घ
+
र
Alphabets
The Marathi alphabet वर्णमाला
Meet every letter of Marathi, hear how it sounds, and learn how letters join to make words.
About Marathi
Marathi is the language of Maharashtra, spoken by more than 80 million people. It is written in the Devanagari script (देवनागरी), the same script as Hindi and Sanskrit, from left to right, with the letters of a word hanging from a line along the top called the headline (शिरोरेखा). Marathi adds the letter ळ and uses two extra vowels, ॲ and ऑ, for English words. The script is phonetic – each letter stands for one sound. Every consonant carries a built-in "a" sound, and small vowel signs called matras (मात्रा) change that sound, so learning the vowels, the consonants and the matras is all you need to start reading Marathi.
- 13
- vowels स्वर
- 34
- consonants व्यंजन
- 2
- conjunct letters
- L → R
- writing direction
Vowels स्वर
A vowel can stand on its own at the start of a word. After a consonant it is written as a vowel sign (matra) instead – shown here on क. Tap a letter to hear it.
Two extra signs
Anusvāra – a nasal sound (n / m) after the vowel.
Visarga – a short breathy "h" after the vowel.
Consonants व्यंजन
The consonants are arranged by where in the mouth the sound is made. In each of the first five groups the letters go: plain, breathy, voiced, voiced + breathy, nasal.
Velar क-वर्ग
from the back of the throat
Palatal च-वर्ग
tongue against the hard palate
Retroflex ट-वर्ग
tongue curled back to the roof of the mouth
Dental त-वर्ग
tongue touching the upper teeth
Labial प-वर्ग
with the lips
Semivowels अंतःस्थ
between a vowel and a consonant
Sibilants & h ऊष्मे
hissing sounds made with breath
Retroflex l ळ
tongue curled back – a sound Hindi does not have
Conjunct letters संयुक्त व्यंजन
two consonants joined – taught as letters of their own
In Marathi ज्ञ is said dnya (ज्ञानेश्वर – Dnyaneshwar), and च ज often sound like "ts" and "dz": चमचा (tsamtsā, spoon), but चिमणी (cimṇī, sparrow).
How letters join to make words
Marathi words are built syllable by syllable. Three simple rules cover almost everything.
-
1
Every consonant has a built-in "a"
On its own, क is read ka, not just k.
क् +अ =क -
2
A matra replaces the "a"
Add a vowel sign to change the vowel: ka becomes kā, ki, ku…
क +◌ा =का -
3
A halant removes the "a"
The small stroke ् (halant) makes a half letter that joins the next one.
स् +त =स्त
Where does the matra go?
After
का की को कौ
Written to the right, after the consonant.
Before
कि
Written first, but said after the consonant.
Below
कु कू कृ
Hangs under the consonant.
Above
के कै कं कॅ
Sits on top of the headline.
Build real words
क
+
म
+
ळ
प + ◌ा
पा
+
ण + ◌ी
णी
प + ◌ु
पु
+
स् + त
स्त
+
क
फ + ◌ू
फू
+
ल
श + ◌ा
शा
+
ळ + ◌ा
ळा
म + ◌ि
मि
+
त् + र
त्र
प् + र + ◌े
प्रे
+
म
Good to know
The last "a" is usually silent
कमळ is said kamaḷ, not kamaḷa. In most words the built-in "a" of the final consonant is dropped.
Two vowels for English words
ॲ and ऑ write the vowels of English words: बॅट (bat), ऑफिस (office).
र changes shape
After a consonant it becomes a small stroke – प्र (pra). Before a consonant it becomes a hook on top – धर्म (dharm).
Ready to type in Marathi?
Use the on-screen keyboard to write these letters, or translate your first sentence.