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 224 of 554
- दासेरक dāseraka= dāsera; (ās), m. pl., name of a people to the north of Madhya-deśa, = daśeraka, q.v.
- दास्य dāsyaservitude, slavery, service.
- दास्वत् dāsvatdisposed to give, giving, liberal.
- दास2 dāsaa knowing man; a knower of the universal spirit.
- दास3 dāsa= dāśa, a fisherman, etc.
- दासनीय dāsanīyafor dāsamīya, q.v.
- दासपूर dāsapūra= dāśapūra, q.v.
- दासमीय dāsamīyaname of a people;
- दासमेय dāsameyaname of a people to the north of Madhya-deśa;
- दाससरस् dāsasarasname of a Sāman; (also read dāśaśiras.)
- दासित dāsitaSee under rt. das.
- दाह dāhaburning, combustion, conflagration; glowing redness (as of the sky; cf. dig-dāha)…
- दाहक dāhakaburning, kindling, setting on fire; causing heat or combustion; incendiary, inflammatory…
- दाहन dāhanacausing to burn, burning, inflaming, reducing to ashes; cauterizing.
- दाहनीय dāhanīyato be burnt, combustible.
- दाहिन् dāhinburning, setting on fire, burning hot; tormenting, paining;
- दाहुक dāhukaburning, inflaming.
- दाह्य dāhyato be burnt, inflammable, combustible.
- दिकम् dikamgiven by some as an indeclinable under the Gaṇa cādi.
- दिक्क dikka= karabha, a young elephant ?; (also read dhikka and vikka.)
- दिक्कन्या dik-kanyādik-kara, dik-karikā, dik-karin, etc. See under the compounds of 2. diś.
- दिक्कर1 dikkara(for 2. see p. 414, col. 3), a youth; (ī), f. a young woman;
- दिगन्त dig-antaSee under the compounds of 2. diś.
- दिग्ध digdhasmeared, anointed, plastered; soiled, polluted, defiled; (as), m. oil, ointment, unguent…
- दिङ्क diṅkaa nit, the egg of a louse or bug (= utkuṇa-ḍimbha).
- दिङ्नाग diṅ-nāgaSee under the compounds of 2. diś.
- दिण्डि diṇḍior diṇḍan, ā, m., name of one of the attendants of Skanda;
- दिण्डीय diṇḍīyaname of a man.
- दिण्डीर diṇḍīracuttle-fish bone held to be indurated sea-foam;
- दित ditaSee under rt. 3. dā at p. 408, col. 2, and 4. dā at p. 408, col. 3.
- दिति diticutting, splitting, dividing; distributing, liberality, (in this sense also fr. rt. 1…
- दित्य ditya‘a son of Diti,’ a Daitya; (a wrong form for daitya.)
- दित्यवह् ditya-vahor ditya-vāh, -vāṭ, m. (inst. dityauhā), dityauhī, f., Vedic a two-year-old steer or cow;
- दित्यौही dityauhīSee above under ditya-vah.
- दित्सा ditsādesire or intention of giving.
- दित्सु ditsuready or wishing to give, willing to grant (with acc.); ready to perform.
- दित्स्य ditsyawhat one is willing to give or ready to grant.
- दिदित्सु diditsuready or wishing to give away; (an irregular form with double reduplication.)
- दिदम्भिषु didambhiṣuintending or wishing to deceive;
- दिदिवि didiviheaven, the sky. See dīdivi.
- दिदीवि didīviboiled rice.
- दिदृक्षमाण didṛkṣamāṇawishing to see.
- दिदृक्षा didṛkṣādesire of seeing, wish to see.
- दिदृक्षु didṛkṣudesirous of seeing (with acc.); wishing or desiring to examine, desirous of inspecting.
- दिदृक्षेण्य didṛkṣeṇyaor didṛkṣeya, as, ā, am, Vedic what one likes or wishes to see, conspicuous, attracting.
- दिदेविषत् dideviṣatwishing to play or sport.
- दिद्दा diddāname of a princess of Kaśmīra.
- दिद्यु didyua missile weapon, arrow; (Sāy.) a shining weapon; the sky, heaven.
- दिद्युत् didyutan arrow, a missile (especially the missiles of the gods and the thunderbolt of Indra)…
- दिद्योतिषु didyotiṣuwishing to shine.
- दिधक्ष् didhakṣwishing or intending to burn.
- दिधक्षमाण didhakṣamāṇawishing to burn.
- दिधक्षयत् didhakṣayatdesiring to burn.
- दिधक्षा didhakṣādesire or wish to burn or consume by fire.
- दिधक्षु didhakṣuintending to burn or destroy, desirous of burning.
- दिधि didhifirmness, stability, fixed state of mind or being;
- दिधिक्ष् didhikṣintending to smear.
- दिधिषाय्य didhiṣāyya‘to be tried to be gained,’ an epithet of Agni; (Sāy.) a supporter; (as), m. a pretended…
- दिधिषु didhiṣuwishing or trying to gain or obtain; (us), m. a suitor; a husband; the second husband of…
- दिधीषू didhīṣū= didhiṣū.
- दिन1 dinaSee rt. 3. dā, p. 408, col. 2.
- दिन2 dinaa day;
- दिनिका dinikāa day's wages, hire for a day or by the day.
- दिन्नाग्राम dinnā-grāmaname of a village of the Khāśakas.
- दिन्व् dinvdinvati, etc., to be glad, to gladden; to please, to be pleased;
- दिप् dipdepate, etc., to drop; (various reading for tip.)
- दिप्सु dipsuintending to hurt or injure;
- दिम्प् dimpdimpayate, etc., to accumulate, order, direct;
- दिम्भ् dimbhdimbhayate, etc., to accumulate; P. dimbhayati, etc., to order, command, direct; to…
- दिय diyato be given, deserving of a gift, (according to Durga on Nirukta III. 15 = deya or…
- दिर् dir‘a fracture’ in kalaśa-dir, q.v.
- दिरिपक diripaka(?), a ball for playing with.
- दिलीप dilī-paname of a king and ancestor of Rāma, son of Aṃśu-mat and father of Bhagīratha;
- दिलीर dilīra= śilīndhraka, a mushroom.
- दिल्ह dilhaname of a man;
- दिव्1 divdevati, cl. 10. P. devayati, -yitum, to cause to lament, to pain, vex; to ask, beseech…
- दिव्2 divdīvyati, dideva (2nd sing. didevitha, part. didivas, or according to Vopa-deva dudyūvas)…
- दिव्3 div(in the Veda usually m., rarely f., but in later Sanskrit only f. In the Veda the acc…
- दिव diva= 3. div, heaven, sky, atmosphere; paradise; a day; a wood, thicket;
- दिवन् divana day;.
- दिवस divasathe sky, heaven; a day (generally as, m.);
- दिवा divāby day, see 3. div, p. 413, col. 2; a-divā, not by day.
- दिवि divithe blue jay, = kikīdivi.
- दिवी divīa species of insect, = upa-jihvā, upadīkā.
- दिव्य1 divyadivyati, etc., to long for heaven.
- दिव्य2 divyadivine, heavenly, celestial, (opposed to pārthiva, kṣamya, bhauma, etc.); supernatural…
- दिव्यक divyakaa kind of serpent; another species of animal, = dhanvina;
- दिव्येलक divyelakaa kind of serpent (= divyaka ?).
- दीव् dīv(acc. dyuvam, dat. dīve and dyuve), Vedic gambling, gaming, playing with dice.
- दीवन dīvanagambling, playing with dice;
- दीवि dīvithe blue jay;
- दीव्यत् dīvyatplaying, sporting, gambling.
- दीव्यमान dīvyamānaplaying, sporting; throwing, darting, shooting.
- दिविर diviraname of a man.
- दिश्1 diśin later Sanskrit cl. 6. P. (rarely A.) dideṣṭi, diśati, -te, dideśa, didiśe, dekṣyati…
- दिश्2 diśdirection pointed at, point of the compass, quarter of the sky, cardinal point, quarter…
- दिश diśa= 2. diś, at the end of adv. comp. (Pāṇ. V. 4, 107).
- दिशस् diśasa region, quarter, etc.;
- दिशा diśādirection, region, quarter or point of the compass; name of a wife of Rudra;
- दिश्य diśyarelating or belonging to the quarters of the sky or to the horizon; situated towards any…
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).