চলো, বাংলা অক্ষর চিনি।
A Bengali chart becomes much easier to use when you know what you are looking at: independent vowels, consonants, and signs that change how a syllable is read.
This page is a quick reference. Read one row, then try the example. You do not need to memorize the entire chart in one sitting.
How many letters are there?
A common school chart teaches 50 entries: 11 vowels and 39 entries in the consonant section. That second group includes signs and the special form ৎ, not just 39 independent consonant sounds. Historical charts and linguistic descriptions may count differently.
So use the chart to recognize writing, not as a claim that Bengali has exactly 50 distinct sounds.
Vowels: স্বরবর্ণ
| Letter | Simple reading aid | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| অ | aw / o | অল্প — olpo | a little |
| আ | aa | আম — aam | mango |
| ই | i | ইট — it | brick |
| ঈ | ee | ঈগল — eegol | eagle |
| উ | u | উট — ut | camel |
| ঊ | oo | ঊর্মি — oormi | wave |
| ঋ | ri | ঋতু — ritu | season |
| এ | e | এক — ek | one |
| ঐ | oi | ঐক্য — oikko | unity |
| ও | o | ওজন — ojon | weight |
| ঔ | ou | ঔষধ — oushodh | medicine |
ই and ঈ generally have the same vowel sound in modern Bengali, as do উ and ঊ. The reading aids ee and oo identify traditional spelling, not a required difference in vowel length. এ and the inherent vowel vary across words and accents.
Consonants: ব্যঞ্জনবর্ণ
| Row | Letters | Simple reading aids |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ক খ গ ঘ ঙ | kaw khaw gaw ghaw ng |
| 2 | চ ছ জ ঝ ঞ | chaw chhaw jaw jhaw ny |
| 3 | ট ঠ ড ঢ ণ | taw thaw daw dhaw n |
| 4 | ত থ দ ধ ন | taw thaw daw dhaw n |
| 5 | প ফ ব ভ ম | paw phaw baw bhaw maw |
| 6 | য র ল | jaw raw law |
| 7 | শ ষ স হ | shaw shaw shaw/saw haw |
| 8 | ড় ঢ় য় | ra rha ya |
These are simple aids, not a precise phonetic alphabet. ট and ত, for example, differ in tongue position. ড় and র also represent different consonants even though both may use a simple r spelling. শ, ষ and স often sound alike, but not in every word or variety.
The remaining four chart entries
| Entry | Name | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ৎ | খণ্ড-ত | হঠাৎ — hothaat, suddenly |
| ং | অনুস্বার | বাংলা — baanglaa, Bengali |
| ঃ | বিসর্গ | দুঃখ — dukkho, sorrow |
| ঁ | চন্দ্রবিন্দু | চাঁদ — chaand, moon |
These complete the conventional 39-entry consonant section above. The nasal vowel in চাঁদ is not captured perfectly by the Roman spelling.
Vowel signs: কার
A consonant combines with a dependent vowel sign. Notice that some signs appear before or around the consonant, although you read the consonant sound first.
| Independent vowel | Sign | With ক | Reading aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| অ | no added sign | ক | kaw / ko |
| আ | া | কা | kaa |
| ই | ি | কি | ki |
| ঈ | ী | কী | kee |
| উ | ু | কু | ku |
| ঊ | ূ | কূ | koo |
| ঋ | ৃ | কৃ | kri |
| এ | ে | কে | ke |
| ঐ | ৈ | কৈ | koi |
| ও | ো | কো | ko |
| ঔ | ৌ | কৌ | kou |
কি is ki, not ik. কো is ko even though its sign has parts on both sides.
Five words to try
| Word | Reading aid | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| মা | maa | mother |
| নাম | naam | name |
| বই | boi | book |
| মন | mon | mind |
| গল্প | golpo | story |
গল্প contains ল্প, made from ল্ + প. Joined consonants are called যুক্তাক্ষর. The ্ sign suppresses the inherent vowel; a final consonant can also be pronounced without that vowel even when no visible ্ is written.
Quick practice
Find the vowel sign in মা. Then change ম to ব: বা. Add another বা and you can read বাবা, father.
Next, find the two pieces in ন্দ: ন্ + দ. Look for them in আনন্দ, joy.
Continue your language learning journey with these related lessons:
Reference: University of Texas: The Bangla Script and the Unicode Bengali character chart. The teaching chart groups letters and signs by common classroom convention.
