Marathi-Learn

Marathi Vowels | मराठी स्वर

Learning Objectives | शिक्षण उद्दिष्ट्ये

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

Identify all 12 Marathi vowels in written form
Pronounce each vowel correctly with proper length
Write each vowel character with correct stroke order
Recognize the diacritic forms of vowels
Distinguish between short and long vowels
Read simple words using vowels

Introduction | परिचय

Vowels (स्वर - svara) are the foundation of any Indian language. In Marathi, vowels are sounds that are produced without any obstruction in the vocal tract. They form the core of every syllable.

Types of Vowels | स्वरांचे प्रकार

Type	Marathi	Examples
Short vowels	ह्रस्व स्वर	अ, इ, उ
Long vowels	दीर्घ स्वर	आ, ई, ऊ, ए, ऐ, ओ, औ
Vocalic	वर्णांतर	ऋ
Nasalized	अनुस्वार/विसर्ग	अं, अः

Complete Vowel Chart | संपूर्ण स्वर तक्ता

Quick Reference Table | त्वरित संदर्भ तक्ता

#	Vowel	Transliteration	IPA	Type	English Approximation
1	अ	a	/ə/	Short	‘a’ in about
2	आ	ā	/ɑː/	Long	‘a’ in father
3	इ	i	/i/	Short	‘i’ in bit
4	ई	ī	/iː/	Long	‘ee’ in see
5	उ	u	/u/	Short	‘u’ in put
6	ऊ	ū	/uː/	Long	‘oo’ in moon
7	ऋ	ṛ	/ɻ̩/	Vocalic	‘ri’ in right (approx.)
8	ए	e	/eː/	Long	‘e’ in hey
9	ऐ	ai	/əi/	Diphthong	‘i’ in ice
10	ओ	o	/oː/	Long	‘o’ in go
11	औ	au	/əu/	Diphthong	‘ou’ in out
12	अं	aṃ	/ə̃/	Nasal	nasal ‘um’
13	अः	aḥ	/əɦ/	Visarga	‘ah’ with breath

Detailed Vowel Guide | तपशीलवार स्वर मार्गदर्शक

1. अ (a) - Short ‘a’

Property	Value
Devanagari	अ
Transliteration	a
IPA	/ə/
Type	Short (ह्रस्व)
Diacritic	(inherent in consonants)

How to Pronounce:

Like the ‘a’ in English “about” or “upon”
This is a neutral, short vowel
The mouth is relaxed and slightly open
The tongue rests in a neutral position

Example Words:

Marathi	Transliteration	Meaning	Notes
अकबर	akbar	Akbar (name)	Initial position
नमस्कार	namaskār	Hello/Greetings	Middle position
कर	kar	do (verb)	With consonant
अज	aj	today	Initial position

Practice Words:

अनंत (anant) - infinite
अर्थ (arth) - meaning
बट (baṭa) - button
पग (paga) - step

2. आ (ā) - Long ‘a’

Property	Value
Devanagari	आ
Transliteration	ā
IPA	/ɑː/
Type	Long (दीर्घ)
Diacritic	ा (placed after consonant)

How to Pronounce:

Like the ‘a’ in English “father” or “car”
Hold the sound longer than अ
Open your mouth wider than for अ
The sound comes from the back of the throat

Example Words:

Marathi	Transliteration	Meaning	Notes
आम	ām	mango	Initial position
बाप	bāp	father	With consonant
आकाश	ākāś	sky	Initial position
जाणे	jāṇe	to go	Middle position

Practice Words:

आनंद (ānand) - happiness
माता (mātā) - mother
पान (pān) - leaf
दार (dār) - door

⚠️ Important Distinction:

अ (a) vs आ (ā)
----------------
अज (aj) = today    vs    आज (āj) = today (alternate)
कर (kar) = do      vs    कार (kār) = car
नम (nam) = name    vs    नाम (nām) = name

3. इ (i) - Short ‘i’

Property	Value
Devanagari	इ
Transliteration	i
IPA	/i/
Type	Short (ह्रस्व)
Diacritic	ि (placed before consonant)

How to Pronounce:

Like the ‘i’ in English “bit” or “sit”
Short and quick
Lips spread slightly
Tongue positioned high and forward

Example Words:

Marathi	Transliteration	Meaning	Notes
इमारत	imārat	building	Initial position
दिन	din	day	With consonant
बिल	bil	bill	With consonant
इतर	itar	other	Initial position

Practice Words:

इतिहास (itihās) - history
दिवस (divas) - day
मित्र (mitr) - friend
निशाणी (niśāṇī) - sign/mark

Note on Diacritic Placement: The diacritic ि appears before the consonant it modifies:

क + ि = कि (ki) ← The ि comes before क in writing
म + ि = मि (mi)

4. ई (ī) - Long ‘i’

Property	Value
Devanagari	ई
Transliteration	ī
IPA	/iː/
Type	Long (दीर्घ)
Diacritic	ी (placed after consonant)

How to Pronounce:

Like the ‘ee’ in English “see” or “tree”
Hold the sound twice as long as इ
Lips spread more
Tongue high and forward, held longer

Example Words:

Marathi	Transliteration	Meaning	Notes
ईश्वर	īśvar	God	Initial position
दीन	dīn	poor/humble	With consonant
मीन	mīn	fish	With consonant
ईड	īḍ	pin	Initial position

Practice Words:

ईट (īṭ) - brick
दीवाळी (dīvāḷī) - Diwali festival
पीठ (pīṭh) - flour
नील (nīl) - blue

⚠️ Important Distinction:

इ (i) vs ई (ī)
----------------
मित्र (mitr) = friend    vs    मीत्र (mītr) = friend (variant)
दिन (din) = day          vs    दीन (dīn) = poor/humble
सिंह (siṃh) = lion       vs    सींह (sīṃh) = lion (variant)

5. उ (u) - Short ‘u’

Property	Value
Devanagari	उ
Transliteration	u
IPA	/u/
Type	Short (ह्रस्व)
Diacritic	ु (placed below consonant)

How to Pronounce:

Like the ‘u’ in English “put” or “book”
Short and quick
Lips rounded slightly
Tongue positioned high and back

Example Words:

Marathi	Transliteration	Meaning	Notes
उडणे	udaṇe	to fly	Initial position
गुण	guṇ	quality	With consonant
सुंदर	sundar	beautiful	With consonant
उपकार	upkār	favor	Initial position

Practice Words:

उद्या (udyā) - tomorrow
गुलाब (gulāb) - rose
मुलगा (mulgā) - son
शुक्रवार (śukravār) - Friday

6. ऊ (ū) - Long ‘u’

Property	Value
Devanagari	ऊ
Transliteration	ū
IPA	/uː/
Type	Long (दीर्घ)
Diacritic	ू (placed below consonant)

How to Pronounce:

Like the ‘oo’ in English “moon” or “spoon”
Hold the sound twice as long as उ
Lips rounded more
Tongue high and back, held longer

Example Words:

Marathi	Transliteration	Meaning	Notes
ऊन	ūn	sunshine	Initial position
भूमी	bhūmī	earth/land	With consonant
दूध	dūdh	milk	With consonant
ऊर्जा	ūrjā	energy	Initial position

Practice Words:

ऊस (ūs) - sugarcane
सूर्य (sūrya) - sun
भूक (bhūk) - hunger
मूल (mūl) - child/root

⚠️ Important Distinction:

उ (u) vs ऊ (ū)
----------------
गुण (guṇ) = quality       vs    गूण (gūṇ) = thread
सुधा (sudhā) = nectar     vs    सूधा (sūdhā) = direction
मुक्त (mukt) = free       vs    मूक (mūk) = dumb/silent

7. ऋ (ṛ) - Vocalic ‘r’

Property	Value
Devanagari	ऋ
Transliteration	ṛ
IPA	/ɻ̩/
Type	Vocalic (वर्णांतर)
Diacritic	ृ (placed below consonant)

How to Pronounce:

Has no exact equivalent in English
Approximate: Try saying “right” without fully pronouncing the ‘i’
The tongue tip curls back while producing the sound
A combination of ‘r’ quality with vowel resonance

Note: This vowel is rare in everyday Marathi and appears mainly in Sanskrit loanwords.

Example Words:

Marathi	Transliteration	Meaning	Notes
ऋषि	ṛṣi	sage/saint	Sanskrit loanword
ऋतू	ṛtū	season	Sanskrit loanword
पृथ्वी	pṛthvī	earth	With consonant
धृष्ट	dhṛṣṭ	bold/audacious	Sanskrit loanword

Practice Words:

ऋण (ṛṇa) - debt
पृथक (pṛthak) - separate
मृत्यु (mṛtyu) - death
कृपा (kṛpā) - grace

8. ए (e) - Long ‘e’

Property	Value
Devanagari	ए
Transliteration	e
IPA	/eː/
Type	Long (दीर्घ)
Diacritic	े (placed above consonant)

How to Pronounce:

Like the ‘e’ in English “hey” or “day”
A pure vowel without the ‘y’ glide at the end
Lips spread
Tongue positioned mid-high and forward

Example Words:

Marathi	Transliteration	Meaning	Notes
एक	ek	one	Initial position
देश	deś	country	With consonant
मेळ	meḷ	meeting/gathering	With consonant
एका	ekā	one (oblique)	Initial position

Practice Words:

एरवी (eravī) - otherwise
देव (dev) - god
पेटी (peṭī) - box/chest
रेखा (rekhā) - line

9. ऐ (ai) - Diphthong ‘ai’

Property	Value
Devanagari	ऐ
Transliteration	ai
IPA	/əi/
Type	Diphthong (संधिस्वर)
Diacritic	ै (placed above consonant)

How to Pronounce:

Like the ‘i’ in English “ice” or “idea”
A gliding sound starting from ‘a’ moving to ‘i’
In Marathi, often pronounced more open than Hindi

Example Words:

Marathi	Transliteration	Meaning	Notes
ऐक	aik	listen	Initial position
गैर	gair	injustice/wrong	With consonant
मैदान	maidān	field	With consonant
ऐन	ain	very/same moment	Initial position

Practice Words:

ऐश्वर्य (aiśvarya) - prosperity
कैद (kaid) - prisoner
पैसा (paisā) - money
सैनिक (sainik) - soldier

10. ओ (o) - Long ‘o’

Property	Value
Devanagari	ओ
Transliteration	o
IPA	/oː/
Type	Long (दीर्घ)
Diacritic	ो (placed above consonant)

How to Pronounce:

Like the ‘o’ in English “go” or “no”
A pure vowel without the ‘w’ glide at the end
Lips rounded
Tongue positioned mid-high and back

Example Words:

Marathi	Transliteration	Meaning	Notes
ओळख	oḷakh	identity	Initial position
रोज	roj	daily	With consonant
बोलणे	bolaṇe	to speak	With consonant
ओढ	oḍh	pull/attraction	Initial position

Practice Words:

ओशाळ (ośāḷ) - learned
दोन (don) - two
गोदाम (godām) - warehouse
मोठा (moṭhā) - big

11. औ (au) - Diphthong ‘au’

Property	Value
Devanagari	औ
Transliteration	au
IPA	/əu/
Type	Diphthong (संधिस्वर)
Diacritic	ौ (placed above consonant)

How to Pronounce:

Like the ‘ou’ in English “out” or “house”
A gliding sound starting from ‘a’ moving to ‘u’
Lips start neutral, then round at the end

Example Words:

Marathi	Transliteration	Meaning	Notes
औषध	auṣadh	medicine	Initial position
कौशल	kaushal	skill	With consonant
मौन	maun	silence	With consonant
औरंग	auraṅg	path	Initial position

Practice Words:

औदार्य (audārya) - generosity
कौतुक (kautuk) - curiosity
पौर्णिमा (paurṇimā) - full moon
सौरभ (saurabh) - fragrance

12. अं (aṃ) - Anusvara (Nasal)

Property	Value
Devanagari	अं
Transliteration	aṃ / ã
IPA	/ə̃/
Type	Nasal (अनुस्वार)
Diacritic	ं (dot above consonant)

How to Pronounce:

A nasalized vowel
The air flows through the nose
Like the ‘um’ in “rhythm” but without closing lips
The exact pronunciation depends on the following consonant

Pronunciation Rules:

Before क, ख, ग, घ → nasal ‘a’ with back of tongue raised (aŋ)
Before च, छ, ज, झ → nasal ‘a’ with tongue behind teeth (aɲ)
Before ट, ठ, ड, ढ → nasal ‘a’ with curled tongue (aɳ)
Before त, थ, द, ध → dental nasal (an)
Before प, फ, ब, भ → like ‘um’ in English (am)

Example Words:

Marathi	Transliteration	Meaning	Notes
अंग	aṅg	body	Before ग (velar)
अंजीर	añjīr	fig	Before ज (palatal)
अंडा	aṇḍā	egg	Before ड (retroflex)
अंत	ant	end	Before त (dental)
अंबा	ambā	mango	Before ब (labial)

Practice Words:

अंक (aṅk) - number
अंश (aṃś) - part
संग (saṅg) - company
हिंसा (hiṃsā) - violence

13. अः (aḥ) - Visarga

Property	Value
Devanagari	अः
Transliteration	aḥ
IPA	/əɦ/
Type	Visarga (विसर्ग)
Diacritic	ः (two dots to the right)

How to Pronounce:

Pronounced as a short ‘a’ followed by a breathy ‘h’
Like saying “uh-huh” with emphasis on the ‘h’
Creates a slight pause or emphasis
Most common at the end of words

Example Words:

Marathi	Transliteration	Meaning	Notes
दुःख	duḥkh	sorrow	Middle position
अः	aḥ	exclamation	Standalone
पुनः	punaḥ	again	Word final
अतिथिः	atithiḥ	guest	Sanskrit form

Practice Words:

नमः (namaḥ) - salutation
दयालुः (dayāluḥ) - kind person
बाहुः (bāhuḥ) - arm

Note: Visarga is less common in everyday Marathi compared to Sanskrit. In modern Marathi, it often changes to other sounds or is dropped.

Diacritic Forms Summary | मात्रा सारांश

When vowels combine with consonants, they appear as diacritical marks called मात्रा (mātrā):

Independent	Diacritic	Name	Position
अ (a)	—	(inherent)	—
आ (ā)	ा	आ-मात्रा	After consonant
इ (i)	ि	इ-मात्रा	Before consonant
ई (ī)	ी	ई-मात्रा	After consonant
उ (u)	ु	उ-मात्रा	Below consonant
ऊ (ū)	ू	ऊ-मात्रा	Below consonant
ऋ (ṛ)	ृ	ऋ-मात्रा	Below consonant
ए (e)	े	ए-मात्रा	Above consonant
ऐ (ai)	ै	ऐ-मात्रा	Above consonant
ओ (o)	ो	ओ-मात्रा	Above consonant
औ (au)	ौ	औ-मात्रा	Above consonant

Example with क (ka):

Combined	Form	Transliteration
क + अ	क	ka
क + आ	का	kā
क + इ	कि	ki
क + ई	की	kī
क + उ	कु	ku
क + ऊ	कू	kū
क + ऋ	कृ	kṛ
क + ए	के	ke
क + ऐ	कै	kai
क + ओ	को	ko
क + औ	कौ	kau

Short vs Long Vowels | ह्रस्व व दीर्घ स्वर

Understanding vowel length is crucial in Marathi:

Pairs of Short and Long Vowels:

Short	Long	Examples
अ (a)	आ (ā)	अज (aj) ≠ आज (āj)
इ (i)	ई (ī)	मित्र (mitr) ≠ मीत्र (mītr)
उ (u)	ऊ (ū)	मुक्त (mukt) ≠ मूक (mūk)

Vowel Length Changes Meaning:

Word	Meaning
कर (kar)	do (verb)
कार (kār)	car
हिन (hin)	small
हीन (hīn)	devoid of
सुख (sukh)	happiness
सूख (sūkh)	dry

Practice Exercises | सराव सराव

Exercise 1: Vowel Recognition

Read the following words and identify the vowels:

आम्र (āmra) = mango tree
दीप (dīp) = lamp
सूर्य (sūrya) = sun
औषध (auṣadh) = medicine
नमस्कार (namaskār) = hello

Answers:

आ, अ
ई, अ
ऊ, अ
औ, अ
अ, अ, आ, अ

Exercise 2: Transliteration Practice

Write the Marathi script for:

a + k → ___ (अक)
ī + m → ___ (मी)
u + d → ___ (दु)
au + sh → ___ (शौ)
e + l → ___ (ले)

Exercise 3: Match the Vowel

Match the Marathi vowel to its English approximation:

Marathi	English Approximation
1. अ	a. ‘ee’ in see
2. आ	b. ‘a’ in about
3. इ	c. ‘a’ in father
4. ई	d. ‘i’ in bit
5. उ	e. ‘oo’ in moon
6. ऊ	f. ‘u’ in put

Answers: 1-b, 2-c, 3-d, 4-a, 5-f, 6-e

Exercise 4: Fill in the Blanks

Complete the word with the correct vowel:

___क (one) → एक
म___त (friend) → मित्र
द___ध (milk) → दूध
नमस्क___र (hello) → नमस्कार
___षध (medicine) → औषध

Exercise 5: Reading Practice

Read the following words aloud:

Word	Breakdown	Meaning
आनंद	आ-न-ं-द	happiness
शिक्षण	शि-क-्-ष-ण	education
सौंदर्य	सौ-ं-द-र-्य	beauty
मैदान	मै-दा-न	field
दीवाळी	दी-वा-ळी	Diwali

Cultural Note | सांस्कृतिक टिप्पणी

Om (ॐ) - The Primordial Sound

The sacred syllable ॐ (Oṃ) is formed by combining three sounds:

अ (a) - Beginning
उ (u) - Middle
म (m) - End

Together, they represent the past, present, and future - all that exists. This shows how fundamental vowels are to Indian spiritual thought.

Sanskrit’s Influence

Many Marathi vowels come from Sanskrit. The Sanskrit alphabet was meticulously designed by ancient grammarians like Pāṇini (पाणिनि), who classified sounds based on their place and manner of articulation. This scientific approach to phonetics is one of India’s great contributions to linguistics.

Next Steps | पुढील पावले

Now that you’ve learned the vowels, you’re ready to:

Practice writing vowels using writing-practice.md
Move on to consonants.md to learn the consonants
Study barakhadi.md to understand how vowels combine with consonants

Navigation:

⬅️ Back to Alphabet Overview

➡️ Next: Consonants

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