Assamese alphabet: every letter to copy
Assamese (অসমীয়া) is the main language of Assam in northeast India, spoken by around 15 million people as a first language and many more as a second. It is written in the Bengali-Assamese script, which it shares with Bangla, but it has its own letters and its own order. This page lists the Assamese alphabet (অসমীয়া বৰ্ণমালা) the way it is taught in Assam: the vowels (স্বৰবৰ্ণ) অ to ঔ, then the consonants (ব্যঞ্জনবৰ্ণ) from ক to হ, including ৰ and ৱ.
After the letters you will find the vowel signs, the hasanta ্, digits ০ ১ ২ ৩ and other signs. Tap any one to copy it.
The Assamese letters
- স্বৰবৰ্ণ (vowels): অ আ ই ঈ উ ঊ ঋ এ ঐ ও ঔ.
- ব্যঞ্জনবৰ্ণ (consonants): ক খ গ ঘ ঙ, চ ছ জ ঝ ঞ, ট ঠ ড ঢ ণ, ত থ দ ধ ন, প ফ ব ভ ম, য ৰ ল ৱ, শ ষ স হ.
- Extra letters: ক্ষ ড় ঢ় য় ৎ.
- Signs: ং anusvara, ঃ visarga and ঁ chandrabindu.
ৰ and ৱ: the letters that make Assamese different
The biggest visible difference between Assamese and Bangla is two letters. Assamese writes ra as ৰ, with a diagonal stroke through the middle, while Bangla uses র. Assamese also has ৱ, a wa letter that Bangla does not use. In Unicode their official names are “bengali letter ra with middle diagonal” and “bengali letter ra with lower diagonal”, because the two languages share one block of characters.
So if you are writing a word like অসমীয়া, ৰাজ্য or ৱাৰ্ড, make sure you copy ৰ and not র. This page puts the correct Assamese letters in their proper place in the alphabet.
Vowel signs and conjuncts
Like Bangla, Assamese uses vowel signs after a consonant: া ি ী ু ূ ৃ ে ৈ ো ৌ. For example, ক + া = কা and ক + ি = কি. The hasanta ্ joins consonants into conjunct letters, as in ক্ষ, স্ত and ন্দ. On their own, these signs may sit on a dotted circle, which is normal. Paste them after a consonant and they join correctly.
Assamese digits and culture
Assamese uses the same digits as Bangla: ০ ১ ২ ৩ ৪ ৫ ৬ ৭ ৮ ৯. You will see them on calendars, school papers and Bihu invitations. Many people use this page to write Bihu wishes like “ৰঙালী বিহুৰ শুভেচ্ছা”, to type their names correctly on forms, or to help children learn the alphabet at home.
Typing Assamese
Gboard on Android and the iPhone keyboard both offer Assamese input, and Windows has an Assamese layout. Some Bangla keyboards do not have ৰ and ৱ, which is a common problem. When that happens, copy the letter from this page and paste it in.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the difference between Assamese and Bangla letters?
- Assamese uses ৰ for ra and has ৱ for wa. Bangla uses র and does not use ৱ. Most other letters are shared.
- How do I type ৰ?
- Copy ৰ from this page and paste it. Many Bangla keyboards do not include it.
- How many letters are in the Assamese alphabet?
- Assamese is usually taught with 11 vowels and about 40 consonants, including ক্ষ, ড়, ঢ়, য় and ৎ.
- Are Assamese numbers the same as Bangla numbers?
- Yes. Both use ০ ১ ২ ৩ ৪ ৫ ৬ ৭ ৮ ৯.
- Why is ৰ called a Bengali letter in Unicode?
- Assamese and Bangla share one Unicode block named Bengali, so all its letters have “bengali” in their names.