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Gujarati · Gujarati letters

Gujarati Alphabet

Gujarati is written in its own script, left to right. It is a close cousin of Devanagari (the script of Hindi) with the top line removed, so the letters hang free instead of hanging from a bar. It is an abugida: every consonant carries a built-in short a, and a vowel sign written after, above or below the letter changes that vowel; the virama ્ takes the vowel away so two consonants can join into one shape (a conjunct). In speech the final a of a word is usually dropped: કમળ is said kamaḷ. Sounds use the same spelling as the lessons: a line over a vowel (ā ī ū) = long vowel (ī and ū are not really longer in speech), a dot under a letter (ṭ ḍ ṇ ṣ ḷ) = tongue curled back, h after a letter = a puff of air, ch for ચ and chh for છ, ś and ṣ both sound like 'sh', ṛ for ઋ, and ṁ (before k, g, ch: ṅ) for the nasal sign ં. The signs ઍ ઑ ૅ ૉ are used only for English sounds (the lessons write ૉ as ŏ and ૅ as e). Gujarati has its own digits (૧ ૨ ૩ …); you still meet them on older signs, handwritten prices and in some newspapers and books, though 1 2 3 are common everywhere.

Consonants 1 Chart · Consonants 2 Chart · Consonants 3 Chart · Consonants 4 Chart · Consonants 5 Chart

Practice Gujarati Letters Free

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Vowels

Vowel signs on ક (barakhadi)

Consonants 1: velar (k to ṅ)

Consonants 2: palatal (ch to ñ)

Consonants 3: retroflex (ṭ to ṇ)

Consonants 4: dental (t to n)

Consonants 5: labial (p to m)

Other consonants (y to ḷ)

Common joined letters (conjuncts)

Numbers

Signs & menu words

Basic Gujarati phrases