From Wikibooks, open books for an open world
The Bengali alphabet consists of 11 vowels and 38 consonants. An additional vowel (অ্যা) and an additional consonant (জ়) are also used in the Bengali language and are listed here. Since the wikibook Bengali has already described the Bengali alphabet in three pages, this wikibook gives only a minute summary of the alphabet.
Vowel
Diacritic
IPA English equivalents
Sample audio
অ
inherent
/ɔ/ or /o/
daw n or Scottish so le
অ্যা
্যা
/æ/
ca t
আ
া
/a/
fa ther
ই
ি
/i/
pi n
ঈ
ী
/i/
pi n
উ
ু
/u/
moo n
ঊ
ূ
/u/
moo n
ঋ
ৃ
/ɹi/
re turn
এ
ে
/e/ or /æ/
be d or ca p
ঐ
ৈ
/oi/
boy
ও
ো
/o/
Scottish so le
ঔ
ৌ
/ou/
boa t
Consonant
IPA
English equivalents
Sample audio
ক
/k/
sk ip
খ
/kʰ/
sinkh ole
গ
/ɡ/
g arden
ঘ
/ɡʱ/
big h ole
ঙ
/ŋ/
sing
চ
/tʃ/
ch urch
ছ
/tʃʰ/
atch oo
জ
/dʒ/
g em
জ়
/z/
z ero
ঝ
/dʒʱ/
hedgh og
ঞ
/n/
ben ch
ট
/ʈ/
retroflex st ick
ঠ
/ʈʰ/
aspiration of the above
ড
/ɖ/
retroflex d esk
ড়
/ɽ/
American lard er
ঢ
/ɖʱ/
aspiration of the above
ঢ়
/ɽʱ/
Scottish warh ead
ণ
/n/
ben d
ত
/t̪/
dental st ick
থ
/t̪ʰ/
aspiration of the above
দ
/d̪/
dental 'd esk
ধ
/d̪ʱ/
aspiration of the above
ন
/n/
n ot
প
/p/
sp in
ফ
/f/
f riend
ব
/b/
b all
ভ
/bʱ/
tab h all
ম
/m/
m other
য
/dʒ/
g em
য়
/e̯/
semivocalic e
র
/ɾ/ or /r/
American butt er or r ing
ল
/l/
l eaf
শ
/ʃ/ or /s/
sh oulder or s table
ষ
/ʃ/ or /s/
sh oulder or s table
স
/ʃ/ or /s/
sh oulder or s table
হ
/ɦ/
beh ind
ৎ
/t̪/
dental st ick
ং
/ŋ/
sing
ঃ
/ɦ/
beh ind
