Basic Consonants (Vyanjan Varna)
Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
Nepali consonants are phonetic, meaning you say exactly what you write; focus on the 'aspirated' vs 'unaspirated' sounds.
- Consonants are written with an inherent 'a' sound: 'क' is 'ka'.
- Aspiration matters: 'क' (ka) and 'ख' (kha) are different letters.
- Letters are written from left to right, joined by a top horizontal line.
Consonant Sound Classes
| Class | Unaspirated | Aspirated | Nasal |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Velar
|
क (ka)
|
ख (kha)
|
ङ (nga)
|
|
Palatal
|
च (cha)
|
छ (chha)
|
ञ (nya)
|
|
Retroflex
|
ट (ta)
|
ठ (tha)
|
ण (na)
|
|
Dental
|
त (ta)
|
थ (tha)
|
न (na)
|
|
Labial
|
प (pa)
|
फ (pha)
|
म (ma)
|
Meanings
Nepali consonants (Vyanjan) are the core building blocks of the language, representing specific mouth positions and airflow.
Basic Consonant
The standard consonant sound with an inherent 'a' vowel.
“म (ma)”
“न (na)”
Aspirated Consonant
Consonants pronounced with a strong puff of air.
“ख (kha)”
“छ (chha)”
Nasal Consonant
Sounds produced through the nose.
“ङ (nga)”
“ञ (nya)”
Reference Table
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
|
Basic
|
Consonant
|
क (ka)
|
|
Aspirated
|
Consonant + h
|
ख (kha)
|
|
Nasal
|
Nasalized
|
म (ma)
|
|
Conjunct
|
C1 + C2
|
स्त (sta)
|
|
Vowel-Added
|
C + Diacritic
|
का (kaa)
|
|
Half-Form
|
C without 'a'
|
क् (k)
|
Spectre de formalité
यो के हो? (Asking a question)
यो के हो? (Asking a question)
के हो यो? (Asking a question)
के हो? (Asking a question)
Consonant Mouth Positions
Throat
- • क
- • ख
- • ग
Lips
- • प
- • फ
- • ब
Exemples par niveau
क कलम
ka kalam (pen)
म मकै
ma makai (corn)
न नाम
na naam (name)
स सानो
sa saano (small)
ख खाना
kha khaana (food)
ग घर
ga ghar (house)
च चिया
cha chiya (tea)
त तातो
ta taato (hot)
घ घडी
gha ghadi (watch)
झ झोला
jha jhola (bag)
ध धेरै
dha dherai (many)
भ भोक
bha bhok (hunger)
क्ष क्षेत्र
kshya kshetra (area)
त्र त्रिकोण
tra trikon (triangle)
ज्ञ ज्ञान
gya gyaan (knowledge)
श्र श्रम
shra shram (labor)
कष्ट
kashta (difficulty)
प्रयास
prayaas (effort)
सम्बन्ध
sambandha (relation)
अवस्था
avastha (condition)
अक्षर
akshar (letter)
संस्कृति
sanskriti (culture)
विज्ञान
vigyaan (science)
स्वच्छता
svachhata (cleanliness)
Facile à confondre
Both look similar to beginners.
Erreurs courantes
k
क
ka
क
k-ha
ख
kya
क्य
Structures de phrases
यो ___ हो।
Real World Usage
के छ?
Practice daily
Smart Tips
Always draw the top line.
Prononciation
Aspiration
Add a puff of air for aspirated letters.
Statement
यो घर हो। ↘
Falling intonation for facts.
Mémorise-le
Moyen mnémotechnique
Think of 'Kha' as 'Ka' with a 'h'uff of air.
Association visuelle
Imagine the top line as a clothesline holding all the letters together.
Rhyme
Ka, Kha, Ga, Gha, hear the sound, Nepali letters all around.
Story
Kalu the cat (Ka) met a Khara (rabbit). They went to the Ghaas (grass) to play.
Word Web
Défi
Write your name in Nepali script using a consonant chart.
Notes culturelles
Standard pronunciation is used in formal settings.
Derived from the ancient Brahmi script.
Amorces de conversation
तपाईंको नाम के हो?
Sujets d'écriture
Erreurs courantes
Test Yourself
क or ख?
Score: /1
Exercices pratiques
1 exercisesक or ख?
Score: /1
FAQ (1)
There are 36 main consonants.
Scaffolded Practice
1
Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
Devanagari
Vocabulary differences.
Latin
Abugida vs Alphabet.
Latin
Phonetic transparency.
Latin
Script structure.
Kana
Script type.
Hanzi
Script type.
