Vowels and Semivowels

  • Alphabet
  • Video Lecture
  • Table / Diagram
  • Quiz
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Deshpande’s recording of the Sanskrit alphabet:
  • Vowels: a ā i ī u ū ṛ ṝ ḷ e o ai au 
  • Contact Sounds:
    ka kha ga gha ṅa 
    ca cha ja jha ña 
    ṭa ṭha ḍa ḍha ṇa  
    ta tha da dha na  
    pa pha ba bha ma
  • Semivowels: ya ra la va
  • Spirants: śa ṣa sa ha
  • Dependent Sounds: aṃ (anusvāra) aḥ (visarga)
(The “dependent sounds” usually follow the vowels in the standard order.)

Length / Strength

 

Voice

 

Velar

Palatal

Retroflex

Dental

Labial

Simple Vowels

short

+V

a

i

ṛ

ḷ

u

long

ā

ī

ṝ

ū

Complex Vowels

e (a-i)

o (a-u)

ai (ā-i)

au (ā-u)

Semivowels

y

r

l

v

Answer the following questions in the box below. (In addition, if anything in the video was unclear or you have any feedback about it, please provide it in the space below.)
  1. What makes a complex vowel complex?
  2. What makes a simple vowel simple?