Unit 4 — Consonants

The Five Main Consonant Rows

The consonants are organized into five systematic rows (wargas) based on where they are produced in the mouth.

Each row follows a consistent pattern:

• voiceless unaspirated
• voiceless aspirated
• voiced unaspirated
• voiced aspirated
• nasal

​In the Nepali consonant chart, the “five main consonant rows” are the basic backbone of the system. Each row is called a varga (series) and has five consonants made in a similar place in the mouth: the ka-series (क ka, ख kha, ग ga, घ gha, ङ ṅa) at the back of the mouth, the ca-series (च ca, छ cha, ज ja, झ jha, ञ ña) at the hard palate, the ṭa-series (ट ṭa, ठ ṭha, ड ḍa, ढ ḍha, ण ṇa) with the tongue curled back (retroflex), the ta-series (त ta, थ tha, द da, ध dha, न na) at the teeth, and the pa-series (प pa, फ pha, ब ba, भ bha, म ma) with the lips (dental). In each row, the first two are voiceless, the next two voiced, and the last one is a nasal.

Table 1.4.2 - Nepali stop and nasal consonants by place of articulation

This chart organizes the most common Nepali consonants by where they are made in the mouth (place of articulation). Each row shows a set of five related sounds: four stop consonants (unvoiced/voiced, each with an unaspirated and aspirated form) plus one nasal. As you read across the row, notice two key contrasts: aspiration (extra puff of air, as in क vs ख) and voicing (vocal cords off/on, as in क vs ग). Use this table as a roadmap for pronunciation and as a quick reference when learning the consonant groups.

Velar consonants

Velar consonants are produced at the back of the mouth where the tongue touches the soft palate.

This group includes: क, ख, ग, घ, ङ

Key contrasts:

• aspiration: ख, घ have extra breath
• voicing: ग, घ are voiced
• nasal: ङ appears mainly in clusters

Table 1.4.3 – Velar consonants

Palatal consonants

Palatal consonants are made in the front part of the mouth, with the tongue raised toward the hard palate (or close to the upper gum-line, just behind the teeth).

Includes: च, छ, ज, झ, ञ

Table 1.4.4 – Palatal consonants

Retroflex consonants

Retroflex consonants are made by curling the tongue slightly back so the tongue tip touches the area behind the alveolar ridge (toward the palate). This group includes ट, ठ, ड, ढ, and the nasal ण.

Includes: ट, ठ, ड, ढ, ण

These sounds often feel “harder” than the dental sounds, and the key contrasts are again aspiration (ट vs ठ, ड vs ढ) and voicing (ट/ठ unvoiced vs ड/ढ voiced). The nasal ण is a retroflex “ṇ” and appears in many common Nepali words.

Table 1.4.5 – Retroflex consonants

Dental consonants

Produced with the tongue at the upper teeth.

Includes: त, थ, द, ध, न

Table 1.4.6 – Dental consonants

Labial consonants

Produced using both lips.

Includes: प, फ, ब, भ, म

Table 1.4.7 – Labial consonants

Other Consonant Groups

Beyond the five main rows, Nepali includes additional consonant categories.

Semi-vowels (Glides / Liquids)

These behave like consonants but flow smoothly in pronunciation.

Sibilant Consonants

These are “hissing” sounds.

Table 1.4.10 – Sibilant consonants

Aspirated consonants

Aspirated consonants (ह) refers here to ह (ha), which is a glottal fricative—a breathy “h” sound made by air flowing through the open vocal folds. It is similar to the “h” in English hat. You will see ह frequently in common vocabulary and in many verb forms.

Table 1.4.11 – Aspirated consonants