Sandhi Overview A4
Sandhi Overview A4
Sandhi Overview A4
1) The last sound of a word changes, depending on the first sound of the next word. Sometimes,
that first sound also changes.
2) A consonant at the end of a word becomes more similar to the first sound of the next word.
3) A vowel at the end of a word interacts (and often merges) with a following vowel, but remains
the same when a consonant follows.
Overview of external sandhi (fields before voiced initial sounds are shaded).
F I N A L S O U N D
k ṭ t p ṅ n m ḥ āḥ aḥ
k ṭ t p ṅ n m ḥ āḥ aḥ zero
g ḍ d b ṅ/ ṅṅ 1 n/nn1 m r ā a2 vowels
I
N I T I A L
k ṭ t p ṅ n ṃ ḥ āḥ aḥ k/kh
g ḍ d b ṅ n ṃ r ā o g/gh
k ṭ c p ṅ ṃś3 ṃ ś āś aś c/ch
g ḍ j b ṅ ñ ṃ r ā o j/jh
S
k ṭ ṭ p ṅ ṃṣ3 ṃ ṣ āṣ aṣ ṭ/ṭh
O U N D
g ḍ ḍ b ṅ ṇ ṃ r ā o ḍ/ḍh
k ṭ t p ṅ ṃs3 ṃ s ās as t/th
WO
g ḍ d b ṅ n ṃ r ā o d/dh
R D
O F
k ṭ t p ṅ n ṃ ḥ āḥ aḥ p/ph
g ḍ d b ṅ n ṃ r ā o b/bh
F
ṅ ṇ n m ṅ n ṃ r ā o n/m
O L L O W I N G
g ḍ d b ṅ n ṃ r ā o y/v
g ḍ d b ṅ n ṃ ø6 ā o r
g ḍ l b ṅ 7 ṃ r ā o l
k ṭ c (ch)4 p ṅ ñ (ś/ch)4 ṃ ḥ āḥ aḥ ś
k ṭ t p ṅ n ṃ ḥ āḥ aḥ ṣ/s
g (gh)4 ḍ (ḍh)4 4
d (dh) b (bh)4 ṅ n ṃ r ā o h
1 When word-final -n (or more rarely, -ṅ) is preceded by a short vowel and the next word begins with a
vowel, the -n/ṅ doubles: smayan iva –› smayann iva. 2 Exception: -aḥ + a- –› -o ऽ-: naraḥ asti –› naro ’sti
(नरो ऽिस्त). 3 Between a word-final -n and any initial sound that is formed using the tongue (c-/ch-, ṭ-/ṭh-,
t-/th-), an s-sound is inserted. Before the palatal c/ch, the palatal ś is added; before the retroflex ṭ/ṭh, a
retroflex ṣ, and before dental t/th, a dental s. Before the s-sound, the n turns into anusvāra ṃ: kasmin cit
–› kasmiṃś cit. 4 While sandhi primarily affects the word-final sounds, there are a few cases in which the
initial sound of the next word is also affected: agacchat hi –› agacchad dhi. The new forms of these word-
initial sounds are given in brackets after the sandhied word-final consonants in the grid. 5 If a short vowel
precedes, that vowel is lengthened. E.g. बुिद्धः रक्षित –› बुद्धी रक्षित ‘Wisdom protects.’ 6 The sign used above the
l is the anunāsika. Its devanāgarī representation is ◌ँ , and it is pronounced like an anusvāra, yet it nasalises
consonants, not vowels. (Pronounce it by pronouncing an l while at the same time producing the hum-
like nasalised sound of the anusvāra.)
ā yā vā rā a ā ā ā a ā āvā ā
e ī v r a ā a āv
o y ū r a ā a āv
ar yṛ vṛ ṝ a ṛ ā ṛ a ṛ āvṛ ṛ
ai ye ve re ae ā e a e āve e
ai yai vai rai a ai ā ai a ai āvai ai
au yo vo ro a o ā o a o āvo o
au yau vau rau a au ā au a au āvau au
indicate that the short and long vowels (e.g. short ă and long ā) behave in the same way here.
Shaded columns: complex vowels whose original second element is dropped before a following vowel.
Note: After final -e and -o, initial a- drops out. To avoid confusion, the former presence of the a- is
marked in writing with the avagraha ऽ/an apostrophe ’ in transliteration:
वने अिस्त vane asti –› वने ऽिस्त vane ’sti.