New: Bhagavad Gītā 2.47 deep study with word-by-word grammar Open the verse

In this lesson you will

  • Recognise the 13 vowels and 33 consonants
  • Read vowel signs (mātrās)
  • Decode common conjuncts

Devanagari is an abugida: each consonant carries an inherent “a” that changes with a vowel sign. Tap the letters below to learn them.

अaTap a letter to hear and learn it.

Vowels · svara

Consonants · vyañjana

Which letter is the long vowel ā?
Show answer

आ

आ (ā) is the long form of अ (a). Vowel length matters for both meaning and metre.

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