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 87 of 554
- आनील ā-nīladarkish; slightly black or blue; (as), m. a black horse.
- आनु ā-nu-nauti, -navitum or -nuvitum, Vedic 1. A. -navate, to sound, scream, warble: Intens…
- आनुकल्पिक ānukalpikaone who knows the anu-kalpa, q.v.
- आनुकूलिक ānukūlikafavourable, conformable.
- आनुकूल्य ānukūlyaconformity, suitableness; favour, kindness.
- आनुकृष्ट ānukṛṣṭaq.v.
- आनुगत्य ānugatyaacquaintance, familiarity.
- आनुगतिक ānugatikarelating to a follower.
- आनुगादिक ānugādikaq.v.
- आनुग्रामिक ānugrāmikaabout or belonging to a village, rustic, rural.
- आनुजावर ānujāvaraposthumous.
- आनुदृष्टिनेय ānudṛṣṭineyaa patronymic from anu-dṛṣṭi, q.v.
- आनुनासिक्य ānunāsikyanasality (of a sound).
- आनुपदिक ānupadikafollowing, pursuing, tracking.
- आनुपूर्व ānupūrvaorder, series, succession; (in law) direct order of the castes; (in logic) a conclusion…
- आनुपूर्व्य ānupūrvyaorder, series, succession.
- आनुमत ānumatarelating to the consent or favour (of another).
- आनुमानिक ānumānikarelating to a conclusion; derived from inference, subject to inference, inferable…
- आनुरक्ति ānuraktipassion, affection; the same as anu-rakti, q.v.
- आनुलोम्य ānulomyain the direction of the hair, produced in natural or direct order; (am), n. a direction…
- आनुलोमिक ānulomikaregular, orderly, in due course or series; favourable.
- आनुविधित्सा ānuvidhitsāingratitude.
- आनुवेश्य ānuveśyaa neighbour who lives in the same house.
- आनुशासनिक ānuśāsanikarelating to or treating of instruction.
- आनुशूक ānuśūkabeing with or within the awns (as rice).
- आनुश्रविक ānuśravikaor ānuśrāvika, as, ī, am, according to hearing, resting on tradition.
- आनुषक् ānuṣakin continuous order, uninterruptedly, one after the other.
- आनुषङ्गिक ānuṣaṅgikaconnected with, concomitant, necessarily following, adherent, inherent, implied…
- आनुषण्ड ānuṣaṇḍaor ānuṣaṇḍaka, as, ī, am. See Gaṇa to Pāṇini IV. 2, 133. 134.
- आनुषूक ānuṣūkapromoting, driving forward.
- आनुष्टुभ ānuṣṭubhaconsisting of Anuṣṭubhs, formed like the Anuṣṭubh metre (e.g. composed of four divisions).
- आनुसूय ānusūyacoming from Anusūyā.
- आनूकम् ānūkamin abundance.
- आनूप ānūpawet, watery, marshy; (as), m. any animal frequenting watery or marshy places, as a…
- आनूपक ānūpakaliving or happening in marshy places.
- आनृण्य ānṛṇyaacquittance of debt or obligation, the not being indebted to (with genitive).
- आनृत् ā-nṛt-nṛtyati, -nartitum, to dance towards, hasten near, dance: Caus. P. -nartayati, -yitum…
- आनर्त ā-nartaa stage, theatre; war. See s.v.
- आनृत ānṛtauntruthful; (as), m., name of a people (?).
- आनृतक ānṛtakainhabited by the Ānṛtas.
- आनृशंस ānṛśaṃsaor ānṛśaṃsya, am, n., mildness, kindness, mercy, compassion; cruelty (?).
- आनेतव्य ā-netavyaSee under ā-nī.
- आनैपुण ānaipuṇaclumsiness, stupidity; = a-naipuṇa, q.v.
- आनैश्वर्य ānaiśvaryaabsence of power or supremacy. See an-aiśvarya.
- आन्त1 āntagone.
- आन्त2 āntafinal, terminal, relating to the end.
- आन्त्य āntyaone who finishes; personified as Bhauvana.
- आन्तम् āntamto the end, completely, from head to foot.
- आन्तरतम्य āntaratamyanearest or closest relationship (as of two letters).
- आन्तर्य āntaryanear relationship (of two letters).
- आन्तरिक्ष āntarikṣaor āntarīkṣa, as, ī, am, belonging to the intermediate space between earth and heaven…
- आन्तर्गणिक āntargaṇikaincluded, comprehended (as in a class or troop).
- आन्तर्गेहिक āntargehikabeing inside a house.
- आन्तर्वेश्मिक āntarveśmikaproduced or occurring within a house.
- आन्तिका āntikāan elder sister. See antikā.
- आन्त्र āntrathe bowels, entrails.
- आन्त्रिक āntrikavisceral, within, or relating to the bowels.
- आन्द āndaname of a despised class of men.
- आन्दोलय् āndolayāndolayati, yitum, to swing. See andolay.
- आन्दोल āndolaswinging.
- आन्दोलन āndolanaswinging, a swing; trembling, oscillation.
- आन्दोलित āndolitaswung, shaken.
- आन्धस āndhasathe scum of boiled rice.
- आन्धसिक āndhasikaa cook.
- आन्ध्य āndhyablindness.
- आन्ध्र āndhrathe Telugu country, Telingana, see andhra; (as, ā, am), anything relating to this country…
- आन्न ānnafed, having food; relating to food, derived from it, etc.
- आन्यतरेय ānyatareyaname of a grammarian.
- आन्वयिक ānvayikaof a good family, well born; orderly, according to order or arrangement.
- आन्वाहिक ānvāhikadaily.
- आन्वीक्षिकी ānvīkṣikīlogic, logical philosophy, metaphysics.
- आप् āpāpnoti or āpati, āpa, āpsyati, āpat, āptum, to reach, overtake, meet with, fall upon; to…
- आप1 āpaat the end of compounds; e.g. dur-āpa, difficult to be obtained.
- आपन āpanareaching, obtaining; pepper.
- आपनेय āpaneyato be reached or obtained.
- आपयितृ āpayitṛone who procures, procuring.
- आपि āpian ally, a friend, an acquaintance.
- आप्त āptareached, overtaken, equalled; got, gained, obtained; reaching to, extending; abundant…
- आप्तव्य āptavyato be reached, obtainable.
- आप्ति āptireaching, meeting with; obtaining, gain, acquisition; binding, connection, relation…
- आप्य1 āpyaobtainable. See āptavya.
- आप्य2 āpyaconfederation, alliance, relationship, friendship.
- आप2 āpaname of one of the eight demigods called Vasus. (For 1. āpa see above.)
- आपकर āpakaraoffensive, mischievous, unfriendly.
- आपक्व ā-pakvahalf-baked, crude, raw; nearly ripe, not quite ripe; undressed, what is eaten without…
- आपगा āpagāa river, a stream; name of a stream.
- आपगेय āpageyathe son of a river; an epithet of Kṛṣṇa or Bhīma.
- आपट् ā-paṭ-pāṭayati, -yitum, to split; to sever.
- आपण ā-paṇaa market, a shop.
- आपणिक āpaṇikamercantile, relating to traffic, to a market etc.; (as), m. a merchant, a dealer, a…
- आपत् ā-pat-patati, -titum, to fly towards, to come flying, to come in haste, to rush in or on; to…
- आपतत् ā-patatapproaching, preparing to assail.
- आपतन ā-patanacoming, approaching; descending, alighting, happening.
- आपति ā-paticoming in haste, rushing on.
- आपतिक ā-patikaaccidental, unforeseen, sent from heaven; (as), m. a hawk. a falcon.
- आपतित ā-patitahappened, befallen; alighted, descended.
- आपात ā-pātarushing upon, attacking, approaching; (as), m. rushing upon, pressing against, falling…
- आपातिन् ā-pātinfalling on, descending, happening.
- आपतालिका āpatālikāname of a metre.
- आपत्य āpatyarelating to offspring; (in gram.) relating to the formation of patronymic nouns.
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).