02 · CONSONANTS · FREE READING GUIDE
Marathi consonants
Learn Marathi consonants in sound families, from the back of the mouth to the lips. Play available recordings and practise the differences within a row.
Try a practice lesson →Choose Listen beside an available recording. Audio plays only when you ask.
Read beyond the English spelling
Study one course group at a time. Keep the native letter visible beside its English label, especially when several letters have similar labels.
- क — k without a strong puff, as in skip. This isolated letter-reading includes central a; read whole-word hints for vowel loss.
- ख — k with a puff of air. kh is one release, not two syllables. This isolated letter-reading includes central a; read whole-word hints for vowel loss.
- ग — Voiced g, as in go. This isolated letter-reading includes central a; read whole-word hints for vowel loss.
34 Marathi consonants in course groups
The k family
The traditional back-of-mouth row: plain, aspirated, voiced, breathy voiced, then nasal.
| Letter | English sound guide | Reading hint | Recording |
|---|---|---|---|
| क | ka | k without a strong puff, as in skip. This isolated letter-reading includes central a; read whole-word hints for vowel loss. | Listen |
| ख | kha | k with a puff of air. kh is one release, not two syllables. This isolated letter-reading includes central a; read whole-word hints for vowel loss. | Listen |
| ग | ga | Voiced g, as in go. This isolated letter-reading includes central a; read whole-word hints for vowel loss. | Listen |
| घ | gha | Voiced g with a breathy release. This isolated letter-reading includes central a; read whole-word hints for vowel loss. | Listen |
| ङ | nga | Back-of-mouth nasal, like ng in sing; chiefly encountered in joined Sanskrit-derived forms. This isolated letter-reading includes central a; read whole-word hints for vowel loss. | Listen |
The ch family
Keep the traditional five-letter row. Marathi च, ज and झ also have dental affricate readings in words.
| Letter | English sound guide | Reading hint | Recording |
|---|---|---|---|
| च | cha | Use the palatal ch for this letter drill. In words such as चाक, च can be dental ts; the spelling alone does not choose. This isolated letter-reading includes central a; read whole-word hints for vowel loss. | Listen |
| छ | chha | Palatal ch with a puff of air, as in careful letter recitation. This isolated letter-reading includes central a; read whole-word hints for vowel loss. | Listen |
| ज | ja | Palatal j for this drill; Marathi words can instead have a voiced dental dz sound. This isolated letter-reading includes central a; read whole-word hints for vowel loss. | Listen |
| झ | jha | Breathy palatal j for this drill; झाडू uses a dental dz with breathiness for many speakers. This isolated letter-reading includes central a; read whole-word hints for vowel loss. | Listen |
| ञ | nya | Palatal nasal, roughly ny in canyon. Recognize the form; it is rare alone in Marathi. This isolated letter-reading includes central a; read whole-word hints for vowel loss. | Listen |
The curled-tongue family
Move the tongue tip back for these stops and their nasal. Keep ण distinct from न.
| Letter | English sound guide | Reading hint | Recording |
|---|---|---|---|
| ट | ṭa | Curled-tongue ṭ, with little extra air. This isolated letter-reading includes central a; read whole-word hints for vowel loss. | Listen |
| ठ | ṭha | Curled-tongue ṭ with a puff. This isolated letter-reading includes central a; read whole-word hints for vowel loss. | Listen |
| ड | ḍa | Voiced curled-tongue ḍ. This isolated letter-reading includes central a; read whole-word hints for vowel loss. | Listen |
| ढ | ḍha | Voiced curled-tongue ḍ with breathiness. This isolated letter-reading includes central a; read whole-word hints for vowel loss. | Listen |
| ण | ṇa | Curled-tongue nasal ṇ, common in Marathi words such as पाणी. This isolated letter-reading includes central a; read whole-word hints for vowel loss. | Listen |
The dental family
Place the tongue against the upper teeth; these are different from the curled-tongue row.
| Letter | English sound guide | Reading hint | Recording |
|---|---|---|---|
| त | ta | Dental t with little extra air. This isolated letter-reading includes central a; read whole-word hints for vowel loss. | Listen |
| थ | tha | Dental t with a puff; not English th in thin. This isolated letter-reading includes central a; read whole-word hints for vowel loss. | Listen |
| द | da | Voiced dental d. This isolated letter-reading includes central a; read whole-word hints for vowel loss. | Listen |
| ध | dha | Voiced dental d with a breathy release. This isolated letter-reading includes central a; read whole-word hints for vowel loss. | Listen |
| न | na | Dental nasal n. Compare पान with the curled-tongue nasal in पाणी. This isolated letter-reading includes central a; read whole-word hints for vowel loss. | Listen |
The lip family
The traditional lip row: compare release, voicing and the final nasal.
| Letter | English sound guide | Reading hint | Recording |
|---|---|---|---|
| प | pa | p without a strong puff, as in spin. This isolated letter-reading includes central a; read whole-word hints for vowel loss. | Listen |
| फ | pha | Aspirated p in careful letter reading. f is also heard, particularly in borrowed words; this course does not infer it from spelling alone. This isolated letter-reading includes central a; read whole-word hints for vowel loss. | Listen |
| ब | ba | Voiced b with both lips. This isolated letter-reading includes central a; read whole-word hints for vowel loss. | Listen |
| भ | bha | Voiced b with breathiness. This isolated letter-reading includes central a; read whole-word hints for vowel loss. | Listen |
| म | ma | m with the lips closed and air through the nose. This isolated letter-reading includes central a; read whole-word hints for vowel loss. | Listen |
Gliding and flowing sounds
Learn y, r, ordinary l, and Marathi v/w before comparing ल and ळ.
| Letter | English sound guide | Reading hint | Recording |
|---|---|---|---|
| य | ya | y as in yes. This isolated letter-reading includes central a; read whole-word hints for vowel loss. | Listen |
| र | ra | A brief tongue-tip tap or trill. Font shapes can differ from Hindi without changing the letter. This isolated letter-reading includes central a; read whole-word hints for vowel loss. | Listen |
| ल | la | Ordinary l; keep the tongue forward compared with ळ. This isolated letter-reading includes central a; read whole-word hints for vowel loss. | Listen |
| व | va | A sound between English v and w; the English distinction does not map directly. This isolated letter-reading includes central a; read whole-word hints for vowel loss. | Listen |
Sh, s, h and Marathi ḷ
ल and ळ are different sounds. श and ष often share sh; their labels retain the spelling distinction.
| Letter | English sound guide | Reading hint | Recording |
|---|---|---|---|
| श | sha (श) | sh as in ship. (श) identifies this written letter. This isolated letter-reading includes central a; read whole-word hints for vowel loss. | Listen |
| ष | sha (ष) | Often read like श in Marathi; careful Sanskrit-style reading may distinguish it. The (ष) label does not require a new sound. This isolated letter-reading includes central a; read whole-word hints for vowel loss. | Listen |
| स | sa | s as in sun. This isolated letter-reading includes central a; read whole-word hints for vowel loss. | Listen |
| ह | ha | Breathy h. In joined forms its effect can extend to an adjacent sound. This isolated letter-reading includes central a; read whole-word hints for vowel loss. | Listen |
| ळ | ḷa | Curled-tongue lateral ḷ, as in नळ and माळ; distinct from ordinary ल. This isolated letter-reading includes central a; read whole-word hints for vowel loss. | Listen |
Recognise a group at a time
- Choose a few written forms and compare their English hints.
- Cover the hints and identify the letters in a different order.
- Practise with matching, mixing, flashcards, or a visual quiz.
Keep one consonant fixed in the vowel-sign chart, then look for it in beginner words.
Prepared by Learn Akshara from our beginner Marathi curriculum. English spellings are approximate learning aids. Writing-system reference: The Unicode Standard, South Asian Scripts. AI-generated pronunciation is a learning aid, not a guarantee of accuracy. See our audio sources and credits.