Reading Bengali road signs

The Bengali script is used in Bangladesh and in the Indian states of West Bengal, Tripura and Assam, where it also writes Assamese. Letters hang from a line along the top, each consonant has a vowel built in, and other vowels are small signs around it.

A sign may show the name in Bengali only. Once the basic letters and vowel signs make sense, ঢাকা (Dhaka) or কলকাতা (Kolkata) read themselves, and in GeoGuessr the script alone already points to Bangladesh or the east of India.

Bengali at a glance

Bengali script is used in Bangladesh and in the Indian states of West Bengal, Tripura and Assam, where it also writes Assamese.

It is read left to right, and most letters hang from a line along the top. Each letter is a consonant with a vowel built in; other vowels are added as small signs around it.

Every consonant comes with a vowel

On its own, every consonant is read with a short vowel built in: ক is ka. In Bengali it sounds close to the ‘o’ in “hot”, which is why some names are written with an ‘o’, like Kolkata.

That vowel is not written, so below it is shown in a lighter colour. It is also the one that sometimes goes silent, as you will see on page 4.

• কka
• গga
• চcha
• জja
• তta
• দda
• নna
• পpa
• বba
• মma
• রra
• লla
• সsa

Vowel signs

Every other vowel is a sign added to the consonant, replacing the built-in one. Even a long ‘a’ has its own sign: না is nā (as in “father”), while ন alone is the short na.

Signs can sit after, under, over or before the letter, but are always read after it: ফে is fe. The line over ‘ā’, ‘ī’, ‘ū’ just marks a long vowel; English names drop it, so ন and না both become na.

Here are ফ (f) and ন (n), the two letters of the sign below, first on their own and then with every vowel sign; the two the name uses are marked.

• ফfa
• ফাfā
• ফিfi
• ফীfī
• ফুfu
• ফূfū
• ফেfe
• ফৈfoi
• ফোfo
• ফৌfou
• নna
• নাnā
• নিni
• নীnī
• নুnu
• নূnū
• নেne
• নৈnoi
• নোno
• নৌnou

When the ‘a’ goes quiet

The built-in ‘a’ is usually dropped at the end of a word, and often in the middle too. কলকাতা is read Kal-ka-ta (Kolkata), not Ka-la-ka-ta.

An h means a breath

An h after a letter in the Latin spelling means a puff of breath: খ is kh, ভ is bh. ফ is mostly read f.

• খkha
• ঘgha
• ছchha
• ঝjha
• ঠtha
• থtha
• ধdha
• ভbha
• ফfa
• হha

Same sound, different letter

Some sounds have two letters. Spelling keeps them apart, but you can read them alike. ট and ড are said with the tongue curled back.

With a dot underneath, ড় becomes an r and য় a y. Both turn up in many names.

• শsha
• ষsha
• নna
• ণna
• জja
• যja
• টta
• ডda
• ড়ra
• য়ya

Letters joined together

When two consonants meet with no vowel between them, they are joined into one shape: the first is often squeezed, or the second tucked under it.

Two are worth knowing: র before a consonant becomes a small stroke on top (র্গ), and য after one becomes a hook (ব্য).

• গ্রgra
• ত্রtra
• ন্দnda
• ঞ্জnja
• ঙ্গnga
• ত্তtta
• র্গrga
• ব্যbya

A few more letters

At the start of a word a vowel is written as a letter of its own.

ং adds ng, and the little moon on top (চাঁ) makes a vowel nasal, written n. Assamese has two letters of its own: ৰ for r and ৱ for w.

• আa
• ইi
• উu
• এe
• ওo
• রংrang
• চাঁchan
• ৰra
• ৱwa

Name parts worth knowing

Some pieces come back again and again. Spot them and half the name is read.

Some places also have an older English name: চট্টগ্রাম is Chattogram, long spelled Chittagong, and কলকাতা was Calcutta. When you type, either one counts.

Try it

Which city is on the sign?

All the letters

Consonants

• কk
• খkh
• গg
• ঘgh
• ঙng
• চch
• ছchh
• জj
• ঝjh
• ঞn
• টt
• ঠth
• ডd
• ঢdh
• ণn
• তt
• থth
• দd
• ধdh
• নn
• পp
• ফf
• বb
• ভbh
• মm
• যj
• রr
• লl
• শsh
• ষsh
• সs
• হh
• ড়r
• ঢ়rh
• য়y
• ৎt
• ৰr
• ৱw

Vowels

• অa
• আa
• ইi
• ঈi
• উu
• ঊu
• ঋri
• এe
• ঐoi
• ওo
• ঔou

Vowel signs, shown on ক

• কka
• কাka
• কিki
• কীki
• কুku
• কূku
• কৃkri
• কেke
• কৈkoi
• কোko
• কৌkou

Other signs

• ক্k
• কঁkan
• কংkang
• কঃkah

Clusters in these place names

• ঞ্জnja
• ঙ্গnga
• গ্রgra
• ত্তtta
• ন্দnda
• ব্যbya
• ক্ষksha
• শ্রshra
• ষ্ণshna
• ল্যlya
• শ্বshwa
• র্শrsha
• ট্টtta
• র্গrga
• ল্লlla
• র্ধrdha
• ব্রbra
• হ্মhma
• ষ্টshta
• ড়্গrga
• ক্সksa
• ধ্যdhya
• ন্তnta
• ব্ৰbra

Digits

• ০0
• ১1
• ২2
• ৩3
• ৪4
• ৫5
• ৬6
• ৭7
• ৮8
• ৯9

A consonant with no vowel sign carries an unwritten a (spoken closer to o), and that vowel often falls silent.

The 200 places in the quiz

The quiz has about 200 of the largest cities and towns of Bangladesh, West Bengal, Assam and Tripura.