The Tharu Alphabet

Q: What script does Tharu use?

Tharu is written in Devanagari — the same script as Hindi, Nepali, and Sanskrit. It is a Brahmic abugida written left to right. The Devanagari alphabet for Tharu includes 11 independent vowels, 33 consonants, vowel diacritics (matras), and native digits (०–९).

Q: Where is Tharu spoken?

Tharu is spoken in the Terai lowlands of Nepal — primarily in Dang, Kailali, and Kanchanpur districts — and in adjacent parts of Uttar Pradesh, India . The Tharu people are regarded as the original inhabitants of the Terai, having lived in the region for centuries before large-scale migration from the Himalayan hills.

Q: What language family does Tharu belong to?

Tharu belongs to the Central Indo-Aryan subgroup of Indo-European (ISO 639-3: thl), alongside Hindi, Nepali, Maithili, and Awadhi. The broader Tharu continuum includes several varieties — Chitwan Tharu, Rana Tharu, Kathariya Tharu, Dangaura Tharu — each with their own ISO codes.

Q: Is Tharu an endangered language?

Tharu is classified as vulnerable to endangered despite ~1.5 million speakers. Pressure from Nepali in education and government and Hindi in Indian districts is reducing intergenerational transmission, particularly in urban areas. Nepal's multilingual policies have provided some formal recognition and support for indigenous language communities.

Q: Who are the Tharu people?

The Tharu people are a major indigenous community of Nepal (Adivasi Janajati), traditionally regarded as the original inhabitants of the Terai lowlands. They are known for the Maghi festival and distinctive cultural traditions. They faced significant land dispossession from the 1950s onward, leading to the Tharuhat movement advocating for an autonomous Tharu province in the western Terai.

Q: What is the ISO 639-3 code for Tharu?

Dangaura Tharu has ISO 639-3 code thl and Glottolog code dang1265 . Other Tharu varieties have their own codes: Chitwan Tharu (the), Rana Tharu (raq), and Kathariya Tharu (THQ).

Tharu Alphabet at a Glance

Dangaura Tharu (ISO 639-3: thl) is spoken by approximately 1.5 million people in the Terai lowlands of Nepal (Dang, Kailali, Kanchanpur districts) and adjacent parts of Uttar Pradesh, India ^[1]
Tharu uses the standard Devanagari script, the same abugida used for Hindi, Nepali, Marathi, and Sanskrit, written left to right ^[4]
Tharu belongs to the Indo-Aryan branch of Indo-Iranian within the broader Indo-European family; it is classified in the Central Indo-Aryan subgroup alongside Hindi and Nepali ^[2]
The Endangered Languages Project classifies Tharu as a vulnerable to endangered language; while it still has a significant speaker population, intergenerational transmission is under pressure from Nepali and Hindi ^[3]
The Tharu Devanagari alphabet consists of 11 independent vowels, 33 standard consonants, vowel diacritics (matras), and Devanagari digits (०–९) shared with Hindi and Nepali ^[4]
The Tharu people are one of the major indigenous (Adivasi Janajati) communities of Nepal, traditionally inhabiting the Terai forests and known for their distinctive culture, festivals such as Maghi, and remarkable resistance to malaria
Dangaura Tharu is one of several Tharu dialects; others include Chitwan Tharu, Rana Tharu, and Kathariya Tharu — all belonging to the broader Tharu language continuum across the Nepal Terai

Tharu (Dangaura Tharu, ISO 639-3: thl) is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by approximately 1.5 million people in the Terai lowlands of Nepal and adjacent Uttar Pradesh, India ^[1]. It uses the Devanagari script shared with Hindi, Nepali, and Sanskrit ^[4].

Tharu belongs to the Central Indo-Aryan subgroup of the Indo-Iranian branch. The Tharu people are one of the major indigenous communities of Nepal, classified as Adivasi Janajati, with transmission under pressure from Nepali and Hindi ^[2].

Tharu Independent Vowels

अ

[a]

आ

[aa]

इ

[i]

ई

[ii]

उ

[u]

ऊ

[uu]

ए

[e]

ऐ

[ai]

ओ

[o]

औ

[au]

ऋ

[ri]

अ

[a]

Short vowel /ə/ — the inherent vowel. As in अब (ab, now). Standard Devanagari अ, present in all Brahmic script languages.

आ

[aa]

Long vowel /aː/ — as in आग (aag, fire). The lengthened form of अ, one of the most common vowels in Tharu.

इ

[i]

Short vowel /ɪ/ — as in इस (is, this). Standard Devanagari इ, used across Tharu vocabulary.

ई

[ii]

Long vowel /iː/ — as in ईख (eekh, sugarcane — a major crop in the Tharu Terai region). Standard Devanagari ई.

उ

[u]

Short vowel /ʊ/ — as in उत्तर (uttar, north). Standard Devanagari उ.

ऊ

[uu]

Long vowel /uː/ — as in ऊपर (uupar, above). Standard Devanagari ऊ.

ए

[e]

Vowel /eː/ — as in एक (ek, one). Standard Devanagari ए, used in Tharu everyday vocabulary.

ऐ

[ai]

Diphthong /əɪ/ — as in ऐसा (aisa, like this). Standard Devanagari ऐ.

ओ

[o]

Vowel /oː/ — as in ओर (or, direction/side). Standard Devanagari ओ.

औ

[au]

Diphthong /əʊ/ — as in और (aur, and). Standard Devanagari औ.

ऋ

[ri]

Vocalic R /ɻ/ — used in Sanskrit-origin words preserved in Tharu. Standard Devanagari ऋ.

Tharu Consonants

Tharu uses the 33 standard Devanagari consonants, shared with Hindi, Nepali, and Sanskrit. Each consonant carries an inherent /a/ vowel modified by matras or suppressed by the halant.

Consonants follow the Brahmic varga classification — velar, palatal, retroflex, dental, and labial series — with voiceless, aspirated, voiced, and aspirated-voiced variants. The retroflex consonants (ट, ठ, ड, ढ, ण) are a characteristic feature of South Asian phonology preserved in Tharu.

Tharu Consonants

क

[k]

ख

[kh]

ग

[g]

घ

[gh]

ङ

[ng]

च

[ch]

छ

[chh]

ज

[j]

झ

[jh]

ञ

[ny]

ट

[tt]

ठ

[tth]

ड

[dd]

ढ

[ddh]

ण

[nn]

त

[t]

थ

[th]

द

[d]

ध

[dh]

न

[n]

प

[p]

फ

[ph]

ब

[b]

भ

[bh]

म

[m]

य

[y]

र

[r]

ल

[l]

व

[v]

श

[sh]

ष

[ss]

स

[s]

ह

[h]

क

[k]

Voiceless velar plosive /k/ — as in काम (kaam, work). Standard Devanagari क, one of the most frequent consonants in Tharu.

ख

[kh]

Aspirated voiceless velar plosive /kʰ/ — as in खेत (khet, field — important in Tharu agricultural vocabulary). Standard Devanagari ख.

ग

[g]

Voiced velar plosive /ɡ/ — as in गाँव (gaanv, village). Standard Devanagari ग.

घ

[gh]

Voiced aspirated velar plosive /ɡʱ/ — as in घर (ghar, house). Standard Devanagari घ.

ङ

[ng]

Velar nasal /ŋ/ — used in conjunct consonants and nasalisation. Rare as standalone. Standard Devanagari ङ.

च

[ch]

Voiceless palatal affricate /tʃ/ — as in चाँद (chaand, moon). Standard Devanagari च.

छ

[chh]

Aspirated palatal affricate /tʃʰ/ — as in छत (chhat, roof). Standard Devanagari छ.

ज

[j]

Voiced palatal affricate /dʒ/ — as in जल (jal, water). Standard Devanagari ज.

झ

[jh]

Voiced aspirated palatal affricate /dʒʱ/ — as in झरना (jharna, waterfall — common in Tharu landscape). Standard Devanagari झ.

ञ

[ny]

Palatal nasal /ɲ/ — used in conjunct consonants. Standard Devanagari ञ.

ट

[tt]

Voiceless retroflex plosive /ʈ/ — characteristic South Asian retroflex sound, distinct from dental त. Standard Devanagari ट.

ठ

[tth]

Aspirated voiceless retroflex plosive /ʈʰ/ — Standard Devanagari ठ.

ड

[dd]

Voiced retroflex plosive /ɖ/ — Standard Devanagari ड.

ढ

[ddh]

Voiced aspirated retroflex plosive /ɖʱ/ — Standard Devanagari ढ.

ण

[nn]

Retroflex nasal /ɳ/ — used in Sanskrit-origin words. Standard Devanagari ण.

त

[t]

Voiceless dental plosive /t/ — as in तालाब (talab, pond). Standard Devanagari त.

थ

[th]

Aspirated dental plosive /tʰ/ — Standard Devanagari थ.

द

[d]

Voiced dental plosive /d/ — as in दाना (daana, grain — important in Tharu agricultural context). Standard Devanagari द.

ध

[dh]

Voiced aspirated dental plosive /dʱ/ — Standard Devanagari ध.

न

[n]

Dental nasal /n/ — as in नदी (nadi, river). Standard Devanagari न, one of the most frequent consonants in Tharu.

प

[p]

Voiceless bilabial plosive /p/ — as in पानी (paani, water). Standard Devanagari प.

फ

[ph]

Aspirated bilabial plosive /pʰ/ — Standard Devanagari फ.

ब

[b]

Voiced bilabial plosive /b/ — as in बस्ती (basti, settlement). Standard Devanagari ब.

भ

[bh]

Voiced aspirated bilabial plosive /bʱ/ — Standard Devanagari भ.

म

[m]

Bilabial nasal /m/ — as in माटी (maati, soil/earth — central to Tharu agricultural life). Standard Devanagari म.

य

[y]

Palatal approximant /j/ — as in यहाँ (yahaan, here). Standard Devanagari य.

र

[r]

Rhotic /r/ — as in राज (raaj, rule/king). Standard Devanagari र, used extensively in Tharu vocabulary.

ल

[l]

Lateral /l/ — as in लाल (laal, red). Standard Devanagari ल.

व

[v]

Labial approximant /v/ or /w/ — as in वन (van, forest — Tharu people are traditionally forest-dwelling communities). Standard Devanagari व.

श

[sh]

Voiceless palatal fricative /ʃ/ — Standard Devanagari श.

ष

[ss]

Voiceless retroflex fricative /ʂ/ — used in Sanskrit-origin words. Standard Devanagari ष.

स

[s]

Voiceless alveolar fricative /s/ — as in सपना (sapana, dream). Standard Devanagari स.

ह

[h]

Voiceless glottal fricative /h/ — as in हाथ (haath, hand). Standard Devanagari ह.

Tharu Vowel Signs (Matras)

ा

ि

ी

ु

ू

ृ

े

ै

ो

ौ

ं

ः

्

ा

Long vowel sign /aː/ — attaches to the right of a consonant. E.g., क + ा = का (kaa).

ि

Short vowel sign /ɪ/ — appears to the left of the consonant it follows. E.g., क + ि = कि (ki).

ी

Long vowel sign /iː/ — attaches after the consonant. E.g., क + ी = की (kii).

ु

Short vowel sign /ʊ/ — appears below the consonant. E.g., क + ु = कु (ku).

ू

Long vowel sign /uː/ — appears below the consonant. E.g., क + ू = कू (kuu).

ृ

Vocalic R sign — appears below the consonant. E.g., क + ृ = कृ (kri). Used in Sanskrit-origin vocabulary preserved in Tharu.

े

Vowel sign /eː/ — appears above the consonant. E.g., क + े = के (ke).

ै

Diphthong sign /əɪ/ — appears above the consonant. E.g., क + ै = कै (kai).

ो

Vowel sign /oː/ — appears after the consonant. E.g., क + ो = को (ko).

ौ

Diphthong sign /əʊ/ — appears after the consonant. E.g., क + ौ = कौ (kau).

ं

Anusvara — nasalisation mark. Appears above the consonant or vowel. Used in Tharu to mark nasal sounds in words like गाँव (gaanv, village).

ः

Visarga — produces a breathy /h/ sound after a vowel. Appears in Sanskrit-origin words in Tharu.

्

Halant (virama) — suppresses the inherent /a/ vowel to form conjunct consonants. Standard Devanagari halant.

अ

आ

इ

ई

उ

ऊ

ए

ऐ

ओ

औ

ऋ

क

ख

ग

घ

ङ

च

छ

ज

झ

ञ

ट

ठ

ड

ढ

ण

त

थ

द

ध

न

प

फ

ब

भ

म

य

र

ल

व

श

ष

स

ह

Devanagari Digits (०–९)

०

१

२

३

४

५

६

७

८

९

०

Devanagari Digit Zero — शून्य (shunya). Corresponds to Arabic numeral 0.

१

Devanagari Digit One — एक (ek). Corresponds to Arabic numeral 1.

२

Devanagari Digit Two — दो (do). Corresponds to Arabic numeral 2.

३

Devanagari Digit Three — तीन (teen). Corresponds to Arabic numeral 3.

४

Devanagari Digit Four — चार (chaar). Corresponds to Arabic numeral 4.

५

Devanagari Digit Five — पाँच (paanch). Corresponds to Arabic numeral 5.

६

Devanagari Digit Six — छः (chhe). Corresponds to Arabic numeral 6.

७

Devanagari Digit Seven — सात (saat). Corresponds to Arabic numeral 7.

८

Devanagari Digit Eight — आठ (aath). Corresponds to Arabic numeral 8.

९

Devanagari Digit Nine — नौ (nau). Corresponds to Arabic numeral 9.

Expand All Collapse All

What script does Tharu use?

Where is Tharu spoken?

What language family does Tharu belong to?

Is Tharu an endangered language?

Who are the Tharu people?

What is the ISO 639-3 code for Tharu?

References:

[1] Hammarström, Harald et al. "Dangaura Tharu [dang1265]". Glottolog 5.3. Retrieved from Glottolog: Dangaura Tharu
[2] SIL International. "Dangaura Tharu — ISO 639-3 Language Code: thl". Retrieved from SIL ISO 639-3: thl
[3] Endangered Languages Project. "Dangaura Tharu". Retrieved from Endangered Languages Project: Dangaura Tharu
[4] Unicode Consortium. "Devanagari Unicode Block (U+0900–U+097F)". Retrieved from Unicode Devanagari Block