Nepali Barnamala (नेपाली वर्णमाला) 36 consonants 12 vowels
Published: March 12, 2024
The Nepali Barnamala, also known as the Devanagari script, is a beautiful and logical alphabet with 48 characters. These characters can be broken down into 12 vowels and 36 consonants. Unlike many Western alphabets, vowels can be written independently, while consonants require vowel signs to create syllables.
Here, we’ll break down the Nepali Barnamala and delve into each character, introducing you to the sounds and pronunciation.
Nepali Barnamala vowels (swar)
| Nepali Letter | Transliteration | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| अ | A | Ah (as in “car”) |
| आ | Ā | Aa (as in “father”) |
| इ | I | Ee (as in “meet”) |
| ई | Ī | Ee (as in “meet”) |
| उ | U | Oo (as in “mood”) |
| ऊ | Ū | Oo (as in “mood”) |
| ए | E | Ay (as in “say”) |
| ऐ | Ai | Eye |
| ओ | O | Oh (as in “go”) |
| औ | Au | Ow (as in “now”) |
| ऋ | Ṛ | Ree (rolled ‘r’) |
| ॠ | Ṝ | Ree (rolled ‘r’) |
| अं | Aṃ | An (as in “hang”) |
| अः | Aḥ | Ah (as in “car”) |
the 36 Nepali consonants (vyanjana)
| Nepali Letter | Transliteration | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| क | Ka | Ka (as in “cup”) |
| ख | Kha | Kha (as in “kite”) |
| ग | Ga | Ga (as in “go”) |
| घ | Gha | Gha (as in “ghost”) |
| ङ | Ṅa | Nga (as in “sing”) |
| च | Ca | Cha (as in “chat”) |
| छ | Cha | Chha (as in “church”) |
| ज | Ja | Ja (as in “jump”) |
| झ | Jha | Jha (as in “rajah”) |
| ञ | Ña | Ña (as in “canyon”) |
| ट | Ṭa | Ta (as in “top”) |
| ठ | Ṭha | Tha (as in “thanks”) |
| ड | Ḍa | Da (as in “dog”) |
| ढ | Ḍha | Dha (as in “adhere”) |
| ण | Ṇa | Na (as in “nut”) |
| त | Ta | Ta (as in “top”) |
| थ | Tha | Tha (as in “thanks”) |
| द | Da | Da (as in “dog”) |
| ध | Dha | Dha (as in “adhere”) |
| न | Na | Na (as in “nut”) |
| प | Pa | Pa (as in “pan”) |
| फ | Pha | Pha (as in “phone”) |
| ब | Ba | Ba (as in “bat”) |
| भ | Bha | Bha (as in “bath”) |
| म | Ma | Ma (as in “man”) |
| य | Ya | Ya (as in “yarn”) |
| र | Ra | Ra (as in “rat”) |
| ल | La | La (as in “lap”) |
| व | Wa | Wa (as in “water”) |
| श | Śa | Sha (as in “share”) |
| ष | Ṣa | Sha (as in “pressure”) |
| स | Sa | Sa (as in “sun”) |
| ह | Ha | Ha (as in “hat”) |
| क्ष | Kṣa | Ksha (as in “akshara”) |
| त्र | Tra | Tra (as in “track”) |
| ज्ञ | Jña | Jnya (as in “junior”) |
These are the basic consonants in the Nepali alphabet. Each consonant represents a unique sound in the Nepali language.
What is Nepali Barnamala?
Nepali Barnamala refers to the alphabet system used in the Nepali language. It consists of vowels (swar) and consonants (vyanjana) that form the building blocks of the language.
How many letters are there in Nepali Barnamala?
The Nepali alphabet consists of 36 consonants (vyanjana) and 12 vowels (swar), making a total of 48 letters.
What are the vowels in Nepali Barnamala?
The vowels in Nepali are: अ (a), आ (ā), इ (i), ई (ī), उ (u), ऊ (ū), ए (e), ऐ (ai), ओ (o), औ (au), ऋ (ṛ), ॠ (ṝ), अं (aṃ), and अः (aḥ).
What are the consonants in Nepali Barnamala?
The consonants in Nepali are: क (ka), ख (kha), ग (ga), घ (gha), ङ (ṅa), च (ca), छ (cha), ज (ja), झ (jha), ञ (ña), ट (ṭa), ठ (ṭha), ड (ḍa), ढ (ḍha), ण (ṇa), त (ta), थ (tha), द (da), ध (dha), न (na), प (pa), फ (pha), ब (ba), भ (bha), म (ma), य (ya), र (ra), ल (la), व (wa), श (śa), ष (ṣa), स (sa), ह (ha), क्ष (kṣa), त्र (tra), and ज्ञ (jña).
How do I pronounce Nepali Barnamala letters?
Each letter in Nepali has a specific pronunciation. Learning resources, including audio guides, can help in understanding the correct pronunciation.
What is the significance of Nepali Barnamala?
Nepali Barnamala is crucial for reading, writing, and speaking the Nepali language. It forms the foundation of communication and literacy in Nepali-speaking regions.
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