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 187 of 554
- चेतस् cetasbright appearance, Vedic (Sāy. a reverent mind); consciousness, intelligence, the…
- चेतस cetasaat the end of an adv. comp. = cetas.
- चेत्तृ cettṛan observer, a guardian.
- चेत्य cetyaobservable, perceivable.
- चैतन्य caitanyaetc. See s.v.
- चित्6 citan interjection.
- चित्7 cita particle, = cid below.
- चित citaSee p. 322, col. 2.
- चित्कनकन्थ citkana-kanthaname of a town;
- चित्त cittaSee p. 323, col. 2.
- चित्ति2 citti(according to some commentaries) crackling, whizzing; (according to others) a sacrificial…
- चित्य cityaSee p. 322, col. 2.
- चित्र citraSee p. 323, col. 3.
- चिद् cidan enclitic particle, requiring in the Veda a preceding simple verb to retain its accent…
- चिद् cidis often joined to interrogative pronouns and adverbs (see 2. ka, katama, katara, kad…
- चिदम्बर cid-ambaraSee 5. cit, p. 323.
- चिन्त् cintcintayati, -yitum, (according to some also cl. 1. P. cintati, etc.), to think, have a…
- चिन्त cinta(?) thought;
- चिन्तक cintakathinking of, reflecting on, considering, studying, conversant, familiar with; (used at…
- चिन्तन cintanathinking, thinking of, reflecting upon, anxious thought; (pūrva-cintana, the former…
- चिन्तनीय cintanīyato be thought of or considered; to be meditated on; to be attended to; to be investigated…
- चिन्तयत् cintayatreflecting, considering, etc.
- चिन्तयान cintayānareflecting, considering, meditating.
- चिन्तयितव्य cintayitavyato be considered, to be reflected on.
- चिन्तयित्वा cintayitvāhaving thought or considered; having mused or reflected.
- चिन्ता cintāthought, especially sad or sorrowful thought, care, anxiety; reflecting on, reflection…
- चिन्तित cintitathought, considered; reflecting, considering; (ā), f., name of a woman; (am), n. thought…
- चिन्तिति cintitior cintiyā, f. thinking, consideration, reflection.
- चिन्त्य cintyato be considered or reflected; to be thought of or meditated upon; to be apprehended or…
- चिन्ति cintiname of a man (?).
- चिन्तिडी cintiḍīthe tamarind tree; (a wrong form for tintiḍī.)
- चिन्तोक्ति cintoktimidnight cry or alarm; (a wrong form for citrokti.)
- चिन्न cinnaa kind of grain, Panicum Miliaceum;
- चिन्मय cinmayaSee 5. cit, p. 323.
- चिन्वत् cinvatSee p. 322, col. 2.
- चिपट cipaṭaflat-nosed; (as), m. rice or grain flattened;
- चिपिट cipiṭablunted, flattened, pressed flat, flat, flat-nosed; (as), m. a kind of poisonous insect…
- चिपिटक cipiṭakaflattened rice.
- चिपिटिकावत् cipiṭikā-vathaving the appearance of flattened grains of rice (?).
- चिपुट cipuṭaflattened rice.
- चिप्प cippaa kind of disease of the finger-nail;
- चिप्पटजयापीड cippaṭa-jayāpīḍaname of a king of Kaśmīra, (cippaṭa = cipiṭa ?).
- चिप्पिका cippikāa kind of bird (?); (a various reading for chippikā.)
- चिप्य cipyaa kind of worm; (am), n. a disease of the finger-nail, whitlow.
- चिबुक cibukaSee civuka.
- चिमि cimia parrot; a kind of plant, from the fibres of which coarse cloth and ropes are made, =…
- चिमिक cimikaa parrot.
- चिर ciralong, lasting a long time, existing from ancient times, old; ciraṃ kālam, during a long…
- चिरत्न ciratnaold, ancient, of long standing, long-lasting, long-enduring.
- चिरन्तन cirantanaold, ancient, antiquated, of long standing.
- चिरय cirayacirayati, -te, to act slowly, delay, to be absent a long while.
- चिराय cirāyacirāyati, -te, to delay, be slow, be absent for a long time.
- चिरण्टी ciraṇṭīor ciraṇṭhī, f. a woman married or single who continues to reside after maturity in her…
- चिरतिक्त ciratiktaa kind of gentian, Gentiana Cherayta, = kirāta-tikta, (in Bengālī cirātā.)
- चिरम्भण cirambhaṇaa kind of falcon or kite;
- चिराटिका cirāṭikāname of a plant with white flowers, a kind of hogweed, Bœrhavia Erecta, = caṭikā…
- चिरातिक्त cirātiktaa sort of gentian, = ciratikta.
- चिरि1 ciria parrot;
- चिरि2 ciriciriṇoti, etc., to hurt, injure, wound or kill;
- चिरिका cirikāa kind of weapon, = cilikā.
- चिरिण्टी ciriṇṭī= ciraṇṭī above.
- चिरु ciruthe shoulder-joint.
- चिर्भट cirbhaṭaand ī, m. and f., Cucumis Utilissimus, = karkaṭī; also its fruit;
- चिर्भिट cirbhiṭaand ikā, n. f. a kind of gourd, different from the preceding;
- चिल् cilcilati, etc., to put on clothes;
- चिलमीलिका cilamīlikāa kind of necklace; a luminous flying insect, a fire-fly; lightning.
- चिलिका cilikāa kind of weapon, = cirikā.
- चिलिचिम cilicimaa kind of sprat, Clupea Cultrata, commonly vāliyā-gaḍaka (vāliyā, Cyprinus Denticulatus…
- चिलिमिनिका ciliminikāand cilimīlikā, a various reading for cilamīlikā, q.v.
- चिल्ल् cillcillati, etc., to become loose; to be slack or flaccid; to play, sport, act wantonly; to…
- चिल्ल cillablear-eyed; (as), m. a bleared or sore eye; the Bengal kite, Falco Cheela; (ī), f., cf…
- चिल्लक cillakaor ā, m. or f. a particular animal; (ā), f. a cricket, = cīrikā and jhillikā.
- चिल्लि cillia species of bird of prey; (is), f. a kind of plant; (ī), f. a cricket; a kind of…
- चिल्लिका cillikāa kind of pot-herb.
- चिवि civi= civuka, the chin.
- चिविट civiṭa= cipiṭa, flattened grain, rice, etc.
- चिविल्लिका civillikāname of a small shrub, = kṣudra-gholī, madhu-māla-pattrikā, raktadalā.
- चिवुक civukaor cibuka, am, n. the chin; (as), m., name of a tree, = mucukunda; (ās), m. pl., name of…
- चिश्चा ciścāan onomatopoetic word for a rattling sound.
- चिहणकन्थ cihaṇa-kanthaname of a town.
- चिहुर cihura= cikura, the hair of the head.
- चिह्न cihnaa mark, spot, stain, stamp, sign, badge, symbol, symptom; a banner, a standard, insignia…
- चिह्नय cihnayacihnayati, -yitum, to mark, sign, stamp, spot.
- चिह्नित cihnitamarked, signed, spotted, stained, stamped, designated; known.
- चिह्नीकृत cihnī-kṛtamarked, delineated.
- चीक् cīk10. P. cīkati and cīkayati, to endure, suffer, to be patient; to be impatient; to touch.
- चीचीकूची cīcīkūcīan onomatopoetic word for the chirping or warbling of birds.
- चीडा cīḍāa kind of perfume.
- चीण cīṇa(for cīna), name of a country.
- चीणक cīṇakaa kind of grain;
- चीति cītiSee under 1. ci.
- चीत्कार cīt-kāracrying, a cry, the braying of an ass, a noise.
- चीन cīnaname of a people, the inhabitants of China, the Chinese; (as), m. a kind of deer; Panicum…
- चीनक cīnakaan inhabitant of China, Chinese; a kind of panic, Panicum Miliaceum; fennel, = kaṅgunī…
- चीनाकर्कटी cīnākarkaṭīa kind of cucumber said to be found near Citra-kūṭa.
- चीब् cībq.v.
- चीभ् cībh(a various reading for bībh), cl. 1. A. cībhate, etc., to coax, commend, flatter; to…
- चीय् cīy(another form for cīv), cl. 1. P. A. cīyati, -te, etc., to take, receive, wear.
- चीर1 cīrain the adv. a-cīram, quick, soon, shortly.
- चीर2 cīraa strip, a long narrow piece of bark or rind; a strip of cloth, clothes, a rag, tatter…
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).