Nepali Vowels & Alphabet — the Devanagari स्वर Guide | KidSchooler

Q: How many vowels are there in Nepali?

The Devanagari script used for Nepali has 13 vowels (स्वर), including the anusvara (अं) and visarga (अः), which are often grouped with the vowels. The core set runs अ, आ, इ, ई, उ, ऊ, ऋ, ए, ऐ, ओ, औ. Each has an independent form, written at the start of a word, and a dependent matra form used on consonants.

Q: What is the difference between a vowel and a matra in Nepali?

An independent vowel (अ, आ, इ…) is written when the vowel starts a word or syllable on its own. A matra is the same vowel in dependent form — a small sign attached to a consonant. For example आ (aa) becomes the matra ा, so क + ा = का (kaa). Every consonant carries an inherent 'a' unless a matra or the virama (्) changes it.

Q: How do you write Nepali vowels?

Write the independent vowel forms first by hand — they appear at the start of words. Then learn each matra and where it sits relative to the consonant: ा and ी go to the right, ि goes to the left, ु and ू hang below, and े, ै, ो, ौ ride above or to the right. As in all Devanagari, the top headstroke (शिरोरेखा) is drawn last.

Q: Is the inherent vowel अ always pronounced?

No. Every bare consonant carries an inherent अ (a) sound, but Nepali drops most word-final and some medial schwas in speech — a process called schwa deletion. That's why नमस्ते is said 'na-mas-te,' not 'na-ma-sa-te.' Words ending in a conjunct, like किताब, keep the final consonant clear instead.

Q: Are Nepali vowels the same as Hindi vowels?

Largely yes — both use the same Devanagari vowel set and matras, so the glyphs and signs are shared. Pronunciation differs in places, and the vowel ऋ is a Sanskrit borrowing that is rare in everyday Nepali. The independent-form-versus-matra system works identically in both languages.

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The स्वर of Nepali

Nepali vowels & alphabet — the Devanagari स्वर guide

Vowels are where every Nepali learner should start. In Devanagari they're called स्वर (swar), and there are 13 of them. Each one has two shapes: an independent form you write at the start of a word, and a dependent matra you attach to a consonant. Master the vowels and the consonants suddenly make sense — because every syllable is a consonant plus a vowel.

अ आ इ ई उ ऊ ए ऐ ओ औ

a, aa, i, ee, u, oo, e, ai, o, au — tap to hear them

What the स्वर (vowels) are

The Nepali vowels come in short/long pairs — अ/आ, इ/ई, उ/ऊ — where the only difference is length, and that length can change meaning entirely (कम kam, less, vs काम kaam, work). Two more entries usually grouped with the vowels are the anusvara अं, a nasal sound, and the visarga अः, a soft breathy ending. The vowel ऋ is borrowed from Sanskrit and rare in everyday Nepali.

The 13 Nepali vowels — full table

Independent form, romanization, the matra (vowel sign), an example word, and the sound. Tap any vowel to hear it spoken.

The thirteen Nepali Devanagari vowels with romanization, matra, example word, and pronunciation
Vowel	Roman	Matra	Example	Sound
अ	a	inherent	अमिलोamilo — sour	uh (like 'a' in about)
आ	aa	ा	आमाaamaa — mother	ah (like 'a' in father)
इ	i	ि	इनारinaar — well (water)	ih (short, like 'i' in bit)
ई	ee	ी	ईखeekh — sugarcane	ee (long, like 'ee' in see)
उ	u	ु	उमेरumer — age	uh (short, like 'u' in put)
ऊ	oo	ू	ऊनoon — wool	oo (long, like 'oo' in moon)
ऋ	ri	ृ	ऋणrin — debt, loan	ri (Sanskrit-borrowed, rare)
ए	e	े	एकek — one	ay (like 'a' in date)
ऐ	ai	ै	ऐनाainaa — mirror	eye (like 'i' in time)
ओ	o	ो	ओखरokhar — walnut	oh (like 'o' in go)
औ	au	ौ	औषधिaushadhi — medicine	ow (like 'ow' in cow)
अं	an	ं	अंशansha — portion, share	nasal 'an' (anusvara)
अः	ah	ः	दुःखdukha — sorrow, hardship	breathy 'ah' (visarga)

Romanization here follows the same scheme as the rest of the site's Devanagari reference. ऋ (ri) and ष are Sanskrit-derived and uncommon in spoken Nepali.

Independent form vs matra (vowel sign)

This is the single most important idea in reading Devanagari. A vowel has two shapes depending on where it appears:

Independent form

Used when the vowel starts a word or stands alone. You write the full letter, like आ in आमा (aamaa, mother) or ओ in ओखर (okhar, walnut).

Dependent matra

Used when the vowel follows a consonant. You attach a small sign instead of the full letter: आ becomes ा, so क + ा = का (kaa). Each matra sits in a fixed position around the consonant.

Where the matra sits is predictable: ा and ी go to the right, ि goes to the left (even though it's read after), ु and ू hang below, and े ै ो ौ ride above or to the right. The inherent अ has no matra at all — it's simply assumed on every bare consonant.

How vowels build syllables

A Devanagari syllable is one consonant carrying one vowel. Take the consonant क (ka) and swap the vowel to get a whole family of syllables. This is how reading works: identify the consonant, then read the matra.

क
ka
क + अ (inherent)
का
kaa
क + ा (aa)
कि
ki
क + ि (i)
की
kee
क + ी (ee)
कु
ku
क + ु (u)
के
ke
क + े (e)
को
ko
क + ो (o)
कौ
kau
क + ौ (au)

Writing & stroke-order tips

Headstroke last. The horizontal top line (शिरोरेखा) that runs across most letters is drawn last, not first — finish the body of the letter, then cap it.
Top to bottom, left to right. Within a letter, work from the top down and from left to right, the same instinct as Latin handwriting.
Learn the matra position with the letter. Don't memorize matras in isolation — write them attached to a consonant so the position becomes automatic.
Watch the ि (short i). It's written to the left of the consonant even though it's pronounced after it. This trips up nearly every beginner once.

For per-letter stroke animations and rules, see Devanagari stroke order and the full alphabet reference.

How to practise the vowels

Say the pairs aloud
Drill the short/long pairs — अ/आ, इ/ई, उ/ऊ — until you hear and feel the length difference. It's the difference between कम and काम.
Trace by hand
Write each independent vowel and its matra on paper, or use the script tracer. Muscle memory cements the shapes.
Build syllable families
Take one consonant and run it through every vowel (का, कि, कु, के, को…). Reading fluency is really syllable-recognition fluency.

Nepali vowels — frequently asked questions

Counts, the matra system, how to write them, and how Nepali vowels compare to Hindi.

Next: the consonants

You've got the vowels — half the alphabet. The 33 consonants combine with these matras to form every syllable in the language.