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Write Devanagari

Devanagari stroke order — three rules that explain every consonant

Writing Devanagari isn't about memorising 33 separate consonants — it's about internalising three rules. Once you know them, you can write any letter on the first try without thinking.

Honest note: the diagrams below are stylised stroke-order indicators, not calligraphy templates. They show which order the strokes go in, not the perfect curl of each line. The principle matters more than the exact path shape.

The three rules

  1. 1.

    Write the interior strokes first. The shape that gives the letter its identity comes before any framing.

  2. 2.

    Write the right vertical stroke second-to-last. Roughly 24 of the 36 consonants carry this vertical.

  3. 3.

    Write the शिरोरेखा (shirorekha, the headstroke) LAST. This is the horizontal bar that visually ties the line of writing together.

Velar (back of throat)

क ख ग घ ङ — formed by closing the back of the throat against the soft palate.

  • Idle

    ka

  • Idle

    kha

  • Idle

    ga

  • Idle

    gha

  • Idle

    ~na

Palatal (hard palate)

च छ ज झ ञ — tongue body presses against the hard palate.

  • Idle

    ca

  • Idle

    chha

  • Idle

    ja

  • Idle

    jha

  • Idle

    ~na

Retroflex (tongue curled back)

ट ठ ड ढ ण — these are the consonants English speakers most often mispronounce.

  • Idle

    Ta

  • Idle

    Tha

  • Idle

    Da

  • Idle

    Dha

  • Idle

    Na

Dental (tongue against teeth)

त थ द ध न — tongue touches the back of the upper teeth.

  • Idle

    ta

  • Idle

    tha

  • Idle

    da

  • Idle

    dha

  • Idle

    na

Labial (lips)

प फ ब भ म — closed-lip consonants.

  • Idle

    pa

  • Idle

    pha

  • Idle

    ba

  • Idle

    bha

  • Idle

    ma

Semivowels

य र ल व — between vowel and consonant.

  • Idle

    ya

  • Idle

    ra

  • Idle

    la

  • Idle

    va

Sibilants + glottal

श ष स ह — friction sounds and the glottal h.

  • Idle

    sha

  • Idle

    Sha

  • Idle

    sa

  • Idle

    ha

Next: see every character with audio

The full Devanagari reference covers vowels, consonants, matras, conjuncts, and numerals — every character you'll meet in Nepal.

Open the full Devanagari alphabet