අල්පපාණ (Alpaprana) & මහප්රාණ (Mahaprana) Consonants
Learn the difference between unaspirated and aspirated consonants in Sinhala
Alpaprana consonants are unaspirated, meaning they are pronounced without a puff of air. The sound is crisp and clear without extra breath.
Examples:
Mahaprana consonants are aspirated, meaning they are pronounced with a strong puff of air. You can feel the breath on your hand when you say them.
Examples:
Alpaprana (අල්පපාණ)
- Pronounced WITHOUT extra breath
- Sound is crisp and short
- Similar to English "k" in "skill" (not "kill")
Mahaprana (මහප්රාණ)
- Pronounced WITH a strong puff of air
- Sound has extra breath release
- Similar to English "k" in "kill" or "p" in "pit"
Pronunciation:
Unaspirated 'k' sound - crisp and clean, without extra breath. Similar to 'k' in 'skill'.
Pairs with: ඛ
Example Words:
Example Sentences:
Tips:
- Place your hand in front of your mouth - you should feel minimal air when saying ක
Pronunciation:
Aspirated 'kh' sound - pronounced with a strong puff of air. Similar to 'k' in 'kill'.
Pairs with: ක
Example Words:
Example Sentences:
Tips:
- Hold your hand in front of your mouth - you should feel a strong burst of air when saying ඛ
Pronunciation:
Unaspirated 'g' sound - soft and without extra breath. Similar to 'g' in 'ago'.
Pairs with: ඝ
Example Words:
Example Sentences:
Tips:
- The sound should be gentle without a puff of air
Pronunciation:
Aspirated 'gh' sound - pronounced with a strong puff of air after the 'g'.
Pairs with: ග
Example Words:
Example Sentences:
Tips:
- Add a breathy 'h' sound after the 'g'
Pronunciation:
Unaspirated 'ch' sound - clean and crisp, like 'ch' in 'achieve'.
Pairs with: ඡ
Example Words:
Example Sentences:
Tips:
- Keep the sound short and clean without extra air
Pronunciation:
Aspirated 'chh' sound - 'ch' with a strong breath release.
Pairs with: ච
Example Words:
Example Sentences:
Tips:
- Add extra breath after the 'ch' sound
Pronunciation:
Unaspirated retroflex 't' - tongue touches the roof of the mouth, clean sound.
Pairs with: ඨ
Example Words:
Example Sentences:
Tips:
- Curl your tongue back to touch the roof of your mouth
Pronunciation:
Aspirated retroflex 'ṭh' - retroflex 't' with strong breath release.
Pairs with: ට
Example Words:
Example Sentences:
Tips:
- Curl tongue back and release with a puff of air
Pronunciation:
Unaspirated 'p' sound - clean without extra breath. Like 'p' in 'spin'.
Pairs with: ඵ
Example Words:
Example Sentences:
Tips:
- Keep your lips together and release without a breath puff
Pronunciation:
Aspirated 'ph' sound - 'p' with strong breath. Like 'p' in 'pit'.
Pairs with: ප
Example Words:
Example Sentences:
Tips:
- Release a noticeable puff of air after the 'p' sound