ড় / ঢ়

Letters with a Dot Below

FoundationsSounds Like ṛa / ṛha

গাড়ী “car” and পঢ়া “to read” each have a letter with a dot below.

How It Works

The dot below changes the letter. ড় and ঢ় are separate letters from ড and ঢ.

LetterSoundExamples
ড়an r soundগাড়ী “car”
ঢ়an r sound, often with a light breath after itপঢ়া “to read”, বঢ়িয়া “great”

Do not mix them up with ড and ঢ. Those two have no dot and sound like d and dh. Compare ডাঙৰ “big” with গাড়ী.

The sound of ঢ় varies by speaker, and it can be hard to hear in পঢ়া. Learn the spelling of each word as you meet it.

These letters sit inside words and do not start them.

Examples (4)

  1. গাড়ী

    Car.

    The dot below ড gives an r sound.

  2. পঢ়া

    To read, to study.

    The dot below ঢ gives an r sound.

  3. ঘড়ী

    Clock, watch.

    ড় sits in the middle again, before the sign ী.

  4. বঢ়িয়া

    Great, excellent.

    ঢ় sits in the middle of the word.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

ড় / ঢ়FoundationsLetters with a Dot Below

Learn This First

ড় and ঢ় are consonants with a dot below, so the script comes first.