Long vowels: the line on top
- ā (आ) — long "aa": rāma
- ī (ई) — long "ee": gītā
- ū (ऊ) — long "oo": pūjā
- e, ai, o, au are always long and have no mark
Dots below: tongue curled back
- ṭ ṭh ḍ ḍh ṇ — say with the tongue curled back: kaṇṭha (throat)
- ṣ — "sh" with the tongue curled back: viṣṇu
- ṛ — the vowel "ri": kṛṣṇa (said "krish-na")
- ḥ — visarga, a light echoing breath: namaḥ
Other letters
- ś — "sh" as in "shine": śiva
- ṁ or ṃ — anusvara, a nasal sound: oṁ, saṃskṛta
- ṅ — "ng" as in "sing": gaṅgā
- ñ — "ny" as in "canyon": jñāna
- c — always "ch" as in "church": candra (said "chandra")
- ch — "ch" with a puff of breath: chāyā
- th, ph — "t" and "p" with a puff of breath, never English "th" or "f": artha, phala
Frequently asked questions
Why is "c" pronounced "ch"?
In IAST, c always stands for the sound च (ch as in "church"); candra is said "chandra".
Is "ph" pronounced "f"?
No — ph is a "p" with a puff of breath (फ), as in "top-hat".
Why does the site use IAST?
It represents every Sanskrit sound exactly, so that a shloka can be pronounced correctly even without reading Devanagari.