When several consonants follow each other, they are linked to form one single letter. Even though these links appear quite artful and can differ from handwriting to handwriting, they still follow certain rules.

Devanagari scripture

क्ष / kṣa

Spelling

  1. Draw a small clockwise circle and a downward-curving line to the right, finished by a small, anticlockwise loop.
  2. Start at the starting point of the first line, draw a bow to the top right and a vertical line down.
  3. Draw the horizontal line from left to right over the right half of the letter.

Example

  • pratyakṣā (immediate/direct perception)

श्र / śra

Spelling

  1. Start at the centre left and draw a small anticlockwise loop.
  2. Underneath it, draw a curved line through the endpoint of the loop from bottom to the top right, followed by a vertical line down.
  3. Draw the horizontal line from the centre from left to right over the right half of the letter.

Example

  • śraddhā (faith)

ज्ञ / jña

Spelling

  1. Draw a horizontal line from right to left, a clockwise bow down and a clockwise loop ending at the bottom centre.
  2. From top to bottom, draw a vertical line through the starting point of the horizontal line.
  3. Draw the horizontal line from left to right over the letter.

Example

  • sarvajña (all knowledge)