Introduction:

Sanskrit is normally written in the deevanaagarii script. Sanskrit is also written in the graMtha script as also in various scripts of the modern Indian languages.

The deevanaagarii script is also used for writing Hindi, Marathi and other languages. So, some of you may already know the script. The basic structure of the varNamaala (roughly speaking, the alphabet chart) is the same as in all modern Indian languages and so you may already know quite a bit about the writing system of Sanskrit. Follow the "Pronunciation Key" link on the left frame for a quick overview. We have used Roman notation here so that you need not worry about the character encoding schemes, fonts, browser support for these etc.

Notes:

Your language may or may not have aspirated sounds but Sanskrit makes a clear distinction between the two. Be careful to pronounce aspirated sounds with a clear and unambiguous aspiration. In veedic texts, accent is also very important.

Hindi Speakers: Note that unlike in Hindi the last vowel in a word is not automatically dropped in Sanskrit. Thus 'baalaka' must be pronounced with the 'a' sound at the end of the word, not as 'baalak'. Also note that the visarga is pronounced differently based on the previous vowel. Thus 'hariH' is pronounced as 'harihi' and 'uuucuH' is pronounced as 'uucuhu'. Do not cut short or swallow final vowels. 'pha' is the aspirated counter-part of 'pa', not to be pronounced as 'fa'. Be careful with the anusvaara - Hindi way of nasalization may be incorrect - 'haMsa' is to be pronounced as 'hamsa', not 'hans'.

Telugu Speakers: Note that 'tha' is to be pronounced as the aspirated counter-part of the 'ta' sound, not as 'dha'. Also carefully listen and observe how 'sa', 's'a' and 'Sa' sounds are pronounced in Sanskrit.