Śa (Indic)

Śa (श) is a consonant in the Devanagari script, and other related Indic scripts. It represents the voiceless palatal fricative ([ʃ]), similar to the "sh" sound in the English word "ship."

Representation and Pronunciation:

• Devanagari: श
• IAST Transliteration: śa
• IPA: [ʃ]

The sound is produced by forcing air through a narrow channel formed by the tongue and the hard palate. The symbol represents a primary consonant and is used in combination with vowel signs to form syllables.

Usage:

The consonant appears frequently in Sanskrit, Hindi, Marathi, Nepali, and other languages that utilize Devanagari or related scripts. It can be found in the beginning, middle, or end of words.

Variations and Ligatures:

Like other Devanagari consonants, Śa can form ligatures (conjunct consonants) with other consonants. These ligatures represent the combination of two or more consonants pronounced together without any intervening vowel. The visual representation of these ligatures can vary.

Related Sounds:

The Devanagari script also contains other sibilant consonants like सा (sa), representing the voiceless alveolar fricative ([s]), and ष (ṣa), representing the voiceless retroflex fricative ([ʂ]). These sounds are distinct from Śa and should not be confused.