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 38 of 554
- अपिगम् api-gam-gacchati, -gantum, to go into, enter, approach, join; to approach a woman.
- अपिगत api-gatagone into, entered, come near, approached, joined.
- अपिगा api-gā-jigāti, -gātum, to enter, get into, mingle with.
- अपिगीर्ण api-gīrṇapraised, celebrated.
- अपिग्रह् api-grah-gṛhṇāti, -ṇīte, -grahītum, to receive; to stop; to close (the mouth, nose, etc.).
- अपिगृह्य api-gṛhyaor api-grāhya, as, ā, am, to be received.
- अपिघस् api-ghas-ghasati, -ghastum, to eat off or away.
- अपिच्छिल a-picchilaclear, free from sediment or soil.
- अपिज api-jaborn after, born again; epithet of several divinities.
- अपिण्ड a-piṇḍawithout funeral cakes.
- अपित्1 a-pitnot swelling, dry; waterless.
- अपित्2 a-pit(in gram.) not having the it or Anu-bandha p.
- अपितृ a-pitṛnot a father.
- अपितृक a-pitṛkanot ancestral or paternal, uninherited; fatherless.
- अपित्र्य a-pitryauninherited, not ancestral or paternal.
- अपिदह् api-dah-dahati, -dagdhum, to singe.
- अपिदृभ् api-dṛbh-dṛbhati or -dṛmbhati, -darbhitum, to reply upon.
- अपिदो api-do-dyati, -dātum, to cut off.
- अपिधा api-dhā-dadhāti, -dhatte, -dhātum, to put to, shut, close, cover, conceal.
- अपिधान api-dhānaor pi-dhāna, am, n. covering, concealment; a cover, a lid, a cloth for covering.
- अपिधि api-dhiconcealment.
- अपिहित api-hitaor pi-hita, as, ā, am, shut, covered, concealed.
- अपिनह् api-nahor pi-nah, cl. 4. P. -nahyati, -naddhum, to tie on, fasten.
- अपिनद्ध api-naddhaor pi-naddha, as, ā, am, tied on; clothed, accoutred.
- अपिनी api-nī-nayati, -netum, to lead towards or to, bring to a state or condition.
- अपिपद् api-pad-padyate, -pattum, to go in, enter.
- अपिपास a-pipāsafree from thirst; satisfied.
- अपिपृच् api-pṛc-pṛṇakti, pṛṅkte, -parcitum, to mix with.
- अपिप्राण api-prāṇabreathing upon, vivifying, animating (?).
- अपिबद्ध api-baddhafastened; connected with.
- अपिभाग api-bhāgahaving part in, sharing in.
- अपिमृष् api-mṛṣ-mṛṣyati, -te, -marṣitum, to forget, neglect.
- अपिवृ api-vṛ-vṛṇoti, -varitum, rītum, to conceal.
- अपिवृत api-vṛtaconcealed, covered.
- अपिव्रत api-vratasharing in the same religious acts, related by blood.
- अपिशर्वर api-śarvaracontiguous to the night; being at the beginning or end of the night; (am), n…
- अपिशल apiśalaname of a man; (ās), m. pl. the descendants of Apiśala.
- अपिशस् api-śas(only used in abl.), Vedic slitting, ripping up.
- अपिशुन a-piśunaunmalicious, upright, honest.
- अपिष्टुत api-ṣṭutapraised.
- अपिसिच् api-sic-siñcati, -sektum, to sprinkle with.
- अपिहित api-hitaSee api-dhā.
- अपी apīapy-eti, -tum, to go in or near, to enter into or upon; to come near, approach; to…
- अपियत् api-yatcoming near.
- अपीत1 apītagone into, entered, approached.
- अपीति apītientering into, encountering, joining battle, junction; dissolving.
- अप्यय apy-ayacoming near, union. See s.v.
- अपीच्य apīcyasecret, hidden (incorrectly for apīvya, q.v.).
- अपीजू apī-jūstirring up, impelling.
- अपीडन a-pīḍanaor a-pīḍā, f. not giving pain, gentleness, kindness.
- अपीडयत् a-pīḍayatwithout distressing, not paining.
- अपीत2 a-pītanot drunk.
- अपीत्वा a-pītvānot having drank, without drinking.
- अपीनस apī-nasaor pī-nasa, as, m. (apī for api and nasa for nāsikā), dryness of the nose, want of the…
- अपीवृत apī-vṛtacovered.
- अपीव्य apīvyavery handsome, most excellent (?).
- अपुंस् a-puṃsnot a man, a eunuch.
- अपुंस्का a-puṃskāwithout a husband.
- अपुच्छ a-pucchatailless; (ā), f. the tree Dalbergia Śiśu.
- अपुण्य a-puṇyaunclean, impure, wicked, bad.
- अपुत्र a-putranot a son; (as, ā, am), or a-putraka, as, ikā, am, having no son, sonless.
- अपुत्रता aputra-tāsonlessness.
- अपुत्रिका a-putrikāthe daughter of a sonless father, who herself has no male offspring; (as), m. the father…
- अपुनर् a-punarnot again, once for ever.
- अपुनरन्वय a-punar-anvayanot returning, dead.
- अपुनरावृत्ति a-punar-āvṛttifinal exemption from life or transmigration.
- अपुराण a-purāṇaor a-purātana, as, ī, am, not old, modern, new.
- अपुरुष a-puruṣaunmanly.
- अपुरोनुवाक्यक a-puro-'nuvākyakaor ikā, am, without a Puronuvākyā.
- अपुरोरुक्क a-purorukkawithout a Puroruc.
- अपुष्कल a-puṣkalanot eminent; mean, low.
- अपुष्ट a-puṣṭaunnourished, lean; soft.
- अपुष्प a-puṣpanot flowering; (as), m. the glomerous fig tree.
- अपुस् apusshape; the same as vapus, q.v.
- अपूजक a-pūjakairreverent, irreligious.
- अपूजा a-pūjāirreverence, disrespect.
- अपूजित a-pūjitanot reverenced or worshipped, contemned, disregarded.
- अपूज्य a-pūjyanot to be worshipped or revered.
- अपूत a-pūtaimpure; not having received the invocatory rite.
- अपूप apūpacake of flour, meal, etc.; a sort of bread; wheat; honey-comb (?).
- अपूपीय apūpīyabelonging to cake.
- अपूप्य apūpyaflour, meal.
- अपूरणी apūraṇīthe silk cotton tree, Bombax Heptaphyllum.
- अपूरुष a-pūruṣalifeless, inanimate; soulless; unpeopled.
- अपूर्ण a-pūrṇanot full or entire, imperfect, incomplete, deficient; (am), n. an incomplete number, a…
- अपूर्यमाण a-pūryamāṇanot being full, incomplete.
- अपूर्व a-pūrvaunpreceded, unprecedented; not having existed before, quite new; unparalleled…
- अपूर्ववत् apūrva-vatsingularly, unlike anything else.
- अपूर्वेण a-pūrveṇanever before.
- अपूर्वीय a-pūrvīyareferring to the remote or unforeseen consequence of an act.
- अपूर्व्य a-pūrvyaunpreceded, first; having nothing similar before one's self, incomparable, unheard of.
- अपृक्त a-pṛktaunmixed, uncombined; (as), m. (in Pāṇini) a word or an affix consisting of a single…
- अपृणत् a-pṛṇatnot filling, not propitiating by gifts; stingy.
- अपृथक् a-pṛthaknot separately, with, together with, collectively.
- अपृष्ट a-pṛṣṭaunasked, unaddressed, not spoken to.
- अपे apeapaiti, apāyate. apaitum, to go away, withdraw, retire, run away, escape, vanish; to be…
- अपाय apāyagoing away, departure; destruction, death, annihilation; injury, detriment, loss…
- अपायिन् apāyingoing away, departing, vanishing, perishable.
- अपेत apetaescaped, departed, gone; having retired from, free from (with abl. or as last mamber of a…
- अपेय apeyaremoved (?).
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).