Devanagari (Divine City Writing)

Devanagari

Sanskrit: देवनागरी
Transliteration: Devanāgarī (IAST)
Translation: “divine city writing”
Definition: the Sanskrit script

देव – Deva – heavenly, divine (also said of terrestrial things of high excellence)*

नागरी – Nāgarī – of the character in which Sanskrit is usually written (probably from its having originated in some city)*

Sanskrit Letters in Devanagari Script**

अ — A — a — like a in organ or the u in but
आ — Ā — ā — like a in psalm
इ — I — i — like i in knit
ई — Ī — ī — like ee in meet
उ — U — u — like u in pull
ऊ — Ū — ū — like u in rule
ऋ — Ṛ — ṛ — like ri in Rit
ॠ — Ṝ — ṝ — like ri in Rita
ऌ — Ḷ — ḷ — as in curl
ए — E — e — like e in they
ऐ — Ai — ai — like ai in aisle
ओ — O — o — like o in go
औ — Au — au — like ow in how
अं — Aṃ — aṃ — Anusvāra (ṃ) is a nasal sound
अः — Aḥ — aḥ — Visarga (ḥ) is pronounced in the articulating position of the preceding vowel
क — K — k — as in kite
ख — Kh — kh — as in inkhorn
ग — G — g — as in give
घ — Gh — gh — as in dighard
ङ — Ṅ — ṅ — as in sing
च — C — c — as in chair
छ — Ch — ch — as in church-history
ज — J — j — as in joy
झ — Jh — jh — as in hedgehog
ञ — Ñ — ñ — as in new
ट — Ṭ — ṭ — as in tongue
ठ — Ṭh — ṭh — as in anthill
ड — Ḍ — ḍ — as in dark
ढ — Ḍh — ḍh — as in God-head
ण — Ṇ — ṇ — as in Monday
त — T — t — as in tub
थ — Th — th — as in thought
द — D — d — as in dub
ध — Dh — dh — as in redhead
न — N — n — as in nut
प — P — p — as in pan
फ — Ph — ph — as in up-hill
ब — B — b — as in bed
भ — Bh — bh — as in clubhouse
म — M — m — as in mother
य — Y — y — as in yes
र — R — r — as in race
ल — L — l — as in light
व — V — v — as in vine
श — Ś — ś — as in sure
ष — Ṣ — ṣ — as in bush
स — S — s — as in sun
ह — H — h — as in hall


*Monier-Williams, Monier (1899). A Sanskrit-English Dictionary: Etymologically and Philologically Arranged with Special Reference to Cognate Indo-European languages. Oxford: Clarendon Press
**Grimes, John (1996). A Concise Dictionary of Indian Philosophy: Sanskrit Terms Defined in English. Albany: State University of New York Press