
- अनभिलाषिन् an-abhilāṣinnot desirous.
- अनभिव्यक्त an-abhivyaktaindistinct.
- अनभिशस्त an-abhiśastaor an-abhiśasti, is, is, i, or an-abhiśastya, as, ā, am, Vedic blameless, faultless.
- अनभिषङ्ग an-abhiṣaṅgaor an-abhiṣvaṅga, as, m. absence of connection or attachment.
- अनभिसन्धान an-abhisandhānaor an-abhisandhi, is, m. absence of a (latent) design; disinterestedness.
- अनभिसम्बन्ध an-abhisambandhaunconnected.
- अनभिस्नेह an-abhisnehanot affectionate, impassible.
- अनभिहित an-abhihitanot named; (Vedic) not fastened; (as), m., name of the chief of a Gotra.
- अनभीशु an-abhīśuunbridled; epithet of the sun.
- अनभ्यनुज्ञा an-abhyanujñānon-permission.
- अनभ्यारूढ an-abhyārūḍhanot ascended, not mounted.
- अनभ्याश an-abhyāśaor an-abhyāsa, as, ā, am, not near, distant.
- अनभ्यास an-abhyāsawant of practice or skill.
- अनभ्रक an-abhraka‘cloudless;’ name of a class of Bauddha divinities (generally in m. pl.).
- अनभ्रि an-abhri(requiring) no shovel or scraper; epithet of rain-water.
- अनम a-namaone who needs not make a salutation to others; a Brāhman.
- अनमस्य a-namasyaunworthy of a salutation.
- अनमितम्पच an-amitam-paca(the same as mitam-paca), not cooking what has not first been weighed, niggardly, miserly.
- अनमित्र an-amitrahaving no enemies; (am), n. condition of having no enemies; (as), m., name of various…
- अनमीव an-amīvafree from disease, well, comfortable; salubrious, salutary; sinless; (am), n. good…
- अनम्बर an-ambarawearing no clothing, naked; (as), m. a Buddhist mendicant.
- अनय1 a-nayabad management; bad conduct (gambling, etc.).
- अनय2 an-ayaevil course, ill luck; misfortune, adversity.
- अनरण्य an-araṇyaname of a king of Ayodhyā, said by some to have been Pṛthu's father.
- अनरुस् an-arusnot sore or wounded, healed, well, sound.
- अनर्गल an-argalafree from bars, free, licentious.
- अनर्घ an-arghapriceless, invaluable; (as), m. wrong value.
- अनर्घ्य an-arghyapriceless, not to be had at any price; anything but valuable.
- अनर्थ an-arthanon-value; a worthless or useless object; disappointing occurrence, reverse, evil…
- अनर्थक an-arthakauseless, vain, worthless; meaningless, nonsensical.
- अनर्थ्य an-arthyaworthless, useless.
- अनर्पण an-arpaṇanon-surrendering, not giving up.
- अनर्व an-arvaor an-arvan, ā, ā, a, Vedic not liable to be stayed or limited; unobstructed…
- अनर्विश्1 anar-viśseated on the car (anas) or cart; a driver.
- अनर्विश्2 an-ar-viśone who fails to reach his destination.
- अनर्शनि an-arśaniname of a demon slain by Indra; (etym. doubtful.)
- अनर्शराति an-arśa-rātigiving of uninjurious things, one whose gifts do not hurt.
- अनर्ह an-arhaor an-arhat, an, antī, at, undeserving of punishment or of reward; unworthy; inadequate…
- अनर्ह्यता anarhya-tācondition of not being properly estimated; inadequacy, unsuitableness.
- अनल analafire; Agni, the god of fire; digestive power, gastric juice, bile; wind; N. or epithet of…
- अनलङ्करिष्णु an-alaṅkariṣṇunot given to the use of ornaments; not ornamented.
- अनलम् an-alamnot enough; insufficiently.
- अनलस an-alasanot lazy, active.
- अनलि analia tree, Sesbana Grandiflora.
- अनल्प an-alpanot a little, much, numerous.
- अनव anavaname of a man or a tribe, = anu.
- अनवकाश an-avakāśahaving no opportunity; uncalled for (there being no “occasion” for it), inapplicable.
- अनवगाहिन् an-avagāhinnot dipping into, not studying.
- अनवगाह्य an-avagāhyaunfathomable.
- अनवगीत an-avagītanot made an object of a contemptuous song, not blamed.
- अनवग्रह an-avagraharesistless; not to be intercepted.
- अनवग्लायत् an-avaglāyatnot growing remiss.
- अनवच्छिन्न an-avacchinnanot intersected, uninterrupted; not marked off, unbounded, unlimited, immoderate…
- अनवत् ana-vatendowed with breath or life.
- अनवतप्त an-avatapta(among Buddhists) name of a serpent king; name of a lake, = Rāvaṇa-hrada.
- अनवद्य an-avadyairreproachable, faultless; unobjectionable; (ā), f., name of an Apsaras.
- अनवद्राण an-avadrāṇanot going to sleep, not sleepy.
- अनवधर्ष्य an-avadharṣyanot to be defied.
- अनवधान an-avadhānainattention, inadvertence; (as, ā, am), inattentive, careless.
- अनवधि an-avadhiunlimited.
- अनवधृष्य an-avadhṛṣyaimpossible to be put down or injured.
- अनवन an-avanaaffording no help or protection.
- अनवनामितवैजयन्त an-avanāmita-vaijayanta(having victorious banners unlowered, ever prosperous; Buddhist term for) a future…
- अनवपृग्ण an-avapṛgṇanot closely united, but spreading all around.
- अनवबुध्यमान an-avabudhyamānaderanged.
- अनवब्रव an-avabravanot speaking without effect; speaking authoritatively; or irreproachable (?).
- अनवभ्र an-avabhranot carried off (?); undiminished (?); enduring (?).
- अनवम an-avamanot low; exalted.
- अनवमर्शम् an-avamarśamwithout touching.
- अनवर an-avaranot inferior; excellent.
- अनवरत an-avarataincessant; (am), ind. incessantly.
- अनवरथ an-avarathaname of a son of Madhu and father of Kuruvasta.
- अनवरार्ध्य an-avarārdhyachief, principal.
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).