Language/Bengali/Vocabulary/Alphabet

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Bengali → Vocabulary → 0 to A1 Course → Basics → Alphabet

Introduction

Welcome to the Bengali Vocabulary lesson on the Bengali alphabet! In this lesson, we will explore the basic building blocks of the Bengali language and learn how to pronounce the sounds of the Bengali alphabet. The Bengali alphabet, also known as Bangla lipi, is the writing system used to represent the sounds of the Bengali language. It consists of 51 letters, including 11 vowels and 40 consonants. Understanding the Bengali alphabet is essential for learning to read, write, and speak Bengali fluently. By the end of this lesson, you will have a solid foundation in the Bengali alphabet and be able to recognize and pronounce all the letters with confidence.

Bengali Alphabet

The Bengali alphabet, also known as Bangla bornomala, is a syllabic alphabet that represents the sounds of the Bengali language. It is based on the Brahmic script, which is also the basis for many other writing systems in South Asia. The Bengali alphabet is divided into three categories: vowels, consonants, and dependent vowel signs.

Vowels

The Bengali alphabet has 11 vowels, which are known as "swarabarna" in Bengali. Vowels in Bengali are represented by independent letters as well as dependent vowel signs. The independent vowel letters are as follows:

Bengali	Pronunciation	English Translation
অ	a	a
আ	ā	aa
ই	i	i
ঈ	ī	ee
উ	u	u
ঊ	ū	oo
ঋ	ri	ri
ৠ	rī	ree
ঌ	li	li
ৡ	lī	lee
এ	e	e
ঐ	ai	ai
ও	o	o
ঔ	au	au

Dependent vowel signs, also known as "kar" in Bengali, are used to modify the independent vowel letters. They are written after the consonant they modify and change the pronunciation of the vowel. The dependent vowel signs are as follows:

Bengali	Pronunciation	English Translation
ি	i	i
ী	ī	ee
ু	u	u
ূ	ū	oo
ৃ	ri	ri
ৄ	rī	ree
ৢ	li	li
ৣ	lī	lee
ে	e	e
ৈ	ai	ai
ো	o	o
ৌ	au	au

Consonants

The Bengali alphabet has 40 consonants, which are known as "banjorbarna" in Bengali. Consonants in Bengali are represented by independent letters. The consonant letters are as follows:

Bengali	Pronunciation	English Translation
ক	k	k
খ	kh	kh
গ	g	g
ঘ	gh	gh
ঙ	ng	ng
চ	c	ch
ছ	chh	chh
জ	j	j
ঝ	jh	jh
ঞ	ñ	ny
ট	ṭ	t
ঠ	ṭh	th
ড	ḍ	d
ঢ	ḍh	dh
ণ	ṇ	n
ত	t	t
থ	th	th
দ	d	d
ধ	dh	dh
ন	n	n
প	p	p
ফ	ph	ph
ব	b	b
ভ	bh	bh
ম	m	m
য	y	y
র	r	r
ল	l	l
শ	ś	sh
ষ	ṣ	sh
স	s	s
হ	h	h
ড়	ṛ	r
ঢ়	ṛh	rh
য়	y	y
ৎ	t	t
ং	ṃ	ng
ঃ	ḥ	h
ঁ	ān	n

Dependent Vowel Signs

Dependent vowel signs, also known as "kar" in Bengali, are used to modify the consonant letters with an inherent vowel sound. They are written after the consonant they modify and change the pronunciation of the vowel. The dependent vowel signs are the same as the ones used with the independent vowel letters.

Conjunct Consonants

In Bengali, two or more consonants can be combined to form conjunct consonants, also known as "yukto borno" in Bengali. Conjunct consonants are formed by writing the second consonant in a reduced form below, above, before, or after the first consonant. The reduced form of the consonant is called "kolom" in Bengali. Conjunct consonants are used to represent sounds that are not present in the basic set of consonants. Here are some examples of conjunct consonants:

Bengali	Pronunciation	English Translation
ক্ক	kk	kk
ক্ষ	kṣ	ksh
গ্গ	gg	gg
জ্জ	jj	jj
ড্ড	ḍḍ	dd
ণ্ণ	ṇṇ	nn
ত্ত	tt	tt
দ্দ	dd	dd
দ্ধ	ddh	ddh
ন্ন	nn	nn
ন্দ	nd	nd
ন্দ্র	ndr	ndr
প্প	pp	pp
ম্ম	mm	mm
ল্ল	ll	ll
স্স	ss	ss
ক্ষ্ণ	kṣṇ	kshn
ত্থ	tth	tth
ষ্ট	ṣṭ	st

Pronunciation Guide

The pronunciation of the Bengali alphabet can be challenging for beginners. To help you with the correct pronunciation, we have provided a pronunciation guide using the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) and transliteration. The IPA is a system of symbols that represents the sounds of human language, while transliteration uses Latin script to represent the Bengali sounds. Here is a table that shows the IPA, transliteration, and English translation for each letter of the Bengali alphabet:

Bengali	IPA	Transliteration	English Translation
অ	ɔ	ô	a
আ	a	a	aa
ই	i	i	i
ঈ	iː	ī	ee
উ	u	u	u
ঊ	uː	ū	oo
ঋ	ri	ri	ri
ৠ	riː	rī	ree
ঌ	li	li	li
ৡ	liː	lī	lee
এ	e	e	e
ঐ	ɔi	oi	ai
ও	o	o	o
ঔ	ou	au	au
ক	k	k	k
খ	kʰ	kh	kh
গ	g	g	g
ঘ	gʰ	gh	gh
ঙ	ŋ	ng	ng
চ	tʃ	ch	ch
ছ	tʃʰ	chh	chh
জ	dʒ	j	j
ঝ	dʒʰ	jh	jh
ঞ	ɲ	ñ	ny
ট	ʈ	ṭ	t
ঠ	ʈʰ	ṭh	th
ড	ɖ	ḍ	d
ঢ	ɖʰ	ḍh	dh
ণ	ɳ	ṇ	n
ত	t	t	t
থ	tʰ	th	th
দ	d	d	d
ধ	dʰ	dh	dh
ন	n	n	n
প	p	p	p
ফ	pʰ	ph	ph
ব	b	b	b
ভ	bʰ	bh	bh
ম	m	m	m
য	j	y	y
র	ɾ	r	r
ল	l	l	l
শ	ʃ	ś	sh
ষ	ʂ	ṣ	sh
স	s	s	s
হ	h	h	h
ড়	ɽ	ṛ	r
ঢ়	ɽʰ	ṛh	rh
য়	j	y	y
ৎ	t	t	t
ং	ŋ	ṃ	ng
ঃ	ɦ	ḥ	h
ঁ	ān	ān	n

Cultural Insight

The Bengali alphabet is not only a means of communication but also a reflection of Bengali culture and heritage. The script has a rich history that dates back to ancient times and has evolved over the centuries. The Bengali alphabet is widely used in literature, poetry, and art forms like calligraphy. It is also an integral part of religious and cultural practices in Bengal. The script has been influenced by various languages and scripts, including Sanskrit, Arabic, and Persian. Learning the Bengali alphabet provides insight into the cultural and linguistic diversity of Bengal and helps foster a deeper appreciation for the heritage of the Bengali people.

Exercises

Now that you have learned the Bengali alphabet and its pronunciation, let's practice recognizing and pronouncing the letters. For each letter shown, try to pronounce it correctly. You can also practice writing the letters to reinforce your learning. Here are some exercises to help you practice:

Exercise 1: Pronunciation Match the Bengali letters with their correct pronunciation.

Bengali	Pronunciation
ক	k
প	p
স	s
ম	m
হ	h
ত	t
গ	g
ব	b
ল	l
র	r
য	y
ক্ষ	ksh

Exercise 2: Writing Write the Bengali letters corresponding to the given English transliteration.

• অ - a
• ক - ka
• ম - ma
• ত - ta
• ব - ba
• র - ra
• হ - ha
• য - ya
• ক্ষ - ksha
• স - sa

Solutions

Exercise 1: Pronunciation

Bengali	Pronunciation
ক	k
প	p
স	s
ম	m
হ	h
ত	t
গ	g
ব	b
ল	l
র	r
য	y
ক্ষ	ksh

Exercise 2: Writing

• অ - a
• ক - ka
• ম - ma
• ত - ta
• ব - ba
• র - ra
• হ - ha
• য - ya
• ক্ষ - ksha
• স - sa

Congratulations! You have successfully completed the Bengali alphabet lesson. You now have a solid foundation in the Bengali alphabet and can recognize and pronounce all the letters. Practice regularly to improve your fluency and accuracy. In the next lesson, we will learn basic greetings and conversation starters in Bengali.

Table of Contents - Bengali Course - 0 to A1

• Course Presentation

  ---

Basics

• Alphabet
• Greetings

  ---

Numbers

• Counting
• Quantifiers

  ---

Sentence Construction

• Subject and Object
• Verbs
• Pronouns

  ---

Nouns

• Gender
• Plurals

  ---

Adjectives

• Types of Adjectives
• Comparison

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Culture and Society

• Festivals
• Cuisine

  ---

History and Literature

• Famous Bengali Writers
• History of Bengal

  ---

Arts and Music

• Traditional Music
• Art and Crafts

  ---

Family and Relationships

• Family Members
• Marriage and Rituals

  ---

Everyday Life

• Food and Drinks
• Transportation

  ---

Prepositions

• Directional Prepositions
• Temporal Prepositions

  ---

Conjunctions

• Coordinating Conjunctions
• Subordinating Conjunctions

  ---

Adverbs

• Types of Adverbs
• Adverbial Phrases

  ---

Geography

• States and Cities
• Geographical Features

  ---

Work and Employment

• Jobs and Professions
• Workplace

  ---

Interrogative Sentences

• Question Words
• Question Formation

  ---

Shopping

• Shopping Vocabulary
• Money and Currency

  ---

Popular Bengali Sayings

• Proverbs
• Idioms

Sources

• Bengali language - Wikipedia
• My First Bengali Alphabets Picture Book with English Translations ...

Other Lessons

• Shopping Vocabulary
• How to Say Hello and Greetings
• Drinks
• Family Members
• Food
• Clothes
• Quantifiers
• States and Cities
• Workplace
• Count to 10

Next Lesson — Greetings ▶️