স / শ / ষ / খ

Letters That Sound Like X

FoundationsSounds Like sa / śa / ṣa / kha

সাত “seven”, শাক “greens” and ভাষা “language” all have the x sound, written with স, শ and ষ.

How It Works

The sound x is breathy and comes from the back of the mouth, like the ch in the Scottish word “loch”. It is made further back in the mouth than s or sh.

LetterSoundExample
সxসাত “seven”
শxশাক “greens”
ষxভাষা “language”
খoften xখবৰ “news”

Learners who know Hindi or Bengali are used to sh and s for these letters. In most Assamese words all three sound like x, and some speakers say s instead. In a joined shape such as the স্ক of স্কুল “school”, they are usually said s.

The letter খ is also said as a breathy k by some speakers. Listen to each word, and learn its spelling with the word.

Examples (4)

  1. সাত

    Seven.

    স sounds like x.

  2. শাক

    Greens, leafy vegetables.

    শ sounds like x.

  3. ভাষা

    Language.

    ষ sounds like x.

  4. খবৰ

    News.

    খ is often said as x.

How It Connects

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

স / শ / ষ / খFoundationsLetters That Sound Like X

Learn This First

These four consonants are letters of the script, so the script comes first.