Marathi vowels
13 vowel letters from the Marathi course, with sound spellings and available recordings. Learn to recognise the shapes before moving to attached vowel signs.
Try a practice lesson →Choose Listen beside an available recording. Audio plays only when you ask.
13 Marathi vowel letters
Compare the independent letters, English sound spellings, and course hints. The English labels are approximate reading aids.
| Letter | English sound guide | Reading hint | Recording |
|---|---|---|---|
| अ | a | The inherent Marathi vowel is central a, roughly uh; it is not the open aa of आ. | Listen |
| आ | aa | Open aa, roughly as in father. Word position also affects duration. आई — aai · mother | Listen |
| इ | i (इ) | The इ spelling of i. Marathi i duration depends on word position; the label distinguishes the writing. | Listen |
| ई | i (ई) | The ई spelling of i, traditionally called long i. It shares a sound group with इ; words determine duration. | Listen |
| उ | u (उ) | The उ spelling of rounded u. Do not assume its written category fixes its duration in every word. उडी — uḍee · jump | Listen |
| ऊ | u (ऊ) | The ऊ spelling of rounded u, traditionally called long u. It shares a sound group with उ. ऊस — oos · sugar cane | Listen |
| ऋ | ru (ऋ) | Usually ru in modern Marathi Sanskrit-derived words. This differs from the usual Hindi ri reading. | Listen |
| ए | e | A steady e without the English ay glide. एक — ek · one | Listen |
| ऐ | ai | A Marathi vowel sequence gliding from central a toward i; do not automatically use the Hindi open-e reading. ऐक — aik · listen | Listen |
| ओ | o | A steady rounded o. Keep it distinct from the more open ऑ. ओढा — oḍhaa · stream | Listen |
| औ | au | A Marathi vowel sequence gliding from central a toward u; do not automatically use the Hindi open-o reading. | Listen |
| ॲ | ae (ॲ) | Open front ae, roughly as in cat, used in borrowed words. ॲ is the Marathi primer spelling; also recognize ऍ. | Listen |
| ऑ | aw | Open rounded o, roughly aw in an accent that distinguishes caught and cot. The w is not a separate consonant. | Listen |
Compare the letters and hints
Use the course’s hints for these vowel letters. Similar English spellings do not necessarily represent the same sound.
- अ — The inherent Marathi vowel is central a, roughly uh; it is not the open aa of आ.
- आ — Open aa, roughly as in father. Word position also affects duration.
- इ — The इ spelling of i. Marathi i duration depends on word position; the label distinguishes the writing.
Move to attached vowel signs
- 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.
Compare each independent vowel with its attached form in the vowel-sign chart.
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.