The Dot (Anusvar)
Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
The Anusvar is a small dot placed above a consonant to represent a nasal sound like 'n' or 'm'.
- Place the dot above the consonant: 'क' becomes 'कं'.
- It represents a nasal sound depending on the following letter.
- It is used in common words like 'नमस्ते' (Namaste).
Meanings
The Anusvar is a diacritic mark used in the Devanagari script to indicate a nasal sound.
Nasalization
Indicates a nasal consonant sound before another consonant.
“अंक (Ank)”
“रंग (Rang)”
Anusvar Formation
| Base Letter | With Anusvar | Sound |
|---|---|---|
| क | कं | Kan |
| ख | खं | Khan |
| ग | गं | Gan |
| च | चं | Chan |
| ज | जं | Jan |
| त | तं | Tan |
| द | दं | Dan |
| प | पं | Pan |
| ब | बं | Ban |
| स | सं | San |
Reference Table
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | Consonant + Dot | कं |
| Vowel-based | Vowel + Dot | अं |
| Word Start | Dot + Consonant | अंक |
| Mid-word | Consonant + Dot + Consonant | रंग |
| End-word | Consonant + Dot | नामं |
| Formal | Standard usage | नमस्ते |
| Informal | Common usage | मुंबई |
Spectre de formalité
नमस्कार (Greeting)
नमस्ते (Greeting)
नमस्ते (Greeting)
नमस्ते (Greeting)
Anusvar Usage Map
Common Words
- नमस्ते Hello
- मुंबई Mumbai
Sounds
- न n
- म m
Examples by Level
नमस्ते
Hello
मुंबई
Mumbai
अंक
Number
रंग
Color
संधी
Opportunity
संगीत
Music
मंदिर
Temple
आंबा
Mango
अंधार
Darkness
संसार
World/Life
संबंध
Relation
आनंद
Happiness
संवाद
Dialogue
अंमलबजावणी
Implementation
संशोधन
Research
अंतिम
Final
संस्कृती
Culture
अंर्तगत
Internal
संकेत
Signal
अंशात्मक
Fractional
संविधान
Constitution
अंतिम संस्कार
Funeral rites
संवेदनशीलता
Sensitivity
अंर्तदृष्टी
Insight
Easily Confused
Both are dots.
Both represent sounds.
Both are diacritics.
Erreurs courantes
कन
कं
कन
कं
कन
कं
कन
कं
संधी
संधी
संधी
संधी
संधी
संधी
अंधार
अंधार
अंधार
अंधार
अंधार
अंधार
संस्कृती
संस्कृती
संस्कृती
संस्कृती
संस्कृती
संस्कृती
Sentence Patterns
___ is a city.
I say ___.
The ___ is beautiful.
I have an ___.
Real World Usage
नमस्ते!
मुंबई!
नमस्कार.
मंदिर कुठे आहे?
आंबा
अंतिम
Placement
Size
Keyboard
Greeting
Smart Tips
Always check for the dot.
Look for the dot on top.
Use the phone keyboard.
Practice with common words.
Prononciation
Nasalization
The sound is produced through the nose.
Standard
कं (Kan)
Neutral tone
Memorize It
Mnemonic
The dot is a hat, that makes the sound go flat (through the nose).
Visual Association
Imagine a tiny bird sitting on top of the letter. The bird is chirping through its nose.
Rhyme
A dot on top, a nasal sound, the best way to write the words you've found.
Story
A little boy named 'Anu' always wears a hat. One day, he puts his hat on top of a letter. The letter starts humming a sweet nasal tune.
Word Web
Défi
Write 5 words with an Anusvar in your notebook today.
Notes culturelles
The Anusvar is used in almost all formal Marathi writing.
Derived from ancient Brahmi script.
Conversation Starters
What is this word?
Do you know this city?
Can you write this?
What does this mean?
Journal Prompts
Test Yourself
क_ (Kan)
Which is correct?
Find and fix the mistake:
मुबई
Arrange the words in the correct order:
All words placed
Click words above to build the sentence
Hello
Answer starts with: नमस...
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
___ (Music)
City?
Score: /8
Exercices pratiques
8 exercisesक_ (Kan)
Which is correct?
Find and fix the mistake:
मुबई
आहे / मुंबई / सुंदर
Hello
Color
___ (Music)
City?
Score: /8
FAQ (8)
It is a nasal dot.
On top of the letter.
No, it is a diacritic.
For nasal sounds.
No, it is very easy.
Yes, it changes the word.
Anusvar is a dot, Chandrabindu is a moon-dot.
No, only in Marathi.
In Other Languages
Tilde
Tilde is for 'n', Anusvar is for various nasals.
Nasal vowels
French uses letters, Marathi uses a dot.
None
German uses full letters.
ん (n)
Japanese uses a character, Marathi uses a dot.
Tanween
Tanween is for grammar, Anusvar is for sound.
Pinyin nasal
Chinese uses letters, Marathi uses a dot.
