Devanagari Letter Dda

Use Da with the Keyman ITRANS keyboard. In the documented 2026 layout, capitalization matters: da gives द, while .Da gives ड़. These inputs are specific to that keyboard, not universal Hindi shortcuts.

What sound does ड represent?

It represents d made with the tongue tip curled back. The phonetic notation is [ɖ]; the letter is written ḍa in Latin transliteration.

The basic reading includes a short a. Vowel marks change it: डा has a long a, and डि has i. The mark called virama removes the built-in vowel, producing ड्.

In a consonant cluster—a group without intervening vowels—ड can become part of a joined shape. Its appearance may change with the following consonant.

Its script evolved through older writing traditions

ड belongs to an evolving writing tradition. Devanagari descends from Brahmi, attested in inscriptions from the third century BCE, through forms including Proto-Nagari, an early stage that emerged in the late sixth century CE. By the eleventh century, Devanagari was important for writing Sanskrit. These are milestones for the script, not dates for the exact shape ड.