All 11 vowels (Swarabarna - স্বৰবৰ্ণ), 41 consonants (Byanjanbarna - ব্যঞ্জনবৰ্ণ), English pronunciation with IPA, vowel signs (matras), and common conjuncts. A free printable chart for beginners learning the Assamese alphabet.
Welcome! This is a complete Assamese alphabet chart for anyone learning to read or write the language. The Assamese script is called Barnamala (অসমীয়া বৰ্ণমালা) and is made up of two parts — vowels (Swarabarna - স্বৰবৰ্ণ) and consonants (Byanjanbarna - ব্যঞ্জনবৰ্ণ). Below you will find every letter with its English pronunciation, plus the vowel signs (matras) and the common conjunct letters used in everyday Assamese writing.
Assamese has 11 vowels, also called swarabarna. These are independent letters that you write on their own at the start of a word — for example, অসম (Assam) starts with the vowel অ. When a vowel comes after a consonant, it changes shape into a small mark called a matra, which we cover further down. The first four vowels you will commonly hear together are অ আ ই ঈ (a, aa, e, ee). Download the full Assamese alphabet chart as a high-quality PDF — perfect for classrooms, study notes, and offline reference.
| Assamese Letter | Pronunciation Guide | Example Word (অসমীয়া শব্দ) |
|---|---|---|
| অ | 'o' as in 'hot' | অসম (Assam) |
| আ | 'a' as in 'father' | আম (Mango) |
| ই | 'i' as in 'bit' | ইটা (Brick) |
| ঈ | 'ee' as in 'feet' | ঈশ্বৰ (God) |
| উ | 'u' as in 'put' | উটা (Camel) |
| ঊ | 'oo' as in 'food' | ঊণ (Deficit) |
| ঋ | 'ri' as in 'rip' | ঋণ (Debt) |
| এ | 'e' as in 'bed' | এটা (One) |
| ঐ | 'oi' as in 'coin' | ঐশ্বৰ্য (Wealth) |
| ও | 'o' as in 'go' | ওপৰ (Above) |
| ঔ | 'ou' as in 'sound' | ঔষধ (Medicine) |
Assamese has 41 consonants, called byanjanbarna. These are the building blocks for almost every Assamese word. They are sorted into phonetic groups (বৰ্গ) based on where in the mouth the sound is made — the throat, palate, tongue tip, teeth, or lips. Each row in the tables below shows the Assamese letter, its name (like ko, kho, go), the English transliteration, and the IPA sound for exact pronunciation. Every consonant naturally carries the vowel অ — to change that vowel, you add a matra.
The 41 consonants include 37 main letters across 8 phonetic groups (ক-বৰ্গ to বিশেষ বৰ্ণ) plus 4 modifier characters called অযোগবাহ (ঁ ং ঃ ৎ), which are traditionally counted with the consonants in Assamese grammar.
| Letter | Name | Example Word (অসমীয়া শব্দ) |
|---|---|---|
| ক | ko | কলম (pen) |
| খ | kho | খবৰ (news) |
| গ | go | গাই (cow) |
| ঘ | gho | ঘৰ (house) |
| ঙ | ngo | বঙা (red) |
| Letter | Name | Example Word (অসমীয়া শব্দ) |
|---|---|---|
| চ | so | চাহ (tea) |
| ছ | sho | ছাত্ৰ (student) |
| জ | zo | জল (water) |
| ঝ | zho | ঝৰণা (waterfall) |
| ঞ | nio | মিঞা (mister) |
| Letter | Name | Example Word (অসমীয়া শব্দ) |
|---|---|---|
| ট | tô | টেবুল (table) |
| ঠ | thô | ঠেং (leg) |
| ড | dô | ডাঙৰ (big) |
| ঢ | dhô | ঢোল (drum) |
| ণ | nô | বাণী (voice) |
| Letter | Name | Example Word (অসমীয়া শব্দ) |
|---|---|---|
| ত | to | তৰা (star) |
| থ | tho | থলি (place) |
| দ | do | দিন (day) |
| ধ | dho | ধান (paddy) |
| ন | no | নাম (name) |
| Letter | Name | Example Word (অসমীয়া শব্দ) |
|---|---|---|
| প | po | পানী (water) |
| ফ | pho | ফল (fruit) |
| ব | bo | বহী (book) |
| ভ | bho | ভাল (good) |
| ম | mo | মাছ (fish) |
| Letter | Name | Example Word (অসমীয়া শব্দ) |
|---|---|---|
| য | zo (antôsthô) | যদি (if) |
| ৰ | ro | ৰং (colour) |
| ল | lo | লৰা (boy) |
| ৱ | wo | কৱি (poet) |
| Letter | Name | Example Word (অসমীয়া শব্দ) |
|---|---|---|
| শ | xo (talobyô) | শিশু (child) |
| ষ | xo (mūrdhanya) | ষাঠি (sixty) |
| স | xo (dôntya) | সময় (time) |
| হ | ho | হাত (hand) |
| Letter | Name | Example Word (অসমীয়া শব্দ) |
|---|---|---|
| ড় | ṛô | গাড়ী (car) |
| ঢ় | ṛhô | আঢ়ৈ (two and a half) |
| য় | yô | মায়া (love) |
| ক্ষ | khya | লক্ষ (lakh) |
| Letter | Name | Example Word (অসমীয়া শব্দ) |
|---|---|---|
| ঁ | chôndrôbindu | চাঁদ (moon) |
| ং | ônuxwôr | বাংলা (Bengali) |
| ঃ | bisôrgô | দুঃখ (sorrow) |
| ৎ | khôndô tô | জগৎ (world) |
When a vowel comes right after a consonant, you do not write the full vowel letter. Instead, the vowel changes into a small symbol called a matra (মাত্ৰা) or kar (কাৰ) and joins onto the consonant. Some matras sit before the consonant, some after, some above, and some below. Below, you can see each Assamese vowel paired with its matra and how it looks when joined to the consonant ক (ka).
Quick tip: The vowel অ is built into every consonant, so it has no matra of its own. To remove it (silent consonant), add the হসন্ত sign (্) below the consonant.
When two or more consonants come together without a vowel in between, they join into a single shape called a conjunct or juktakkhor (যুক্তাক্ষৰ). Assamese has more than 120 possible conjuncts, but you only need a small set to read most everyday words. Below are 16 of the most common conjuncts you will meet in news, schoolbooks, and conversation.
Want a copy you can print and stick on the wall? Grab the free Assamese alphabet chart PDF below. It is a high-quality, printable chart with all 11 vowels and 41 consonants, English transliteration, and example words — ideal for classrooms, students, ADRE aspirants, and anyone learning Assamese at home.
Reading the alphabet is the first step — typing it is what makes the letters stick. Once you know the shapes and sounds, head to our Assamese Typing Practice page and try short exercises that build real speed and accuracy. This is especially useful for aspirants preparing for state exams like ADRE and the Assam Secretariat typing test, where Assamese typing speed is a scoring component.
Practice Assamese typing with timed lessons.
Type Assamese online with our virtual keyboard.
Count Assamese words and characters instantly.
The Assamese alphabet (অসমীয়া বৰ্ণমালা) has 52 letters in total — 11 vowels (Swarabarna - স্বৰবৰ্ণ) and 41 consonants (Byanjanbarna - ব্যঞ্জনবৰ্ণ). The 41 consonants are made up of 37 main consonants in 8 phonetic groups, plus 4 modifier characters known as অযোগবাহ (ঁ, ং, ঃ, ৎ) which are counted with the consonants in standard Assamese grammar. Source: Wikipedia — Assamese Alphabet.
Assamese and Bengali scripts look almost the same because they grew from the same ancient roots. The biggest difference is that Assamese has two unique letters that Bengali does not have: ৰ (ra) and ৱ (wa). In Bengali, those sounds are written as র and ব. A few letter shapes are also slightly different in handwriting. Both scripts share the same Unicode block (Bengali, U+0980–U+09FF). Reference: Unicode Bengali Block PDF.
Take it one step at a time. First, learn the 11 vowels and their sounds (অ আ ই ঈ…). Then practise the consonants group by group — letters in the same group share similar mouth positions, so they are easier to remember together. Listen to native Assamese audio, repeat each letter out loud, and try writing example words. Finally, lock it in by using our typing practice tool every day for a few minutes. Pronunciation references: Omniglot — Assamese, Ethnologue — Assamese.
