उच्चारणम्
Sound and speech
Sanskrit is phonetic: if you can hear it, you can write it. Start with where the sound is made, then listen and repeat short sentences.
Where the sound lives
The consonant chart is ordered from the throat to the lips. Tap a region, then hear the row.
Throat · कण्ठ्य
क ख ग घ ङ and the vowel अ
Minimal pairs
English speakers miss aspiration and retroflex. These pairs exist to force the contrast.
Aspiration
क
ka
ख
kha
क has no puff of air. ख does. Hold a tissue in front of your mouth.
Voiced aspiration
ग
ga
घ
gha
Keep the voice on through घ. It is not “ga” plus a separate “ha”.
Dental vs retroflex
त
ta
ट
ṭa
त: tongue on the teeth. ट: tongue-tip curled to the roof.
Dental vs retroflex
द
da
ड
ḍa
The English speaker’s hardest pair. Alternate द ड until they live in different places.
Dental vs retroflex n
न
na
ण
ṇa
न is ordinary n. ण is the curled nasal of गुण.
Aspiration — not f
प
pa
फ
pha
फ is still both lips. Never English f.
Dental s vs palatal ś
स
sa
श
śa
स like so. श like she.
Palatal ś vs retroflex ṣ
श
śa
ष
ṣa
श tongue toward the palate. ष tongue curled — the ṣ of kṛṣṇa.
Length
अ
a
आ
ā
One beat vs two. Length changes meaning.
Length
इ
i
ई
ī
इ is brief. ई is the same tongue, twice as long.
Sentences to say
Listen, then speak. If your browser can hear you, Repeat will try to catch the line. Otherwise say it aloud and go on.
नमस्ते
namaste
Hello — “bow to you.”
The everyday greeting. Palms together is optional; the word already is the bow.
नमः
namaḥ
Homage.
Hear the visarga: a light “ha” after the a.
मम नाम … अस्ति
mama nāma … asti
My name is …
Fill the gap with your name in Devanāgarī if you can. अहं … अस्मि is also used.
भवतः नाम किम्?
bhavataḥ nāma kim?
What is your name? (to a man, polite)
भवत्याः for a woman. किम् is “what?”
कथम् अस्ति?
katham asti?
How is it? / How are you?
A natural follow-up to namaste. कुशलं अस्ति — “it is well.”
कुशलम् अस्ति
kuśalam asti
It is well.
A calm, complete answer.
धन्यवादः
dhanyavādaḥ
Thank you.
Modern and widely understood. कृतज्ञोऽस्मि is more classical for “I am grateful.”
क्षम्यताम्
kṣamyatām
Please forgive / pardon me.
A polite sorry. Soft ṣ, not s.
पुनर्दर्शनाय
punardarśanāya
Until we see each other again.
A farewell with more grace than a bald goodbye.
अहं गच्छामि
ahaṃ gacchāmi
I am going / I go.
You can drop अहं; गच्छामि already says “I go.”
त्वं पठसि
tvaṃ paṭhasi
You read / study.
Hear the retroflex ṭ in paṭhasi.
पुस्तकं पठामि
pustakaṃ paṭhāmi
I read a book.
Accusative object + first-person verb. A complete sentence.
जलं पिबामि
jalaṃ pibāmi
I drink water.
Neuter accusative often looks like the nominative: -am.
ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः
oṃ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ
Om. Peace, peace, peace.
Three visargas. Let each ḥ release as a small echo of i.
सर्वे भवन्तु सुखिनः
sarve bhavantu sukhinaḥ
May all be happy.
A blessing. बवन्तु is a third-person imperative plural.
सा विद्या या विमुक्तये
sā vidyā yā vimuktaye
That is knowledge which leads to freedom.
A line to read more than to parse on day one. Find सा, या, the long ī.