Sanskrit and Prakrit (in Devanagari script) romanization table

by The Library of Congress

Sanskrit and Prakrit (in Devanagari script)

When Sanskrit is written in another script, the corresponding letters in that script are transliterated according to this table.

Vowels and Diphthongs (see Note 1)

अa	ॠr̥̄
आā	ऌl̥
इi	एe
ईī	ऐai
उu	ओo
ऊū	औau
ऋr̥

Consonants (see Note 2)

Gutturals	Palatals	Cerebrals	Dentals
क ka	च ca	ट ṭa	त ta
ख kha	छ cha	ठ ṭha	थ tha
ग ga	ज ja	ड ḍa	द da
घ gha	झ jha	ढ ḍha	ध dha
ङ ṅa	ञ ña	ण ṇa	न na
Labials	Semivowels	Silibants	Aspirate
प pa	य ya	श śa	ह ha
फ pha	र ra	ष ṣa
ब ba	ल la	स sa
भ bha	ळ ḻa
म ma	व va
Anusvāra (see Note 3)	Anunāsika	Visarga	Jihvāmūlīya
◌ं ṃ	◌ँ m̐	◌ः ḥ	ᳵ ẖ
	Upadhmānīya	Avagraha (see Note 4)
	ᳶ ḫ	ऽ ’ (apostrophe)

Notes

1. Only the vowel forms that appear at the beginning of a syllable are listed; the forms used for vowels following a consonant can be found in grammars; no distinction between the two is made in transliteration.
2. The vowel a is implicit after all consonants and consonant clusters and is supplied in transliteration, with the following exceptions:

   a) when another vowel is indicated by its appropriate sign; and

   b) when the absence of any vowel is indicated by the subscript sign ( ◌् ) called halanta or virāma.

3. Exception: Anusvāra is transliterated by:

   a) ṅ before gutturals,

   b) ñ before palatals,

   c) ṇ before cerebrals,

   d) n before dentals, and

   e) m before labials.

4. When doubled, avagraha is transliterated by two apostrophes ( ’’ ).