THE DICTIONARY ORDER OF THE NĀGARĪ LETTERS

The Dictionary Order of the Nāgarī Letters with their Indo-Romanic Equivalents and Their Pronunciation Exemplified by English Words.

[ See http://www.ibiblio.org/sripedia/ebooks/mw/0000/mw__0033.html ]

Vowels.

Initial. Medial. Equivalents and Pronunciation.

अ【a】	--	a	in mica, rural.
आ【A】〈ā〉	A	ā	in tar, father (tār, fāther).
इ【i】	i	i	in fill, lily.
ई【I】〈ī〉	I	ī	in police (polīce).
उ【u】	u	u	in full, bush.
ऊ【U】〈ū〉	U	ū	in rude (rūde).
ऋ【R】〈ṛ〉	f	ṛi	in merrily (merṛily).
ॠ【RR】〈ṝ〉	F	ṛī	in marine (maṛīne).
ऌ【lR】〈ḷ〉	x	lṛi	in revelry (revelṛi).
ॡ【lRR】〈ḹ〉	X	lṛī	in the above prolonged.
ए【e】〈ē〉	e	e	in prey, there.
ऐ【ai】	E	ai	in aisle.
ओ【o】〈ō〉	o	o	in go, stone.
औ【au】	O	au	in Haus (as in German).

ं【M】〈ṃ〉	ṉ or ṃ	either true Anusvāra ṉ or the symbol of any nasal.
ः्【H】〈ḥ〉	ḥ	symbol called Visarga.

Consonats.

Initial. Medial. Equivalents and Pronunciation.

क्【k】	k	in kill, seek.
ख्【kh】	kh	in inkhorn.
ग्【g】	g	in gun, get, dog.
घ्【gh】	gh	in loghut.
ङ्【G】〈ṅ〉	ṅ	in sing, king, sink (siṅk).
च्【c】	c	in dolce (in music).
छ्【ch】	ch	in churchhill (curchill).
ज्【j】	j	in jet, jump.
झ्【jh】	*jh	in hedgehog (hejhog).
ञ्【J】〈ñ〉	ñ	in singe (siñj).
ट्【T】〈ṭ〉	ṭ	in true (ṭrue).
ठ्【Th】〈ṭh〉	ṭh	in anthill (anṭhill).
ड्【D】〈ḍ〉	ḍ	in drum (ḍrum).
ढ्【Dh】〈ḍh〉	ḍh	in redhaired (reḍhaired).
ण्【N】〈ṇ〉	ṇ	in none (ṇoṇe).
त्【t】	t	in water (as in Ireland).
थ्【th】	th	in nuthook (more dental).
द्【d】	d	in dice (more like th in this.
ध्【dh】	dh	in adhere (but more dental).
न्【n】	n	in net, nut, in.
प्【p】	p	in put, sip.
फ्【ph】	ph	in uphill.
ब्【b】	b	in bear, rub.
भ्【bh】	bh	in abhor.
म्【m】	m	in map, jam.
य्【y】	y	in yet, loyal.
र्【r】	r	in red, year.
ल्【l】	l	in lull, lead.
ळ्【L】〈ḷ〉	ḷ	(sometimes for ड्【D】〈ḍ〉 ḍ in Veda).
ळह्【\|】〈ḷh〉	ḷh	(sometimes for ढ्【Dh】〈ḍh〉 ḍh in Veda).
व्【v】	v	in ivy (but like w after cons.).
श्【z】〈ś〉	ṡ	in sure (ṡure).
ष्【S】〈ṣ〉	sh	in shun, bush.
स्【s】	s	in saint, sin, hiss.
ह्【h】	h	in hear, hit.

* Sometimes printed in the form ??, see p. 174, col. 3.

The conjunct consonants are too numerous to be exhibited above, but the most common will be found at the end of `A Practical Sanskrit Grammar by MonierWilliams,' published by the Delegates of the Clarendon Press, fourth edition.

For the correct pronunciation of the aspirated consonants, kh, ch, th, ṭh, th, ph, &c., see p. xxix, note 4 of the foregoing Introduction.

Observe that ṉ represents the true Anusvāra in the body of a word before the sibilants and h, as in aṉṡa, aṉsa, aṉhali: ṃ as the symbol of any nasal will often be found at the end of a word, as in dānaṃ ca; but may also represent Anusvāra, when final m is followed by initial semivowels, sibilants and h, and in words formed with preposition sam, like saṃ-veṡa, saṃ-ṡaya, saṃ-hats: the word Sanskṛit is now too Anglicized to be written Saṃskṛit. Visarga, as a substitute for final s, is a distinctly audible aspirate, so that the ḥ at the end of such a word as devaḥ must be clearly heard.