A Beginner's Guide to Learning Sanskrit (with Pictures)

Last Updated: January 18, 2023 References

Sanskrit is one of the 17 official languages in India, and is considered sacred by many. In fact, the word "Sanskrit" itself means "consecrated" or "sanctified."^{[1]
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Research source} If you've ever taken a yoga class, you likely already know a handful of Sanskrit words – although your yoga instructor may not have pronounced them correctly.^{[2]
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Research source} We'll walk you through the best ways to study online while also going over the basics, like how to pronounce vowels and consonants. From there you can expand your vocabulary and enrich yourself with the beauty of this classical language. Saubhāgyam! (Good luck!)

Section 1 of 4:

How can you learn Sanskrit online?

Check out online language-learning sites like LearnSanskrit.org. Websites like LearnSanskrit.org offer online courses and visual resources to help you along your language-learning journey. You can also check out sites like:

Section 2 of 4:

Sanskrit Vowel Sounds

1
Start with the short sounds of fundamental vowels. There are 5 fundamental vowels in Sanskrit. However, the fifth is rarely used. The 4 fundamental vowels that form the basis for all other vowel sounds are a, i, u, and ṛ.^{[3]
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- a is pronounced like the u in the English word "but." This letter is described as the sound of an exhalation. In Sanskrit, it is considered the starting point of all other sounds in the language.
- i is pronounced like the i in the English word "bit."
- u is pronounced like the u in the English word "put."
- There is no true English equivalent for the ṛ sound. It sounds a bit like you are saying "ruh."
2
Pronounce long vowels exactly twice as long as short vowels. Each of the short vowels can be made longer by drawing out the pronunciation. The sound of long vowels and short vowels also differs, much like long and short vowels in English. A long vowel is indicated by a macron, a long bar over the letter.^{[4]
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- ā is pronounced like the a in the English word "star."
- ī is pronounced like the ee in the English word "teeth."
- ū is pronounced like the oo in the English word "mood."
- A long ṛ is rarely used, but essentially sounds like a longer, more drawn-out version of the short-vowel pronunciation. The pronunciation of this vowel is incredibly varied.
3
Progress to compound vowels. The fundamental vowels are classified as "weak" vowels in Sanskrit. When you combine two weak vowels together, you get a strong or medium vowel. Strong and medium vowels are pronounced twice as long as short vowels, or the same length of time as long vowels.^{[5]
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- e is a medium vowel pronounced like the a in the English word "mane." It is a simplified version of the classical "ai," which is why it is still considered a compound vowel even though it is only one letter.
- o is a medium vowel pronounced like the o in the English word "go." It is a simplified version of the classical "au."
- ai is a strong vowel that is a combination of the short a and short i sounds. Classically, this combination was written "āi." Pronounce each letter separately, gliding them together. Keep the initial a sound short.
- au is a strong vowel that is a combination of the short a and short u sounds. Classically, this combination was written "āu."
4
Suppress the flow of air to pronounce semivowels. Semivowels are halfway between vowels and consonants. You might compare to the letter y in English, which is "sometimes" a vowel. The air flow through the mouth is continuous, as with vowels, but it is lessened.^{[6]
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- ya sounds similar to the y in the English word "yellow."
- ra is a sound not present in the English language, but it sounds somewhat like "drah." It's somewhat similar to the dr in the Greek word "drachma."
- la sounds similar to the l in the English word "loose."
- va sounds similar to the v in the English word "vase."

Section 3 of 4:

Sanskrit Consonants

1
Organize consonant sounds by their points of pronunciation. If vowels are the sound of the breath, consonants represent a stoppage of breath. When you pronounce words in Sanskrit, you stop the breath at different parts of your mouth to form the consonant sounds.^{[7]
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- There are 5 pronunciation points in Sanskrit, related to the part in your mouth where the air flow is stopped: the soft palate (at the very back of your mouth), the hard palate (at the top of your mouth), the hard bump behind your teeth on the roof of your mouth, your lips, and the base of your teeth.
- The Sanskrit alphabet is organized logically with the vowels first, followed by the consonants, which are grouped together according to their points of pronunciation.
- When naming a Sanskrit consonant, you simply add the vowel a to the end of it.
2
Use the base of your tongue for soft palate consonants. To pronounce the soft palate consonants, stop the breath at the very back of your mouth by pressing the base of your tongue to the back of your mouth or the top of your throat.^{[8]
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- ka sounds similar to the k in the English word "skill."
- ga sounds similar to the g in the English word "great."
- ṅa sounds similar to the ng sound in the English word "lung."
3
Stop air with the middle of the tongue for hard palate consonants. Hard palate consonants in Sanskrit are sounds that don't appear in English. To make these sounds, you'll press the middle of your tongue up against the roof of your mouth briefly. If you're placing your tongue correctly, you'll make the sound correctly.^{[9]
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- ca produces a sound similar to "chah," although the point of pronunciation is different from the English "ch."
- ja is sounds similar to the j in the English word "joe," although it's a smoother sound, more like a "zzh" sound.
- ña sounds similar to the "ñ" in the Spanish word "mañana."
4
Bend your tongue backwards slightly to pronounce retroflex consonants. Like hard palate consonants, retroflex consonants in Sanskrit are sounds unfamiliar to those who speak English. To make the sound, bend your tongue up and slightly back to press the tip of your tongue just behind the bony bump on the roof of your mouth. This is the ridge just behind your front teeth.^{[10]
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- ṭa produces a sound similar to the English "t," although the point of pronunciation is different. The sound is more rounded.
- ḍa produces a sound similar to the English "d," although the point of pronunciation is different. The sound of this letter is not as sharp or clipped as the sound of ṭa.
- ṇa produces a sound similar to the English "n," although as with ṭa, the point of pronunciation is different.
5
Touch your tongue to your teeth for tooth consonants. To produce the sound of the tooth consonants, you press the tip of your tongue to the base of your top teeth to stop the air. This sound is unlike similar sounds in English, for which you stop air near the edge of your front teeth.^{[11]
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- ta sounds similar to the th in the English word "thumb," although the point of pronunciation is slightly different (the base of your teeth as opposed to the edge of your teeth).
- da sounds similar to the th in the English word "the," although again, the point of pronunciation is slightly different.
- na sounds similar to the n in the English word "now."
6
Purse your lips to produce lip consonants. Lip consonants are the only Sanskrit consonants that don't use the tongue at all. Instead, you stop the flow of air by pressing your lips together. The sound produced is close to the same sound you produce in English with consonants such as p and m.^{[12]
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- pa sounds like the p in the English word "spill."
- ba sounds like the b in the English word "bill."
- ma sounds like the m in the English word "mail."
7
Create an extra puff of air for aspirated consonants. Unlike in English, aspirated consonants in Sanskrit are considered separate letters from their non-aspirated cousins. To understand the difference, say the word "log" and then say "log home." That extra puff of air produced to pronounce the h in "home" is an example of aspiration. You can also compare the difference between the p sound in "pit" and in the word "spit."^{[13]
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- There are 2 soft palate aspirated consonants: kha and gha. These produce a sound similar to the related non-aspirated consonants, just remember that extra puff of air.
- There are 2 hard palate aspirated consonants: cha and jha. Remember that the h following the first consonant is simply an indication to aspirate – this isn't a blended consonant.
- There are 2 retroflex aspirated consonants: ṭha and ḍha.
- There are 2 tooth aspirated consonants: tha and dha.
- There are 2 lip aspirated consonants: pha and bha.
8
Suppress the flow of air to create s sounds. There are 3 different letters that produce an s sound in Sanskrit, each with a different point of pronunciation. While creating an s sound involves suppressing (rather than stopping) the flow of air, these letters are considered consonants, not semivowels.^{[14]
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- śa is a hard palate consonant that produces a sound similar to the sh sound in English, although it has a different point of pronunciation. Try saying the word "petshop," but leave your tongue in the same position as it was for the t while you make the sh sound.
- ṣa is a retroflex consonant that also produces a sound similar to the sh sound in English. Say the word "friction," but leave your tongue in the r position while you make the sh sound.
- sa is a tooth consonant that sounds similar to the s in the English word "see."
9
Understand the use of ha in Sanskrit. The letter h in Sanskrit is simply a voiced breath. As you exhale, add an aah sound. There is no hard h as in English, such as in the words "harsh" or "hello."^{[15]
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- The letter h next to another consonant means you should aspirate. It is not a consonant blend, like you might see in English with words such as "when" and "where."

Section 4 of 4:

Ways to Honor the Sacred

1
Greet others politely by saying namaste. Sanskrit is considered a sacred language, and this is reflected in the way people use the language to communicate to each other. Namaste is used both when greeting someone and when departing from their presence, and at any time of day.
- The word namaste literally translates to "the divinity in me bows to the divinity in you." It may be accompanied by an actual physical bow or nod of the head.
2
Mind your manners when speaking in Sanskrit. Carrying through with politeness shows respect for the other person as well as for the sacred language. Dhanyavaadaha is a word used frequently when speaking to others in Sanskrit, and means "thank you." When speaking, thank people as often as possible.
- If someone thanks you, respond with susvaagatam, which means "you're welcome." You could also say chintaamastu, which means "no worries."
- Use kshamyataam to say "excuse me" or to get someone's attention. Krapayaa is the Sanskrit word for "please."
3
Address people politely as "sir" or "madam." When speaking to people in Sanskrit, particularly people older than you or in positions of authority, use shreeman to address men and maanye to address women.
- Combine these forms of address with polite words for "please" or "excuse me" to get someone's attention or ask them a question.
4
Read poetry and sacred texts written in Sanskrit. The Digital Library of India scanned at least 34,000 texts in Sanskrit. Although it has been discontinued, many of these digital files have been preserved and are available for free download at https://sanskritdocuments.org/scannedbooks/.^{[16]
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- The same site also has audio recordings of many of these texts available at https://sanskritdocuments.org/audio/.
- An audio reading of the Bhagavad Gita, one of India's most sacred texts, is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhW6QvNYTd8.