Devanagari facts for kids
Devanāgarī (pronounced: Deh-vuh-NAH-guh-ree) is a special way of writing, called a script. It's used for many languages in North India, like Hindi, Marathi, and Nepali. It's also used for Sanskrit, an ancient language. About 100 other smaller languages also use Devanāgarī.
Devanāgarī is an abugida script. This means that each letter usually represents a consonant and a vowel sound together. You add special marks to change the vowel sound. It's a bit different from an alphabet where consonants and vowels are separate letters.
Contents
What is Devanagari?
Devanāgarī is one of the most important writing systems in India. It's used by hundreds of millions of people. This script is known for its clear, rounded letters. It also has a horizontal line at the top of most letters. This line connects the letters in a word.
How Devanagari Works
In Devanāgarī, each main character is a syllable. It usually includes a consonant and a short 'a' sound. For example, the letter 'क' is pronounced 'ka'. To make different vowel sounds, you add small marks called diacritics. These marks go above, below, or next to the main letter.
Vowel Marks
If you want to write 'ki' or 'ko', you add a specific mark to 'क'. This changes the vowel sound. If a consonant doesn't have a vowel, a special mark called a 'virama' is used. This mark removes the 'a' sound.
Joining Letters
Sometimes, two or more consonants come together without a vowel in between. In Devanāgarī, these letters often join up. They form a new, combined shape. This makes the writing look smooth and connected.
Where is Devanagari Used?
Devanāgarī is the main script for Hindi, which is one of India's official languages. It's also widely used for Marathi, spoken in the state of Maharashtra. In Nepal, Devanāgarī is used for the Nepali language.
Languages Using Devanagari
Besides Hindi, Marathi, and Nepali, many other languages use Devanāgarī. These include Sindhi, Bihari, Bhili, and Konkani. Even some Kashmiri texts are written in Devanāgarī. Its wide use shows how important it is in the region.
History of Devanagari
Devanāgarī developed from an older script called the Brahmi script. Brahmi was used in ancient India thousands of years ago. Over many centuries, Brahmi changed and evolved. Devanāgarī started to take its current shape around the 11th century CE.
Ancient Texts and Devanagari
Many important ancient texts, especially in Sanskrit, are written in Devanāgarī. This includes religious books and scientific writings. Scholars used Devanāgarī to preserve knowledge for future generations. This shows its long and rich history.
Images for kids
-
Vowel diacritics on क
-
The Jnanesvari is a commentary on the Bhagavad Gita, dated to 1290 CE. It is in written in Marathi using Devanagari script.
-
A few palm leaves from the Buddhist Sanskrit text Shisyalekha composed in the 5th century by Candragomin. Shisyalekha was written in Devanagari script by a Nepalese scribe in 1084 CE (above). The manuscript is in the Cambridge University library.
-
A mid 10th-century college land grant in Devanagari inscription (Sanskrit) discovered on a buried, damaged stone in north Karnataka. Parts of the inscription are in Canarese script.
-
Indic scripts share common features, and along with Devanagari, all major Indic scripts have been historically used to preserve Vedic and post-Vedic Sanskrit texts.
-
Devanagari INSCRIPT bilingual keyboard layout
-
Devanagari Phonetic Keyboard Layout
See also
In Spanish: Devanagari para niños
