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 76 of 554
- असर्वज्ञ a-sarva-jñanot knowing everything.
- असर्ववीर a-sarva-vīranot having all one's men collected round.
- असल asalairon; arms; a mantra.
- असवर्ण a-savarṇaof a different caste, of a different colour.
- असवस् asavas(of asu, q.v.), the vital airs or breath.
- असश्चत् a-saścatnot ceasing, not sticking, not closed up, not drying up, untouched (as by any one…
- असश्चिवस् a-saścivasnot ceasing, not drying up.
- अससत् a-sasatnot sleeping.
- असह a-sahanot bearing, not enduring, intolerant, impatient; (am), n. the middle of the breast.
- असहन a-sahanaunenduring, envious, jealous; (as), m. an enemy; (am), n. intolerance, impatience.
- असहनीय a-sahanīyaor a-sahitavya or a-sahya, as, ā, am, unbearable, insufferable, insuperable.
- असहमान a-sahamānaimpatient, not bearing, not enduring.
- असहिष्णु a-sahiṣṇuimpatient, unenduring, envious; quarrelsome.
- असहाय a-sahāyawithout companions, friendless, lonely, solitary.
- असहित a-sahitaunassociated, unaccompanied.
- असाक्षात् a-sākṣātnot before the eyes, invisible, imperceptible; not present.
- असाक्षिक a-sākṣikaunattested, unwitnessed.
- असाक्षिन् a-sākṣinincompetent as a witness, not an eye-witness.
- असाक्ष्य a-sākṣyawant of evidence.
- असात्म्य a-sātmyaunwholesome, disagreeing (as food ?).
- असाद a-sādaseatless, not sitting.
- असाधन a-sādhanawithout means, destitute of means, resources, materials, instruments or implements; (am)…
- असाधनीय a-sādhanīyaor a-sādhya, as, ā, am, not to be effected or completed, not proper or able to be…
- असाधित a-sādhitaunaccomplished.
- असाधारण a-sādhāraṇanot common, special, specific; (am), n. speciality, species, special property.
- असाधु a-sādhuor vī, u, not good, wicked, bad; (vī), f. an unchaste wife.
- असान्द्र a-sāndranot close, fine, delicate but with interstices, transparent.
- असान्निध्य a-sānnidhyanon-proximity, distance.
- असामयिक a-sāmayikaunseasonable.
- असामर्थ्य a-sāmarthyaweakness.
- असामान्य a-sāmānyapeculiar, not common; (am), n. peculiar or special property.
- असामि a-sāminot half, entire, whole, complete; (i), ind. completely.
- असाम्प्रत a-sāmpratanot fit, not becoming, improper.
- असाम्य a-sāmyadifference, dissimilarity; unsuitableness (in medicine or diet), unwholesomeness…
- असार a-sārasapless; without genuine strength and value; without vigour, spoiled, unfit, vain…
- असावधान a-sāvadhānacareless, inadvertent.
- असाहस a-sāhasaabsence of violence, gentleness.
- असाहसिक a-sāhasikanot violent, peaceable, gentle.
- असाहाय्य a-sāhāyyawant of assisttance or co-operation.
- असि asia sword, a cimeter, a knife used for killing animals.
- असिक asikathe part of the face between the underlip and the chin.
- असिक्नी asiknīSee 2. asita.
- असित1 a-sitaunbound.
- असित2 asitaasitā or Vedic f. asiknī, am,, dark-coloured, black, dark-blue; (as), m. the black…
- असिक्निका asiknikāa woman-servant.
- असितकी asitakīname of a plant.
- असिद्ध a-siddhaimperfect, incomplete; unaccomplished, uneffected; unproved; unripe.
- असिद्धि a-siddhiimperfect or incomplete accomplishment, failure; (in logic) want of proof, conclusion not…
- असिन्व a-sinvaor a-sinvat, an, atī, at, Vedic insatiable.
- असिर asiraa beam, a ray; an arrow, a bolt.
- असिष्ठ asiṣṭha(superl.) Vedic most skilful in shooting (arrows etc.).
- असी asīname of a river, = asi.
- असीमकृष्ण asīma-kṛṣṇaname of a prince.
- असु asubreath, life, spiritual life; life of the spiritual world or departed spirits; water ?…
- असुर asuraliving, alive, spiritual; an epithet of the supreme spirit; Varuṇa; incorporeal…
- असुर्य asuryaincorporeal, spiritual, divine; demoniacal, belonging to the Asuras; (am), n…
- असुकर a-sukaranot easy to be done, difficult, arduous.
- असुक्षण asukṣaṇaa various reading for asūkṣaṇa, q.v.
- असुख a-sukhaunhappy, sorrowful, melancholic; (am), n. sorrow, pain, affliction.
- असुखिन् a-sukhinunhappy, sorrowful, afflicted.
- असुगम a-sugamadifficult of attainment or accomplishment, hard, unattainable; difficult to be understood.
- असुत1 a-sutanot pressed out, not cleared or purified, not ready (as the Soma juice).
- असुन्व a-sunvaor a-sunvat, an, atī, at, or a-suṣvi, is, is, i, Vedic not pressing out the Soma juice…
- असुत2 a-sutachildless. See a-sū.
- असुतर a-sutaranot to be easily passed.
- असुतृप् a-sutṛpinsatiable, not easily satiated.
- असुनिरस a-sunirasadisagreeable, unpleasant, offensive.
- असुन्दर a-sundaraor ī, am, plain, ugly; improper, unbecoming.
- असुप्त a-suptanot asleep.
- असुम्न a-sumnacontrary, adverse.
- असुर asuraSee under asu.
- असुरक्ष a-surakṣaperishable, volatile, transitory.
- असुरक्ष्य a-surakṣyadifficult of retention or preservation.
- असुरसा a-surasāthe plant Basilicum Pilosum Benth.
- असुलभ a-sulabhadifficult of attainment.
- असुष्वि a-suṣviSee under. 1. a-suta.
- असुस्थ a-susthaunwell, indisposed, not well placed, uncomfortable.
- असुहृद् a-suhṛdnot a friend, an enemy.
- असू a-sūnot bringing forth, barren.
- असूत a-sūtaor a-sūtika, as, ā, am, Vedic one who has not brought forth, barren.
- असूति a-sūtinon-production; obstruction, removal; barrenness.
- असूसु a-sūsunot bringing forth, barren.
- असूक्षण asūkṣaṇaor asukṣaṇa or asurkṣaṇa or asūrkṣaṇa or astarkṣaṇa, am, n. (etymology doubtful)…
- असूक्ष्म a-sūkṣmanot fine, not minute, large, thick, gross.
- असूय asūyaasūyati, -te, -yitum, to murmur at, to detract from, depreciate; to envy, scorn, be…
- असूयक asūyakadetracting, envious, calumnious, discontented, displeased; (by some written asūka ?).
- असूयन asūyanacalumny, detraction.
- असूययित्वा asūyayitvāhaving scorned, having cursed.
- असूया asūyādispleasure, indignation, especially at the merits or the happiness of another, envy…
- असूयितृ asūyitṛmurmuring, detracting, displeased.
- असूयु asūyuenvious, displeased; (us), m. calumny.
- असूर a-sūraabsence of a person to press out the Soma juice; (Sāy.) a place or country devoid of…
- असूर्क्षण asūrkṣaṇadisrespect. See asūkṣaṇa.
- असूर्त a-sūrtanot moving, remote (?).
- असूर्य a-sūryasunless.
- असूर्यम्पश्या a-sūryam-paśyāthe wife of a king who being shut up in the inner apartments never sees the sun, a chaste…
- असृज् asṛjblood; saffron; (k), m. a kind of religious abstraction;
- असृणि a-sṛṇiunrestrained.
- असृष्ट a-sṛṣṭauncreated; undistributed, not presented; continued.
- असेचन a-secanaor a-secanaka, as, ā, am, that on which one cannot look enough; charming, lovely.
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).