Sanskrit Pronunciation Guide
The following table deals with some of the letters of the Sanskrit alphabet that may need extra attention especially for Westerners.
a | apparent | au | outside |
ā | mama | c | chaste |
i | ink | ṅ | sing |
ī | ñ | bungee cord | |
u | full | ṇ | bandana * |
ū | pool | ṁ | dim (actually more complicated than this but it will do for now) |
ṛ | rhythm * | ś | sure |
e | play | ṣ | shun * |
ai | aisle | ḍ | drum * |
o | ocean | ṭ | true * |
* These sounds are all produced with the tongue at the roof of the mouth
Consonants followed by an “h” such as “gh” or “bh” are pronounced with more “air”.