Gujarati Alphabet
Learning the Gujarati language alphabet is an important step in mastering Gujarati, an Indo-Aryan language spoken predominantly in the Indian state of Gujarat. The Gujarati script is part of the Brahmic family of scripts, distinct from the Latin script used in English. It is an abugida, where consonants inherently carry a vowel sound that can be changed with diacritics. Understanding this script is crucial for reading, writing, and speaking in Gujarati. Here’s a detailed lesson to guide you through the Gujarati alphabet:
Overview of the Gujarati Alphabet
- Type of Script: Abugida
- Number of Basic Characters: 34 consonants and 12 vowels
- Direction of Writing: Left to Right
The Basic Characters of the Gujarati Alphabet
Consonants (વ્યંજન – Vyanjan)
ક (ka)
- Pronunciation: Like ‘k’ in “kite”
- Example: કાગડો (kāgaḍo – crow)
ખ (kha)
- Pronunciation: Like ‘kh’ in “Khan”
- Example: ખજૂર (khajūr – date fruit)
ગ (ga)
- Pronunciation: Like ‘g’ in “go”
- Example: ગાય (gāy – cow)
ઘ (gha)
- Pronunciation: Like ‘gh’ in “loghouse”
- Example: ઘર (ghar – house)
ચ (cha)
- Pronunciation: Like ‘ch’ in “churn”
- Example: ચાર (chār – four)
છ (chha)
- Pronunciation: Like ‘chh’ in “chhat” (Hindi)
- Example: છત્રી (chhatrī – umbrella)
જ (ja)
- Pronunciation: Like ‘j’ in “jug”
- Example: જમીન (jamīn – land)
ઝ (jha)
- Pronunciation: Like ‘jh’ in “jharoka” (Hindi)
- Example: ઝાડ (jhāḍ – tree)
ટ (ṭa)
- Pronunciation: Like ‘t’ in “talk” (with the tongue touching the roof of the mouth)
- Example: ટમેટું (ṭameṭuṁ – tomato)
ઠ (ṭha)
- Pronunciation: Aspirated version of ટ
- Example: ઠંડી (ṭhaṇḍī – cold)
ડ (ḍa)
- Pronunciation: Like ‘d’ in “dark” (with the tongue touching the roof of the mouth)
- Example: ડમરૂ (ḍamarū – drum)
ઢ (ḍha)
- Pronunciation: Aspirated version of ડ
- Example: ઢોલ (ḍhol – drum)
ણ (ṇa)
- Pronunciation: Like ‘n’ in “nine” (with the tongue touching the roof of the mouth)
- Example: ણાણાં (ṇāṇāṁ – coins)
ત (ta)
- Pronunciation: Like ‘t’ in “talk”
- Example: તારીખ (tārīkh – date)
થ (tha)
- Pronunciation: Aspirated version of ત
- Example: થાળી (thāḷī – plate)
દ (da)
- Pronunciation: Like ‘d’ in “dog”
- Example: દોસ્ત (dost – friend)
ધ (dha)
- Pronunciation: Aspirated version of દ
- Example: ધરતી (dharatī – earth)
ન (na)
- Pronunciation: Like ‘n’ in “nose”
- Example: નામ (nām – name)
પ (pa)
- Pronunciation: Like ‘p’ in “pan”
- Example: પાણી (pāṇī – water)
ફ (pha)
- Pronunciation: Like ‘ph’ in “phone”
- Example: ફૂલ (phūl – flower)
બ (ba)
- Pronunciation: Like ‘b’ in “bat”
- Example: બાળક (bāḷak – child)
ભ (bha)
- Pronunciation: Aspirated version of બ
- Example: ભાષા (bhāṣā – language)
મ (ma)
- Pronunciation: Like ‘m’ in “mother”
- Example: માણસ (māṇas – person)
ય (ya)
- Pronunciation: Like ‘y’ in “yes”
- Example: યાદ (yād – memory)
ર (ra)
- Pronunciation: Like ‘r’ in “run”
- Example: રસ્તો (rasto – road)
લ (la)
- Pronunciation: Like ‘l’ in “lamp”
- Example: લેખ (lekh – writing)
વ (va)
- Pronunciation: Like ‘v’ in “van”
- Example: વાર્તા (vārtā – story)
શ (sha)
- Pronunciation: Like ‘sh’ in “shy”
- Example: શિક્ષક (shikṣak – teacher)
ષ (ṣa)
- Pronunciation: Similar to શ, but with the tongue closer to the roof of the mouth
- Example: ષડયંત્ર (ṣaḍyantra – conspiracy)
સ (sa)
- Pronunciation: Like ‘s’ in “sun”
- Example: સાપ (sāp – snake)
હ (ha)
- Pronunciation: Like ‘h’ in “hat”
- Example: હાથ (hāth – hand)
ળ (ḷa)
- Pronunciation: Retroflex ‘l’, similar to ‘l’ but with the tongue curled back
- Example: ળીલો (ḷīlo – green)
ક્ષ (ksha)
- Pronunciation: A combination of ક (ka) and ષ (ṣa)
- Example: ક્ષણ (kṣaṇ – moment)
જ્ઞ (jña)
- Pronunciation: A combination of જ (ja) and ઞ (ña)
- Example: જ્ઞાન (jñān – knowledge)
Vowels (સ્વર – Svar)
અ (a)
- Pronunciation: Like ‘u’ in “but”
- Example: અમદાવાદ (amadāvād – Ahmedabad)
આ (ā)
- Pronunciation: Like ‘a’ in “father”
- Example: આમ (ām – mango)
ઇ (i)
- Pronunciation: Like ‘i’ in “bit”
- Example: ઇતિહાસ (itihās – history)
ઈ (ī)
- Pronunciation: Like ‘ee’ in “see”
- Example: ઈશ્વર (īshvar – god)
ઉ (u)
- Pronunciation: Like ‘u’ in “put”
- Example: ઉત્તર (uttar – answer)
ઊ (ū)
- Pronunciation: Like ‘oo’ in “food”
- Example: ઊંટ (ūṇṭ – camel)
એ (e)
- Pronunciation: Like ‘e’ in “get”
- Example: એક (ek – one)
ઐ (ai)
- Pronunciation: Like ‘i’ in “ice”
- Example: ઐતિહાસિક (aitihāsik – historic)
ઓ (o)
- Pronunciation: Like ‘o’ in “or”
- Example: ઓરડો (oraḍo – room)
ઔ (au)
- Pronunciation: Like ‘ou’ in “house”
- Example: ઔદ્યોગિક (audyogik – industrial)
અં (aṁ)
- Pronunciation: Nasalized ‘a’
- Example: અંબાણી (aṁbāṇī – Ambani)
અ: (aḥ)
- Pronunciation: ‘a’ followed by a breathy aspirate
- Example: અ:કાર (aḥkār – form)
Pronunciation Tips
- Consonant-Vowel Combination: In Gujarati, consonants inherently carry an ‘a’ sound. This sound changes with the addition of vowel diacritics.
- Consonant Clusters: Two or more consonants can combine to form clusters, where the inherent ‘a’ of the first consonant is dropped.
- Aspiration: Pay attention to aspirated consonants like ખ (kha), ઘ (gha), છ (chha), થ (tha), etc.
Practice Exercises
- Listening and Repeating: Practice saying words and phrases out loud. Listening to native speakers and repeating after them is crucial.
- Writing Practice: Practice writing each letter, both consonants and vowels. Then, practice writing simple words and gradually move to more complex ones.
- Reading Practice: Start with children’s books or basic texts in Gujarati. This will help you get accustomed to how letters and words are formed in the script.
Additional Resources
- Language Learning Apps: Look for apps that offer Gujarati language courses.
- Online Tutorials: Websites and YouTube channels may provide lessons in Gujarati.
- Language Exchange: Engage with native speakers through language exchange platforms for conversational practice.
Conclusion
Mastering the Gujarati alphabet is the first step towards fluency in the language. Regular practice in speaking, listening, reading, and writing is essential for effective learning. Best of luck, or as you would say in Gujarati, “શુભેચ્છાઓ” (Shubhecchao)!