Conjuncts in Marathi: Joined Consonants and the Halant

Marathi words often contain two or more consonants in a row. Devanagari handles this with conjuncts (जोडाक्षरे, joḍākṣare), where consonants are joined into one shape.

How they work

1. The first consonant loses its inherent a.
2. It is written in a shortened form, or joined to the next.
3. The vowel comes after the cluster.

The halant

The halant (्, called हलंत) is a small mark under a consonant that removes its inherent vowel:

• क् is just k.
• क् + त = क्त, as in भक्त (bhakta, devotee)

In many conjuncts, the halant is not shown, because the letters merge.

Common conjuncts

Conjunct	Made of	Example
क्त	क् + त	भक्त (devotee)
त्र	त् + र	मित्र (friend)
प्र	प् + र	प्रेम (love)
स्त	स् + त	रस्ता (road)
क्ष	क् + ष	शिक्षण (education)
ज्ञ	ज् + ञ	ज्ञान (knowledge)
श्र	श् + र	श्रावण (a month)
द्ध	द् + ध	शुद्ध (pure)
न्न	न् + न	अन्न (food)

Doubled consonants

Marathi has many doubled consonants:

Doubled letters appear in words like चप्पल (sandal), गप्पा (chat) and पत्ता (leaf, address).

The reph and the r-sign

र joins in special ways:

• र at the start of a cluster appears as a small hook above: कर्म (karma), धर्म (dharma).
• र as the second letter appears as a small slanting stroke: प्रेम, मित्र.

Reading conjuncts

1. Separate the parts in your head.
2. Say the first consonant without a vowel, then the next.
3. Add the vowel at the end.

Example: विद्यार्थी (student) = वि + द्या + र्थी (vi-dyā-rthī).

Tips

1. Learn the ten common conjuncts.
2. Practise reading them in words.
3. Use the dictionary to check spellings.

Look up any word with English Marathi Dictionary →