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Devanagari

Adapted from Wikipedia · Explorer experience

A chart showing the Devanagari alphabet letters, used in Hindi and other Indian languages.

What is Devanagari?

Devanagari is a special way of writing used in parts of Asia. It is like a set of symbols that stand for sounds. People use it to write languages like Hindi.

Where Does It Come From?

Devanagari started a long time ago from an old script called Brāhmī. By the year 1000, it looked much like it does today. Now, it is one of the official scripts in India and Nepal.

Why Do People Know About It?

Many people know about Devanagari because it is used to write important languages. It has 48 main symbols, including letters for vowels and consonants. Unlike the letters we use, Devanagari does not have uppercase and lowercase letters.

The letters in Devanagari often have rounded shapes and fit inside square boxes. It is written from left to right, and many letters have a special horizontal line on top.

Fun Facts

  • Devanagari means "script of the divine city" or "script of the city of God."
  • It is used for many languages, such as Sanskrit, Marathi, and Nepali.
  • The script has special marks and symbols to show different sounds.

Devanagari is a beautiful and important part of writing in many cultures!

Images

An ancient manuscript showing verses from the Isha Upanishad, written in Sanskrit using the Devanagari script. These texts are over 2,000 years old and contain important philosophical teachings.
An ancient page from a Sanskrit manuscript showing Devanagari script, part of the Shatapatha Brahmana, a sacred Hindu text.
An ancient manuscript page from the Yajurveda, written in Sanskrit script, showcasing traditional text layout and markings used in Hindu religious literature.
An ancient Sanskrit manuscript page from the Aitareya Upanishad with commentary by Adi Shankara, featuring handwritten Devanagari script and scholarly markings.
An ancient manuscript from the 6th century written on palm leaves, showing Buddhist texts in an early form of Sanskrit script.
A historic manuscript page from the Dnyaneshwari, an important Marathi text from the 13th century, shown in its original Devanagari script.
An ancient stone inscription from the 10th century in Karnataka, India, written in Sanskrit and old Kanarese script. It records a royal grant to establish a college for learning, highlighting the region's rich educational and cultural history.
Historical diagram showing Devanagari letter combinations from an old Sanskrit grammar book.
A Hindi keyboard showing the Devanagari script layout used for typing in the Hindi language.
A diagram showing the layout of a Devanagari phonetic keyboard, helpful for learning how to type in Indian scripts.

Related articles

Nepal
Asia
India

This article is a child-friendly adaptation of the Wikipedia article on Devanagari, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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