T he origin of Marathi can be traced back to early centuries of the Common Era when it emerged as a distinct language in the Maharashtra region of India.
Over time, Marathi was influenced by various languages, including Sanskrit, Prakrit, and Persian. This helped Marathi to develop its own characteristics.
Throughout its history, Marathi has been written in various scripts, including Brahmi, Modi, Balbodh, and Perso-Arabic, reflecting its diverse cultural influences and transitions. However, for many centuries and continuing to the present day, the Devanagari script has been the predominant and chosen script for writing Marathi.
Below are the phonetic components of the Marathi alphabets.
In Marathi they are also known as “swar” (स्वर). There are 14 vowels in Marathi. Each vowel in Marathi is pronounced by itself and has distinct, pure, and unmodified sounds.
Marathi has retained a significant portion of the original Sanskrit pronunciation, and the sound closely resembles their Sanskrit counterparts. In addition, it has also developed its distinct phonetics, making it a unique language with its pronunciation norms over time.
Below is the chart of both independent and dependent vowels in Marathi.
In Marathi they are also known as “Vyanjan” (व्यंजन). There are 36 consonants in Marathi. Just as in many other languages, consonants and vowels in Marathi combine to form a basic building block for pronunciation, allowing for the expression of a wide range of words and meaning.
For example, let's take the Marathi word "सूरज (sūraj)," where "स" (s) serves as the consonant, "ू" (ū) as the vowel, "र" (r) as another consonant, and "ज" (j) as the final consonant. In this word, consonants and vowels harmoniously combine to create the term "सूरज" (sūraj), signifying "sun" in Marathi.
Marathi, like in many South Asian languages, has its own script for writing numerals. These are used to write decimal numbers, instead of the latin numbers.
Marathi (मराठी, məˈrɑːti), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken mainly in India. It is also spoken as a second language in part of Gujarat, Karnataka, and Madhya Pradesh. Below is the quick summary:
| Pronunciation: | [məˈrɑːti] |
| Native Name: | Marathi (मराठी) |
| Number of Speakers: | 100 million |
| Language family: | Indo-Aryan |
| Writing System: | Devanagari Script (देवनागरी) |
| Spoken in: | Part of Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh. |
| Status: | Official language of the Government of India; Official Language of Maharashtra, Goa. |
| Two digit language code: | mr |
Below is a list of complete Marathi Varnamala Chart
