The Saurashtra Alphabet

Q: What script does Saurashtra use?

Saurashtra uses the Saurashtra script — a unique Brahmic abugida distinct from all other currently used Indian scripts. It is written left to right, with each consonant carrying an inherent a vowel modified by matras or cancelled by the virama. The Saurashtra script has 12 independent vowels and 30 consonants in the classical Brahmic varga arrangement. Despite being geographically surrounded by Tamil — a Dravidian language using the Tamil script — the Saurashtra community has maintained its own distinct Indo-Aryan writing system.

Q: Where is Saurashtra spoken?

Saurashtra is spoken primarily in Madurai and surrounding districts of Tamil Nadu, South India. The Saurashtra community — known for their traditional silk weaving expertise — settled in the Madurai region centuries ago and has maintained their distinct language and culture. Smaller Saurashtra-speaking communities are also found in other parts of Tamil Nadu, as well as in diaspora communities in various countries. The language is classified as vulnerable, with intergenerational transmission under pressure from Tamil.

Q: Is Saurashtra the same as Sourashtra?

Yes — Sourashtra is an alternate romanisation of the same language and community name. Both spellings refer to the same Indo-Aryan language (ISO 639-3: saz) and the same unique Brahmic script used by the Saurashtra/Saurashtri community of Madurai, Tamil Nadu. The spelling variation reflects different romanisation conventions: Saurashtra follows the standard Sanskrit transliteration; Sourashtra reflects a local pronunciation variant used by some community members and publications. The language, script, and people are the same.

Q: Is Saurashtra endangered?

Saurashtra is considered vulnerable by language researchers. While it still has several hundred thousand speakers, intergenerational transmission is under pressure from Tamil — the dominant language of education, commerce, and government in Tamil Nadu. Community efforts to preserve and teach the Saurashtra script and language include publication of literature, religious texts, and educational materials in the Saurashtra script. The Unicode encoding of the Saurashtra script in 2008 was an important milestone for digital preservation of the language.

Q: What is the ISO code for Saurashtra?

Saurashtra has ISO 639-3 code saz and Glottolog code saur1248 . The language is also known as Saurashtri, Sourashtra, or Sourashtri — all names for the same Indo-Aryan language of the Saurashtra community of Tamil Nadu. The language is listed by SIL International under the name Saurashtra with code saz.

Saurashtra Alphabet at a Glance

Saurashtra (Saurashtri, ISO 639-3: saz) is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by approximately 200,000–300,000 people primarily in Madurai and surrounding districts of Tamil Nadu, India, by the Saurashtra community ^[1]
The Saurashtra script is a unique Brahmic abugida with no close relatives among currently used scripts; it was encoded in Unicode and is distinct from Devanagari, Tamil, Gujarati, and all other South Asian writing systems ^[3]
The Saurashtra script has 12 independent vowels, 30 consonants, vowel signs (matras), and a virama — following the classical Brahmic abugida structure in which each consonant carries an inherent a vowel ^[3]
Saurashtra belongs to the Indo-Aryan branch of Indo-European — specifically related to Gujarati and the languages of the historical Saurashtra (Gujarat) region — despite being spoken today exclusively in South India ^[2]
The Saurashtra community traditionally came from the Saurashtra region of Gujarat; they migrated to Tamil Nadu centuries ago, primarily as skilled silk weavers, and settled in Madurai where they became known as Patnulkarans (silk thread workers)
The Saurashtra language is sometimes called Saurashtri or Sourashtra; the name Sourashtra (with ou) is an alternate spelling used by some community members and publications, referring to the same language and script
Despite being surrounded by Tamil speakers, the Saurashtra community has maintained its distinct Indo-Aryan language and unique script for centuries — a remarkable example of linguistic preservation in a Dravidian-dominant environment

Saurashtra (Saurashtri, ISO 639-3: saz) is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by approximately 200,000–300,000 people in Madurai and Tamil Nadu, India ^[1]. It uses the Saurashtra script — a unique Brahmic abugida with no close relatives among currently used writing systems, encoded separately in Unicode.

The Saurashtra community historically came from the Saurashtra region of Gujarat and settled in Tamil Nadu as expert silk weavers. Despite centuries in a Dravidian-speaking environment, the community has preserved its distinct Indo-Aryan language and unique script ^[2]. The script has 12 vowels and 30 consonants in the classical Brahmic arrangement.

Saurashtra Independent Vowels

Saurashtra has 12 independent vowel letters — used when a vowel opens a syllable without a preceding consonant. The vowel inventory includes short and long pairs for a, i, u, e, and o, plus the diphthongs ai and au.

As a Brahmic abugida, the Saurashtra script assigns an inherent a vowel to each consonant. Independent vowels are used syllable-initially; vowel signs (matras) are used when a vowel follows a consonant within a syllable.

Saurashtra Independent Vowels

ꢂ

[a]

ꢃ

[aa]

ꢄ

[i]

ꢅ

[ii]

ꢆ

[u]

ꢇ

[uu]

ꢈ

[e]

ꢉ

[ee]

ꢊ

[ai]

ꢋ

[o]

ꢌ

[oo]

ꢍ

[au]

ꢂ

[a]

Short vowel a — the inherent vowel. The fundamental vowel of the Saurashtra script, corresponding to the a sound in "father" (short).

ꢃ

[aa]

Long vowel aa — the long form of a. Twice the duration of the short a, as in a prolonged "aah" sound.

ꢄ

[i]

Short vowel i — like "i" in "sit". One of the primary Saurashtra vowels appearing throughout the language vocabulary.

ꢅ

[ii]

Long vowel ii — like "ee" in "feet". The long counterpart of the short i vowel in the Saurashtra phonological system.

ꢆ

[u]

Short vowel u — like "u" in "put". A basic short back vowel in Saurashtra, inherited from the Indo-Aryan vowel system.

ꢇ

[uu]

Long vowel uu — like "oo" in "food". The long counterpart of the short u vowel in the Saurashtra script.

ꢈ

[e]

Vowel e — like "a" in "late". A front mid vowel in Saurashtra, appearing in native vocabulary and inherited Indo-Aryan words.

ꢉ

[ee]

Long vowel ee — the extended front mid vowel. The long counterpart of the short e vowel in Saurashtra phonology.

ꢊ

[ai]

Diphthong ai — a vowel combination of a and i sounds. Appears in native Saurashtra vocabulary.

ꢋ

[o]

Vowel o — like "o" in "go". A back mid rounded vowel in Saurashtra, common in native vocabulary.

ꢌ

[oo]

Long vowel oo — the extended back mid vowel. The long counterpart of the short o vowel in Saurashtra.

ꢍ

[au]

Diphthong au — a vowel combination of a and u sounds. Appears in native Saurashtra words.

Saurashtra Consonants

Saurashtra has 30 consonant letters arranged in the traditional Brahmic varga (group) classification: velar (k, kh, g, gh, ng), palatal (ch, chh, j, jh, ny), retroflex (T, Th, D, Dh, N), dental (t, th, d, dh, n), labial (p, ph, b, bh, m), and the semivowel/fricative series (y, r, l, v, sh). Each consonant inherently carries the vowel a.

The Saurashtra consonant inventory reflects the Indo-Aryan heritage of the language, including the characteristic retroflex series and four-way stop contrast (voiceless, aspirated voiceless, voiced, and aspirated voiced) preserved from Proto-Indo-Iranian.

Saurashtra Consonants

ꢒ

[ka]

ꢓ

[kha]

ꢔ

[ga]

ꢕ

[gha]

ꢖ

[nga]

ꢗ

[cha]

ꢘ

[chha]

ꢙ

[ja]

ꢚ

[jha]

ꢛ

[nya]

ꢜ

[Ta]

ꢝ

[Tha]

ꢞ

[Da]

ꢟ

[Dha]

ꢠ

[Na]

ꢡ

[ta]

ꢢ

[tha]

ꢣ

[da]

ꢤ

[dha]

ꢥ

[na]

ꢦ

[pa]

ꢧ

[pha]

ꢨ

[ba]

ꢩ

[bha]

ꢪ

[ma]

ꢫ

[ya]

ꢬ

[ra]

ꢭ

[la]

ꢮ

[va]

ꢯ

[sha]

ꢒ

[ka]

Voiceless velar plosive — like "k" in "sky". The first consonant of the Saurashtra alphabet in the traditional Brahmic velar series.

ꢓ

[kha]

Aspirated voiceless velar plosive — a k with a breath. Part of the velar series (ka-varga) of the Saurashtra consonant inventory.

ꢔ

[ga]

Voiced velar plosive — like "g" in "go". A common consonant in the Saurashtra language, part of the velar series.

ꢕ

[gha]

Voiced aspirated velar plosive — a breathy g. Part of the traditional Brahmic velar consonant group in Saurashtra.

ꢖ

[nga]

Velar nasal — the nasal member of the velar series. Appears in Saurashtra before velar consonants in conjunct clusters.

ꢗ

[cha]

Voiceless palatal affricate — like "ch" in "church". Part of the palatal series (ca-varga) of the Saurashtra script.

ꢘ

[chha]

Aspirated voiceless palatal affricate — a breathy ch. Part of the Saurashtra palatal consonant series.

ꢙ

[ja]

Voiced palatal affricate — like "j" in "jump". A common consonant in Saurashtra vocabulary, part of the palatal series.

ꢚ

[jha]

Voiced aspirated palatal affricate — a breathy j. Part of the palatal consonant series of the Saurashtra script.

ꢛ

[nya]

Palatal nasal — the nasal member of the palatal series. Appears before palatal consonants in Saurashtra conjunct clusters.

ꢜ

[Ta]

Voiceless retroflex plosive — tongue tip curled back against the palate. Part of the retroflex series characteristic of South Asian languages.

ꢝ

[Tha]

Aspirated voiceless retroflex plosive — a breathy retroflex T. Part of the Saurashtra retroflex consonant series.

ꢞ

[Da]

Voiced retroflex plosive — tongue tip curled back. Part of the retroflex series of the Saurashtra Brahmic script.

ꢟ

[Dha]

Voiced aspirated retroflex plosive — a breathy retroflex D. Part of the traditional Brahmic retroflex series.

ꢠ

[Na]

Retroflex nasal — tongue tip curled back. Appears word-finally and before retroflex consonants in Saurashtra.

ꢡ

[ta]

Voiceless dental plosive — like "t" placed against the teeth. Part of the dental series (ta-varga) of the Saurashtra script.

ꢢ

[tha]

Aspirated voiceless dental plosive — a breathy dental t. Part of the dental consonant series of Saurashtra.

ꢣ

[da]

Voiced dental plosive — like "d" placed against the teeth. A common consonant in Saurashtra vocabulary.

ꢤ

[dha]

Voiced aspirated dental plosive — a breathy d. Part of the dental consonant series of the Saurashtra script.

ꢥ

[na]

Dental nasal — like "n" in "not". One of the most frequent consonants in Saurashtra vocabulary.

ꢦ

[pa]

Voiceless bilabial plosive — like "p" in "spin". Part of the labial series (pa-varga) of the Saurashtra alphabet.

ꢧ

[pha]

Aspirated voiceless bilabial plosive — a breathy p. Part of the labial consonant series of Saurashtra.

ꢨ

[ba]

Voiced bilabial plosive — like "b" in "bed". A common consonant in Saurashtra vocabulary.

ꢩ

[bha]

Voiced aspirated bilabial plosive — a breathy b. Part of the labial series of the Saurashtra Brahmic script.

ꢪ

[ma]

Bilabial nasal — like "m" in "mother". One of the most common consonants in Saurashtra, closing the labial series.

ꢫ

[ya]

Palatal approximant — like "y" in "yes". A semivowel in Saurashtra, used in native words and in consonant clusters.

ꢬ

[ra]

Alveolar trill — a rolled r. A very common consonant in Saurashtra vocabulary.

ꢭ

[la]

Alveolar lateral — like "l" in "light". Frequent throughout Saurashtra vocabulary.

ꢮ

[va]

Labiodental approximant — like "v" in "vine". Used in native Saurashtra words.

ꢯ

[sha]

Voiceless fricative — like "sh" in "ship". A sibilant consonant in the Saurashtra script closing the consonant inventory.

Saurashtra Vowel Signs (Matras)

Vowel signs (matras) are diacritical marks written around Saurashtra consonants to indicate vowels other than the inherent a — used when a vowel follows a consonant within a syllable.

The virama cancels the inherent vowel, allowing the formation of consonant clusters — essential for writing complex Saurashtra syllables. This mirrors the function of the halant in Devanagari and the al-lakuna in Sinhala.

Saurashtra Vowel Signs (Matras)

ꢳ

ꢴ

ꢵ

ꢶ

ꢷ

ꢸ

ꢹ

ꢺ

ꢻ

ꢼ

ꢳ

Vowel sign for aa — written to the right of the consonant. Converts inherent a to long aa in Saurashtra writing.

ꢴ

Vowel sign for i — indicates the short i vowel attached to a Saurashtra consonant letter.

ꢵ

Vowel sign for ii — indicates the long ii vowel attached to a Saurashtra consonant letter.

ꢶ

Vowel sign for u — indicates the short u vowel below or beside a Saurashtra consonant.

ꢷ

Vowel sign for uu — indicates the long uu vowel attached to a Saurashtra consonant.

ꢸ

Vowel sign for e — indicates the short e vowel attached to a Saurashtra consonant.

ꢹ

Vowel sign for ee — indicates the long ee vowel attached to a Saurashtra consonant.

ꢺ

Vowel sign for ai — indicates the diphthong ai attached to a Saurashtra consonant.

ꢻ

Vowel sign for o — indicates the short o vowel attached to a Saurashtra consonant.

ꢼ

Virama — cancels the inherent a vowel of a consonant, enabling consonant clusters. Essential for writing Saurashtra syllables with adjacent consonants.

ꢂ

ꢃ

ꢄ

ꢅ

ꢆ

ꢇ

ꢈ

ꢉ

ꢊ

ꢋ

ꢌ

ꢍ

ꢒ

ꢓ

ꢔ

ꢕ

ꢖ

ꢗ

ꢘ

ꢙ

ꢚ

ꢛ

ꢜ

ꢝ

ꢞ

ꢟ

ꢠ

ꢡ

ꢢ

ꢣ

ꢤ

ꢥ

ꢦ

ꢧ

ꢨ

ꢩ

ꢪ

ꢫ

ꢬ

ꢭ

ꢮ

ꢯ

Digits (0–9)

Zero — Western numeral used in Saurashtra written contexts.

One — Western numeral.

Two — Western numeral.

Three — Western numeral.

Four — Western numeral.

Five — Western numeral.

Six — Western numeral.

Seven — Western numeral.

Eight — Western numeral.

Nine — Western numeral.

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What script does Saurashtra use?

Where is Saurashtra spoken?

What language family does Saurashtra belong to?

Is Saurashtra the same as Sourashtra?

Is Saurashtra endangered?

What is the ISO code for Saurashtra?

References:

[1] Hammarström, Harald et al. "Saurashtra [saur1248]". Glottolog 5.3. Retrieved from Glottolog: Saurashtra
[2] SIL International. "Saurashtra — ISO 639-3 Language Code: saz". Retrieved from SIL ISO 639-3: saz
[3] Unicode Consortium. "Saurashtra Unicode Block". Retrieved from Unicode Saurashtra Block