What does devanagari mean?
Devanagari is the writing system used to record some of South Asia's most widely spoken and historically significant languages, including Sanskrit, Hindi, Marathi, and Nepali. Classified as an abugida — a script in which each character represents a consonant-vowel unit — it is instantly recognizable by the horizontal line that runs along the top of each letter, linking characters together within a word. The name derives from Sanskrit elements meaning 'divine city' or 'of the gods,' reflecting the script's long association with sacred Hindu texts. Today Devanagari appears everywhere from religious manuscripts and classical literature to street signs, newspapers, government documents, and digital interfaces across India and Nepal. Learning to recognize it offers a window into one of the world's oldest continuous literary traditions, and it remains a living, everyday script for hundreds of millions of readers.
nounDevanagari is an abugida writing system used to write Hindi, Sanskrit, Marathi, Nepali, and several other languages of India and Nepal. It is characterized by a distinctive horizontal line running along the top of the letters, connecting them into words.
- The Devanagari abugida (alphasyllabary) used for Sanskrit, Hindi, Marathi, Nepali, and other languages.
"The Sanskrit verse was written in Devanagari script on the temple wall."
"She learned to read Devanagari so she could study the Bhagavad Gita in its original language."
"Marathi newspapers are typically set in Devanagari rather than any Latin-based transliteration."
Rarely pluralized; usually treated as an uncountable proper noun referring to the single script.
"Historical variants of devanagaris can be traced through medieval manuscripts."
Every letter in Devanagari hangs from a single unbroken line across the top of the word — which is why Hindi text looks like it's hanging from a clothesline.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of devanagari
The term 'Devanagari' comes from Sanskrit 'deva' meaning 'god' or 'deity' and 'nāgarī' relating to 'city' or urban writing, often interpreted as 'script of the city of the gods.' The script evolved from earlier Brahmi-derived scripts of ancient India and developed its mature form during roughly the first millennium CE. It became closely associated with the transcription of Sanskrit religious and literary works before spreading to vernacular languages such as Hindi and Marathi.
How devanagari is actually used
Often capitalized. Commonly followed by the noun 'script' when referring to the writing system itself.
Easily confused with devanagari
'Nagari' is the broader name for a family of related scripts, of which Devanagari is the most prominent member.