Ṇ

Ṇ (uppercase: Ṇ, lowercase: ṇ) is a letter in the Latin alphabet. It is made by adding a dot below the letter N. This letter is used in the International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration (IAST) and in some Indic languages.

How it sounds

• Sanskrit and Other Indic Languages: In Sanskrit and other Indic languages, ṇ represents a retroflex nasal sound. This means the sound is made by curling the tongue back in the mouth and letting the air flow through the nose.
  • Example: The word “अणु” (aṇu) means “atom” in Sanskrit and is pronounced like “aṇu”.

Usage in different languages

• Sanskrit: The letter ṇ is used in many Sanskrit words. It helps to show the correct pronunciation of words that have a retroflex nasal sound.
  • Example: The word “कर्ण” (karṇa) means “ear” in Sanskrit and is pronounced like “karṇa”.
  • Another example: The word “पाणि” (pāṇi) means “hand” in Sanskrit and is pronounced like “pāṇi”.
• Hindi: In Hindi, ṇ is used in words borrowed from Sanskrit and in some native words.
  • Example: The word “ठण्डा” (ṭhaṇḍā) means “cold” in Hindi and is pronounced like “ṭhaṇḍā”.
  • Another example: The word “गणेश” (Gaṇeś) is a name of a Hindu deity and is pronounced like “Gaṇeś”.
• Marathi: In Marathi, ṇ is used similarly to Hindi and Sanskrit.
  • Example: The word “माणूस” (māṇūs) means “man” in Marathi and is pronounced like “māṇūs”.

Historical development

The letter ṇ has its origins in the ancient Brahmi script, which is the ancestor of many Indic scripts. The use of the dot below the letter N to indicate a retroflex nasal sound has been carried over into modern transliterations of Sanskrit and other Indic languages.

Unicode

The letter Ṇ has special codes in computers:

• Uppercase Ṇ: U+1E46
• Lowercase ṇ: U+1E47

These codes are used to represent the letter in digital text.