The Bengali Alphabet and Script

Reading Bengali

Bengali, or Bangla, is written in its own script, not the Latin alphabet. This module helps you start to read it. Each Bengali example is shown with a simple way to say it in brackets, like this: হাসপাতাল (haspatal), which means hospital. The meanings and tips are all in English.

Script words for Bengali

Four ideas run through this module:

A puff of air

Bengali has pairs of consonants that sound almost the same, except one is said with a puff of air. Hearing the difference matters for listening.

Match each word to its meaning

Spot the loanword

Bengali often borrows English words. Which English word does হাসপাতাল (haspatal) come from?

• Hospital
• Hostel
• Capital
• Postal

Train your ear

Here is a skill examiners test in listening: telling aspirated and unaspirated consonants apart. খ (kh) is just ক (k) said with a puff of air, and ফ (ph) is প (p) with a puff. Mixing them up can change a word, so train your ear to catch that little puff.

Which have the puff?

Select the TWO aspirated consonants, the ones said with a puff of air.

• খ (kh)
• ফ (ph)
• ক (k)
• প (p)

Match each sound

Reading a whole sentence

The point of the letters is to read sentences. Bengali runs its words under a single headline stroke, has no capital letters, and puts the verb last: - আমি বাংলা পড়ি (ami Bangla pori) = "I read Bengali". Three words: আমি (ami, "I"), বাংলা (Bangla, the language), then the verb পড়ি (pori, "I read") at the end. - আমার নাম রবি (amar naam Robi) = "my name is Robi". Bengali needs no word for "is" here - the three words simply sit together.

Find the verb

In আমি বাংলা পড়ি (ami Bangla pori), "I read Bengali", which word is the verb?

• পড়ি (pori)
• আমি (ami)
• বাংলা (Bangla)
• নাম (naam)

Sound it out

Put the steps of sounding out an unfamiliar Bengali loanword into a sensible order.

• Break the word into its letters and symbols
• Say the sound of each letter in turn
• Listen for any aspirated puff of air
• Blend the sounds together into a word
• Ask if it sounds like an English word you know

The script in words

Bengali is written in its own _____, not the Latin alphabet. Each consonant carries a built-in _____. A consonant said with a puff of air is called _____. Bengali borrows many words from English, called _____. The word haspatal means _____.

The Bengali script

Tap the TWO statements that are TRUE about the Bengali script.

• Bengali is written in its own script, not the Latin alphabet.
• An aspirated consonant is said with a small puff of air.
• Bengali is written using the English alphabet.
• Aspirated and unaspirated consonants always sound identical.
• Bengali never borrows any words from English.

Read the sign

Use what you know to read each Bengali sign. Choose each time.

• A sign at a bus stop reads বাস (bas). What does it mean?
• You hear a word begin with a clear puff of air, written খ (kh). Is that consonant aspirated?
• A hospital sign reads হাসপাতাল (haspatal). Which English word did it borrow?

Explain the script

In English, explain what makes the Bengali script different from the English alphabet, and describe how you would read an unfamiliar Bengali loanword. This is written in English and is not auto-marked.

• Name one way the Bengali script differs from the English alphabet
• Explain what aspirated and unaspirated consonants are
• Describe how you would sound out an unknown loanword
• Give one example of an English loanword written in Bengali