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 41 of 554
- अप्रसक्ति a-prasaktior a-prasaṅga, as, m. nonaddiction, non-attachment, moderation.
- अप्रसन्न a-prasannanot quiet, not clear, turbid, muddy; displeased, dissatisfied, unfavourable.
- अप्रसाद a-prasādadisfavour, disapprobation.
- अप्रसाद्य a-prasādyanot to be propitiated; unappeasable, implacable.
- अप्रसव a-prasavanot being prolific; (as), m. the not being born.
- अप्रसूत a-prasūtanot having offspring, barren, childless.
- अप्रसह्य a-prasahyaintolerable, insufferable.
- अप्रसिद्ध a-prasiddhanot settled or established; unknown, uncelebrated; unusual, uncommon, of no real…
- अप्रस्तुत a-prastutaunconnected with, irrelevant, unsuitable to the time or subject; not principal, not being…
- अप्रस्ताविक a-prastāvikairrelevant to the subjectmatter.
- अप्रहत a-prahataunhurt, intact; untilled, waste; uncultivated.
- अप्रहन् a-prahanor a-prahantṛ, tā, trī, tṛ, not hurting.
- अप्रहित a-prahitanot stirred up, not sent out, unassailed (by foes).
- अप्राकृत a-prākṛtanot principal; not original; special, particular; not vulgar.
- अप्राग्र्य a-prāgryasecondary, subordinate.
- अप्राचीन a-prācīnamodern, recent; not eastern, western.
- अप्राज्ञ a-prājñaunlearned, ignorant; unconscious.
- अप्राण a-prāṇaor a-prāṇin, ī, inī, i, inanimate, lifeless.
- अप्राधान्य a-prādhānyainferiority, subordination.
- अप्राप्त a-prāptaunobtained; unarrived; unproved.
- अप्राप्ति a-prāptinon-attainment, non-acquisition, scarcity.
- अप्राप्य a-prāpyanot having found; (as, ā, am), unobtainable, unattainable, scarce.
- अप्रामाणिक a-prāmāṇikaunauthentic, unwarranted, unauthoritative, unworthy of being trusted or believed.
- अप्रामाण्य a-prāmāṇyaabsence or insufficiency of proof or authority.
- अप्रामिसत्य a-prāmi-satyaof unimpaired truthfulness; unalterably true.
- अप्रायत्य a-prāyatyaimpurity, ungovernableness.
- अप्रायु a-prāyuassiduous, unceasing, not going forth (?).
- अप्रायुस् a-prāyusnot ceasing; with undeparted life, with unimpaired or ever brilliant vigour.
- अप्रिय a-priyadisagreeable, disliked; unkind, unfriendly; (as), m. a foe, an enemy; name of a Yakṣa…
- अप्रीति a-prītidislike, aversion, unfriendliness, enmity; pain.
- अप्रेतराक्षसी apreta-rākṣasīname of a plant, Ocimum Sanctum; see apeta-rākṣasī, p. 56.
- अप्रेमन् a-premandislike, aversion; (ā, ā, a), unfriendly.
- अप्रैष a-praiṣanot invoked with a praiṣa (q.v.) mantra.
- अप्रोषिवस् a-proṣivasnot gone away, staying.
- अप्रौढ a-prauḍhanot arrogant, timid, gentle; (ā), f. an unmarried girl, or one very recently married and…
- अप्लव a-plavawithout a ship; not swimming.
- अप्वा apvādisease; danger; the region of the throat or neck.
- अप्स1 ap-sagiving or yielding (ap) water.
- अप्स2 a-psanot destroying.
- अप्सर ap-sarawater-goer, any aquatic animal (see etym. of next).
- अप्सरस् apsarasor apsarā, f.; certain female divinities, who reside in the sky and are the wives of the…
- अप्सराय apsarāyaapsarāyate, -yitum, to behave like an Apsaras.
- अप्सव apsava(if from apsas) possessed of form or shape; (if from ap) giving water.
- अप्सव्य apsavyafit for water, being in the water.
- अप्सस् apsascheek; shape, beauty (?).
- अप्सा ap-sāgiving water.
- अप्सु1 a-psuwithout food; not beautiful (?).
- अप्सु2 apsu(loc. pl. of ap, q.v.), in the water or waters. This word forms the first member of…
- अफल a-phalaunfruitful, barren; vain, unproductive; deprived of virility; (as), m., N, of a plant…
- अफल्गु a-phalgunot vain, prodictive, profitable.
- अफुल्ल a-phullaunblown.
- अफेन1 a-phenafrothless, without scum or foam.
- अफेन2 a-phena(corruption of ahi-phena, foam of a snake?), opium.
- अबद्ध a-baddhaor a-baddhaka, as, ikā, am, unbound, at liberty; unmeaning, nonsensical.
- अबन्धक a-bandhakanot binding; (as), m., name of a man; (ās), m. pl. the descendants of this man.
- अबन्धन a-bandhanawithout fetters, free.
- अबन्ध्य a-bandhyaSee s.v. below.
- अबन्ध्र a-bandhrawithout bonds or ligatures, falling asunder.
- अबध a-badhanot killing; (ā), f. a segment of the base of a triangle, see avadha.
- अबध्य2 a-badhyanot to be killed, inviolable; see also a-vadhya.
- अबन्धु a-bandhuwithout kindered, without companions, friendless.
- अबान्धव a-bāndhavahaving no relation or kindered, lone, unacknowledged, unowned.
- अबन्ध्य a-bandhyanot barren, not unfruitful, fruitful, productive.
- अबल a-balaweak, feeble, infirm; (as), m., name of a plant, Tapia Cratæva; name of a king of…
- अबलास a-balāsanot consumptive.
- अबलीयस् abalīyasweaker.
- अबल्य a-balyaweakness, sickness.
- अबहु a-bahuor vī, u, not many, few.
- अबाध a-bādhaunobstructed, unrestrained; free from pain; (ā), f. segment of the base of a triangle.
- अबाधक a-bādhakaor a-bādhita, as, ā, am, unimpeded, unobstructed; unrefuted.
- अबाध्य a-bādhyaimproper to be opposed or pained.
- अबान्धव a-bāndhavaSee a-bandhu.
- अबालिश a-bāliśanot childish.
- अबालेन्दु a-bālendufull moon.
- अबाह्य a-bāhyanot exterior, internal; without an exterior.
- अबिन्धन ab-indhana‘having (ap) water for fuel,’ submarine fire.
- अबिभीवस् a-bibhīvasor a-bibhyat, at, atī, at, Vedic fearless, confident.
- अबुद्ध a-buddhaunwise, foolish.
- अबुद्धि a-buddhiwant of understanding; ignorance; stupidity; (is, is, i), ignorant, stupid.
- अबुध् a-budhor a-budha, as, ā, am, stupid, foolish; (as), m. a fool.
- अबुध्य a-budhyanot to be perceived; not to be awakened.
- अबुध्यमान a-budhyamānanot being awake.
- अबोध a-bodhaignorance, stupidity; (as, ā, am), ignorant, stupid; puzzled, perplexed.
- अबोधनीय a-bodhanīyaunintelligible; not to be awakened or aroused.
- अबुध्न a-budhna‘having nobottom or root,’ the air or intermediate region.
- अब्ज ab-jaborn in water; (as), m. the conch; the moon; the tree Barringtonia Acutangula…
- अब्जा ab-jāborn in water.
- अब्जिनी abjinīa multitude of lotus flowers.
- अब्जस् abjasshape, beauty.
- अब्जित् ab-jitconquering waters.
- अब्द ab-dagiving water; (as), m. a cloud; a year; the grass Cyperus Rotundus; name of a mountain.
- अब्दया abdayāout of desire of giving water.
- अब्दि ab-dia cloud.
- अब्दुर्ग ab-durga(see ap), a fortress surrounded by a moat or lake.
- अब्देवताक ab-devatākaor ab-daivata, as, ā, am (see ap), having the waters as divinities, praising the waters.
- अब्धि ab-dhia pond, lake; the ocean; sometimes used to denote the numerals 4 or (?) 7.
- अब्भक्ष ab-bhakṣaliving upon water; (as), m. a snake.
- अब्भक्षण ab-bhakṣaṇaliving upon water, a kind of fasting.
- अब्भ्र ab-bhraSee abhra, etc.
- अब्रह्मचर्य a-brahmacaryaunchaste.
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).