Sanskrit words used in yoga, such as names of āsanas (postures), prāṇāyāmas (breathing techniques), and mantras, follow precise sounds. To help you pronounce them correctly, we use the IAST (International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration) – a standardized system that shows how Sanskrit should be sounded using the Roman alphabet.
Vowel Sound
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Pronunciation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| अ | a | short ‘a’ as in about | short open vowel |
| आ | ā | long ‘a’ as in father | held twice as long as short ‘a’ |
| इ | i | short ‘i’ as in bit | short front vowel |
| ई | ī | long ‘ee’ as in see | long version of i |
| उ | u | short ‘u’ as in put | short back vowel |
| ऊ | ū | long ‘oo’ as in food | long version of u |
| ऋ | ṛ | ‘ri’ sound (vocalic r) | as in Krishna → Kṛṣṇa |
| ॠ | ṝ | long ‘ṝ’ | rare in classical use |
| ऌ | ḷ | vocalic l | rare sound |
| ॡ | ḹ | long ḷ | extremely rare |
| ए | e | as in they | long and monophthong |
| ऐ | ai | as in aisle | diphthong |
| ओ | o | as in go | long and monophthong |
| औ | au | as in cow | diphthong |
Consonant Sound
| Category | Devanāgarī | IAST | Pronunciation Guide (English Sound) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Velars (कण्ठ्य) | क | ka | k in kite |
| ख | kha | aspirated k | |
| ग | ga | g in go | |
| घ | gha | aspirated g | |
| ङ | ṅa | nasal as in sing | |
| 2. Palatals (तालव्य) | च | ca | ch in church |
| छ | cha | aspirated ch | |
| ज | ja | j in judge | |
| झ | jha | aspirated j | |
| ञ | ña | nasal as in canyon | |
| 3. Cerebrals / Retroflex (मूर्धन्य) | ट | ṭa | hard retroflex t (tongue curled back) |
| ठ | ṭha | aspirated ṭ | |
| ड | ḍa | hard retroflex d (tongue curled back) | |
| ढ | ḍha | aspirated ḍ | |
| ण | ṇa | retroflex n (tongue curled back) | |
| 4. Dentals (दन्त्य) | त | ta | soft dental t (tongue on teeth) |
| थ | tha | aspirated t | |
| द | da | soft dental d (tongue on teeth) | |
| ध | dha | aspirated d | |
| न | na | nasal n | |
| 5. Labials (ओष्ठ्य) | प | pa | p in pen |
| फ | pha | aspirated p (as in uphill) | |
| ब | ba | b in bat | |
| भ | bha | aspirated b | |
| म | ma | m in mother | |
| 6. Semivowels (अन्तःस्थ) | य | ya | y in yes |
| र | ra | rolled r | |
| ल | la | l in love | |
| व | va | between v and w | |
| 7. Sibilants (उष्म) | श | śa | palatal sh as in she |
| ष | ṣa | retroflex sh (tongue curled back) | |
| स | sa | dental s | |
| 8. Aspirate | ह | ha | h in hat |
Special Signs
| Sign | IAST | Description |
| ं | ṃ | Anusvāra – nasal sound (as in saṃskṛta) |
| ः | ḥ | Visarga – breathy sound after a vowel (aḥ) |
| ँ | ̃ | Chandrabindu – nasalization of vowel |
| ॐ | oṃ | sacred syllable Om |
| ॰ | ’ | avagraha – shows elision of initial a |
Pronunciation Guide for Diacritics
| Symbol | Sound Hint |
| ā | long ‘a’ |
| ī | long ‘ee’ |
| ū | long ‘oo’ |
| ṛ | ri-like sound |
| ṅ, ñ, ṇ | different nasal tones |
| ṭ, ḍ, ṣ | retroflex sounds |
| ṃ | nasalized (like ng) |
| ḥ | audible breath at end |
General Rules for Pronunciation
- Each syllable is pronounced clearly → no silent letters in Sanskrit.
- Utkatāsana → oot-kah-TAH-suh-nuh
- Double consonants are held slightly longer.
- Paścimottānāsana → “moh-ttahn” (not just “mohan”).
- Stress usually falls on long vowels (ā, ī, ū, e, o) or the penultimate syllable.
- Final ‘a’ is always sounded as ‘uh’, never dropped.
- āsana → AH-suh-nuh, not “asana” (like “Anna”).
- Compound words (like Baddha Koṇāsana) → pronounce both words fully, slightly joined.
- BAHD-dhah KOHN-AH-suh-nuh.
Technical Terms:
- Diacritic / Diacritical mark → the general name for these symbols.
- In the IAST system, they are specifically used for:
- Macron ( ¯ ) → marks long vowels → ā, ī, ū, ṝ, e, o
- Dot below ( . ) → distinguishes retroflex sounds → ṭ, ḍ, ṇ, ṣ, ḷ
- Acute accent / overdot ( ´ or ̇ ) → marks palatal sibilants → ś
- Overdot ( ṃ, ṅ) → nasal sounds.
Consonant Combinations and Aspirations
- Aspirated consonants use “h”: e.g. kha, gha, cha, dha
- Compound letters follow phonetic logic:
त्र = tra, ज्ञ = jña, क्ष = kṣa
Capitalization
- Sanskrit words are not capitalized in IAST except when beginning a sentence or proper nouns (e.g., Yoga, Kṛṣṇa, Gītā).
