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.
Search in IAST (ātman), plain letters (atman), Devanagari (आत्मन्) or English (fire). Pronunciation key · English index · Random entry
Jump to letter
All words A–Z
55,387 headwords · page 242 of 554
- नान nānaname of a man.
- नानद nānadaname of a Sāman;
- नानन्द nānandascil. indrasya, name of a Sāman;
- नानर्दमान nānardamānasounding loudly, roaring lustily.
- नाना nānāin different or various ways, in different places, manifoldly, differently, variously…
- नानानम् nānānam= nānā, differently, separately, etc.
- नानान्द्र nānāndraa husband's sister's son, a sister-in-law's son.
- नानुष्ठेय nānuṣṭheyanot to be performed, improper, unusual, not right.
- नानू nānūname of a man.
- नान्त nāntaendless.
- नान्तरीयक nāntarīyakainseparable, invariably connected.
- नान्त्र nāntrapraise, eulogy;
- नान्द nāndarelating to Nanda.
- नान्दन nāndanaa pleasure-garden, a paradise, elysium;
- नान्दिन् nāndinthe speaker of the benediction before the commencement of a play.
- नान्दी nāndījoy, satisfaction; prosperity; eulogium or praise of a deity, or a prayer recited in…
- नान्दीक nāndīkaa post in a door-way set up for good luck; (also read as du. nāndīkau.)
- नान्दुक nāndukaname of a man.
- नापि nāpinot even. See na.
- नापित nāpita(according to some a corruption of snāpitṛ, one who bathes), a barber, a shaver; (ī), f…
- नापितायनि nāpitāyanithe son or offspring of a barber.
- नापित्य nāpityathe son of a barber; (am), n. the trade or business of a barber.
- नाभ् nābhan opening, aperture, mouth (?); a rent (?); (Sāy.) destructive, obstructing.
- नाभ nābhaSee p. 478, col. 1.
- नाभक nābhakaa myrobalan, Terminalia Chebula.
- नाभस nābhasacelestial, heavenly, appearing in the sky; (with yoga) name of certain constellations…
- नाभाक nābhākabelonging to or composed by Nabhāka; (as), m. (like nabhāka), Vedic, name of a Ṛṣi of the…
- नाभाग nābhāganame of a son of Manu Vaivasvata; a patronymic of Ambarīṣa; a son of Manu and father of…
- नाभागि nābhāgia patronymic of Ambarīṣa.
- नाभि nābhior nābhī, f., the navel; any navel-like cavity; the nave of a wheel; the centre, focus…
- नाभ nābha(substituted for nābhi at the end of an adj. comp.), the navel; the nave of a wheel; the…
- नाभिक nābhika(at the end of an adj. comp.) = nābhi (e.g. ṣaṇ-ṇābhika, having six naves); (ā), f. a…
- नाभिल nābhilarelating to or coming from a navel;
- नाभील nābhīlathe groin of a woman; a prominent or ruptured navel; the cavity of the navel; pain.
- नाभेय nābheyaa patronymic of Ṛṣabha, first Arhat of the Jainas.
- नाभ्य nābhyaproceeding from the navel, being in the navel, umbilical, of or relating to the navel…
- नाभिजात nābhijātanot well-born, not noble, low-bred, ignoble.
- नाभिमान nābhimānaabsence of pride, humbleness.
- नाम nāmaSee under nāman below.
- नामतिक nāmatikadressed in woollen cloth.
- नामधेय nāma-dheyaSee under nāman.
- नामन् nāmana mark by which anything is known, sign, token (Vedic); form, manner, mode, character…
- नामक nāmaka(at the end of an adj. comp.) = nāman, e.g. kṛta-nāmaka, one to whom a name has been…
- नामतस् nāma-tasby name, namely, with the name, with respect to the name; (in Bhāgavata-Purāṇa V. 12, 8…
- नामथा nāma-thāby name.
- नामिक nāmikarelating to a name or to a noun.
- नामि nāmian epithet of Viṣṇu.
- नामित nāmitabent, bent down, bowed.
- नामिन् nāminbending; (in grammar) changing a dental to a cerebral, a N. given to all the vowels…
- नाम्य nāmyato be bent (as a bow etc.), bendable, pliable, pliant.
- नाम्ब nāmbaa species of grain, (also read āmba); (as, ī, am), consisting of Nāmba.
- नाय nāyaa leader, guide, driver (e.g. in aśva-n˚, go-n˚); perhaps name of a man; = naya, guiding…
- नायक nāyakaguiding, leading, conducting; (as), m. a guide, leader, conductor; a chief, lord, head…
- नायिन् nāyinleading, conducting;
- नार nāraproceeding from men, relating or belonging to men, human, mortal; spiritual (?); (as), m…
- नारायण nārāyaṇa‘son of Nara or the original man,’ patronymic of the personfied Puruṣa or first living…
- नारायणि nārāyaṇiname of a son of Viśvā-mitra.
- नारायणीय nārāyaṇīyareferring or relating to Nārāyaṇa, treating of him; (ā), f., scil. upaniṣad, name of an…
- नारिक nārikawatery, aqueous; spiritual; (nārikā wrong reading for nāḍikā.)
- नारीक nārīkaat the end of an adj. comp. = nārī; (am), n. (in the Sāṅkhya phil.) one of the nine kinds…
- नारेय nāreyaname of a son of Bhaṅga-kāra.
- नारक nārakarelating to hell, happening in hell, being or abiding in hell, hellish, infernal, (nārakī…
- नारकिक nārakikahellish, infernal; (as), m. an inhabitant of hell.
- नारकिन् nārakinhellish, infernal, being in hell, condemned to or deserving hell; (ī), m. an inhabitant…
- नारकीय nārakīyahellish; (as), m. an inhabitant of hell.
- नारङ्ग nāraṅgathe orange-tree; the juice of the pepper plant; a libertine, a catamite; a living being…
- नारद nārada(etymology uncertain), name of a Ṛṣi or rather Devarṣi (i.e. Ṛṣi among the gods) regarded…
- नारदिन् nāradinname of a son of Viśvā-mitra.
- नारदीय nāradīyarelating to Nārada, composed by Nārada, etc.; (am), n. (with or without purāṇa), name of…
- नारदीयक nāradīyakarelating to or proceeding from Nārada; (am), n., name of a Purāṇa.
- नारद्वसव nāradvasavaname of a Sāman.
- नारसिंह nārasiṃhareferring or belonging to Viṣṇu in his manlion Ava-tāra or incarnation; (as), m., name of…
- नाराच nārācaan iron arrow, an arrow in general; a water-elephant (= jalebha, ambu-hastin); a bad or…
- नारायण nārāyaṇaSee col. 1.
- नाराशंस nārāśaṃsalaudatory or eulogistic praise of a man or men, (hence a tale or legend which eulogizes a…
- नाराशर्य nārāśaryaname of a man; (also read pārāśarya.)
- नारिकेर nārikeraor nārikela, as, m. or nārikeli, is and ī, f. the cocoa-nut tree, the cocoanut.
- नारिङ्गकन्द nāriṅga-kandaor am, m. or n. (?), the yellow carrot;
- नारी nārīSee nāra, p. 479, col. 1.
- नारीकेल nārīkelathe cocoanut; (ī), f. fermented liquor made from the water or milk of the cocoa-nut.
- नारीच nārīcaan esculent root (= commonly nālitā), Corchorus Capsularis;
- नारीतरङ्गक nārī-taraṅgakaa libertine, a catamite;
- नारुन्तुद nāruntudanot causing wounds, not hurting.
- नार्तिक nārtikarelating to or connected with dancing (?).
- नार्पत्य nārpatyakingly, relating to royalty.
- नार्मत nārmataa patronymic.
- नार्मद nārmadaa metronymic from Narma-dā.
- नार्मर nārmara‘man-slayer,’ name of a demon.
- नार्मिण nārmiṇa(Sāy.) delightful, joyful (= narma-vat).
- नार्मेध nārmedhaname of a Sāman.
- नार्य nāryaprobably name of a person.
- नार्यङ्ग nāryaṅga= nāraṅga, the orange-tree.
- नार्यतिक्त nārya-tiktaAgathotes Chirayta (= kirāta-tikta).
- नार्षद nārṣadaa patronymic of Kaṇva; name of a demon (?).
- नाल nālaconsisting of reeds, made of a reed or reeds; (ā or ī, am), f. n. a hollow or tubular…
- नालक nālakafor nāla in cāru-nālaka, q.v.
- नालकिनी nālakinīq.v.
- नालायित nālāyitarepresenting the handle (of an axe).
- नालि nāli= nāḍī, any tubular vessel of the body.
- नालिक nālikaa buffalo; (ā), f. a stalk, the stalk of a lotus, a tube, see gandha-n˚, kapāla-n˚; a…
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).