The Sanskrit Alphabet in the Siddhaṃ Script

The book o
Menu anskrit, and related languages, can be written in a wide variety of

home
S scripts - including Brāhmī, Karoṣṭhī, Gupta, Tibetan, and with some
modifications Roman (the one we use to write English). Letters that use
Visible Mantra
now on s
diacritics (the various dots, dashes and squiggles) when Sanskrit is
mantras transliterated are not as similar as their Roman equivalents might suggest -
bījas ta and ṭa are not the same! This is partly why diacritics are important. The
Sanskrit 'alphabet' is not strickly speaking either an alphabet or a syllabary,
alphabet but is what is known as an abugida or alpha-syllabary. It is made up of a
words mixture of single letter (eg the vowels) and the single consonants combined
with the short a. A full syllabary would include all possible combinations of
scripts
consonants and vowels, including conjunct consonants and would includes Support inde
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Siddhaṃ was the script used to write the Buddhist scriptures that were
projects transmitted to China. The practice of writing in the Siddhāṃ script was
reading preserved in Japan by the Shingon school founded by Kūkai. On the right is an example of a Reading and w
Chinese brush Siddham alphabet by Kūkai. click for a larger image. Siddhaṃ req
blog learning the bas
Visible Mantra Press and consonan
Siddhaṃ learning also
contact/info The Siddhaṃ Alphabet With Roman and Devanāgarī equivalents combine vowe
consonants, an
cope with dou
conjunct conson
āli - the vowels tta, mma, and r
Art and text
© 2007-11 Jayarava etc).
except where noted

aāiī
uūṛṝ
ḷ ḹ e ai
a ā i ī o au ṃ
अ आ इ ई
ka kha ga g
ca cha ja jh
ṭa ṭha ḍa ḍh
ta tha da dh
pa pha ba b
u ū ṛ ṝ ya ra la v
उ ऊ ऋ ॠ ṣa sa ha kṣ

अआइई
उऊऋॠ
ऌॡएऐ
ḷ ḹ e ai
ऌ ॡ ए ऐ ओ औ ◌ं ◌
कखगघ
चछजझ
टठडढ
तथदध
पफबभ
o au aṃ aḥ
यरलव
ओ औ अं अः
anusvāra visarga षसह
(nasalised) (aspirated)

Asian calligraph
See also Combining vowels leave out ṝ ḷ
probably becau
  are seldom u
practice
Kāli - the consonants
For another let
with soft brus
* indicates there is an alternative way to write the syllable - see below
letters see the
Siddham we
 unvoiced voiced nasal Akara : The Qu
plain aspirated plain aspirated Perfect Form
interesting essa
Velar forms that lette
taken over

ka kha ga gha ṅa
क ख ग घ ङ
palatal

ca cha *ja jha ña

च छ ज झ ञ
retroflex

ṭa ṭha ḍa ḍha *ṇa

ट ठ ड ढ ण
dental

ta tha da dha na
त थ द ध न
labial

pa pha ba bha ma
प फ ब भ म

semivowels  

ya ra la va  
य र ल व
spirants

śa ṣa sa ha
श ष स ह
conjuncts

kṣa jña

See also how to write double and conjunct consonants

Alternative      
forms
ja ṇa      
ज ण