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When two or more consonants appear together without a vowel between them, they form a conjunct consonant (संयुक्ताक्षर, sanyuktakshar). Conjuncts are one of the most challenging aspects of Devanagari for beginners, but they follow consistent rules.
In the word "school" (स्कूल), the "s" and "k" sounds appear together without a vowel between them. Since every Devanagari consonant carries an inherent "a" vowel, you cannot simply write स + क (which would read "saka"). Instead, the halant (्) on the first consonant removes its inherent vowel, and the two consonants merge into a conjunct form.
| Without Conjunct | Would Read | Correct Conjunct | Reads |
|---|---|---|---|
| स + क | sa + ka = saka | स्क | ska |
| स + त | sa + ta = sata | स्त | sta |
| प + र | pa + ra = para | प्र | pra |
There are three main ways consonants combine:
The first consonant (without its lower line) sits on top of the second:
| Conjunct | Components | Example Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| क्क | क् + क | पक्का (pakkaa) | ripe/sure |
| ट्ट | ट् + ट | छुट्टी (chhuṭṭee) | holiday |
| द्द | द् + द | मुद्दा (muddaa) | issue |
| च्च | च् + च | बच्चा (bachchaa) | child |
| न्न | न् + न | अन्न (ann) | grain |
The first consonant loses its vertical line and attaches to the left of the second:
| Conjunct | Components | Example Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| स्त | स् + त | दोस्त (dost) | friend |
| स्क | स् + क | स्कूल (skool) | school |
| स्न | स् + न | स्नान (snaan) | bath |
| ल्ल | ल् + ल | गल्ला (gallaa) | counter |
| न्द | न् + द | चन्द्र (chandr) | moon |
The consonant र has unique behaviour in conjuncts:
| Position | Form | Name | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| र before another consonant | A hook above the following character | Reph (रेफ) | कर्म (karm) | karma/deed |
| Another consonant before र | A small diagonal stroke below | Subscript ra | प्र (pra), क्र (kra) | — |
| With ट/ड group | A small triangle below | Subscript ra | ट्र (ṭra), ड्र (ḍra) | — |
Tip: Reph (the hook for र at the top) is written last even though the र sound comes first. Write the full following character, then add the reph hook on top.
These conjuncts appear frequently in everyday Hindi:
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