Marathi Chaudakhadi (मराठी चौदाखडी)

The modern 14-syllable Devanagari chart including ॲ (ae) and ऑ (ao). Understand the difference between Barakhadi and Chaudakhadi.

What is Marathi Chaudakhadi (चौदाखडी म्हणजे काय?)

Traditionally, the Marathi language used the Barakhadi (बाराखडी) system, which consisted of 12 combinations for every consonant formed by pairing it with 12 primary vowels (अ, आ, इ, ई, उ, ऊ, ए, ऐ, ओ, औ, अं, अः).

However, with the widespread adoption of modern English loanwords into everyday Marathi vocabulary (such as बॅट - Bat, कॅट - Cat, डॉक्टर - Doctor, कॉलेज - College), the Government of Maharashtra officially standardized the Chaudakhadi (चौदाखडी) in 2009. This expanded chart incorporates two English-derived vowel sounds: ॲ (Candra E) and ऑ (Candra O), creating a 14-syllable sequence for each consonant.

The 14 Vowels (स्वर) of Modern Marathi Chaudakhadi

#	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14
स्वर	अ	आ	इ	ई	उ	ऊ	ए	ॲ	ऐ	ओ	ऑ	औ	अं	अः
English	a	aa	i	ee	u	uu	e	ae	ai	o	ao	au	am	ah
मात्रा	-	ा	ि	ी	ु	ू	े	ॅ	ै	ो	ॉ	ौ	ं	ः

🆚 Barakhadi vs. Chaudakhadi: Key Differences

Total Syllables: Barakhadi has 12 combinations per letter; Chaudakhadi has 14 combinations.
Loan Word Support: Barakhadi cannot naturally spell words like Bank (बँक) or Office (ऑफिस); Chaudakhadi effortlessly accommodates them.
Matra Additions: Chaudakhadi introduces the अर्धचंद्र (Candra: ॅ) as in कॅ and काना + अर्धचंद्र (ॉ) as in कॉ.
Current School Curriculum: Modern Balbharati primary school textbooks in Maharashtra teach the 14-Khadi framework.

📝 How 'क' (Ka) is written in Chaudakhadi

Here is how the first consonant 'क' transforms across all 14 variations:

• क (ka) = क + अ

• का (kaa) = क + आ

• कि (ki) = क + इ

• की (kee) = क + ई

• कु (ku) = क + उ

• कू (kuu) = क + ऊ

• के (ke) = क + ए

• कॅ (kae) = क + ॲ

• कै (kai) = क + ऐ

• को (ko) = क + ओ

• कॉ (kao) = क + ऑ

• कौ (kau) = क + औ

• कं (kam) = क + अं

• कः (kah) = क + अः

Sample Marathi Chaudakhadi Charts (क, ख, ग, घ)

Click any letter card on our interactive learning grid to hear its native studio pronunciation.

Letter	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8 (ॲ)	9	10	11 (ऑ)	12	13	14
क (k)	क	का	कि	की	कु	कू	के	कॅ	कै	को	कॉ	कौ	कं	कः
ख (kh)	ख	खा	खि	खी	खु	खू	खे	खॅ	खै	खो	खॉ	खौ	खं	खः
ग (g)	ग	गा	गि	गी	गु	गू	गे	गॅ	गै	गो	गॉ	गौ	गं	गः
घ (gh)	घ	घा	घि	घी	घु	घू	घे	घॅ	घै	घो	घॉ	घौ	घं	घः

Chaudakhadi Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions answered about the 14-Khadi system in modern Marathi grammar.

Why did Marathi change from Barakhadi to Chaudakhadi?

Language naturally evolves alongside society. With increased globalization, thousands of English words (like बॅट, मॉल, ऑफिस, कॉफी) became everyday Marathi speech. Because standard Devanagari previously lacked vowels for the 'ae' (as in Apple) and 'ao' (as in Ball) sounds, the State Government of Maharashtra officially included ॲ and ऑ to ensure accurate phonetic spelling in modern education.

Are ॲ and ऑ considered original Sanskrit vowels?

No, ॲ and ऑ are modern Aagantuk Swar (आगंतुक स्वर - adopted vowels) specific to modern Marathi Devanagari. Classical Sanskrit and traditional Vedic texts use the traditional 12 vowels plus vocalic ऋ (Ru) and ऌ (Lu).

Where can I practice writing Chaudakhadi letters?

You can practice writing all Devanagari letters and their matras on our interactive Writing Practice Board, or download printable tracing sheets from our Worksheets section.