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Devanagari Vowels (स्वराः)
The 14 vowel sounds of Sanskrit
Sanskrit has 14 traditional vowels (svaras): अ आ इ ई उ ऊ ऋ ॠ ऌ ॡ ए ऐ ओ औ. Each is a self-contained sound — short or long, simple or compound.
Short and long pairs
Most vowels come in short/long pairs:
- अ (a) short — आ (ā) long
- इ (i) short — ई (ī) long
- उ (u) short — ऊ (ū) long
- ऋ (ṛ) short — ॠ (ṝ) long
The long vowel takes roughly twice the duration of the short.
Compound vowels
- ए (e), ऐ (ai), ओ (o), औ (au) — these are always long, formed historically by vowel combinations.
Pronunciation tips
- अ is pronounced like the 'u' in English 'cup', not 'ah'
- ऋ is a vocalic 'r' — closer to 'ri' than to 'ru'
- Length matters: देव (deva, god) ≠ देवी (devī, goddess)
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