Devanagari Letter Fa

The nukta dot marks a borrowed /f/ sound.

Devanagari developed over time: it emerged in the 7th century and matured around the 13th century. As Persian became a major administrative and literary language in northern India after the 13th century, writers used a dot called a nukta under a Devanagari consonant to represent sounds outside its inherited set.

फ़ pairs with dotless फ; क़, ख़, ग़, and ज़ use the same method for other borrowed consonants. Urdu writes the corresponding /f/ with ف in the Perso-Arabic script. Hindi and Urdu increasingly marked different script and vocabulary identities in the 19th century, so keeping the nukta could also signal a literary connection to Persian-influenced spelling.

Why does Hindi sometimes write फ instead?

Some Hindi speakers merge the two sounds in speech.

Careful spelling distinguishes /f/ in फ़ from /ph/ in फ, but pronunciation varies. Some Hindi speakers say फ़ as /ph/ or use /f/ in words usually written with फ; others keep /f/, especially in English- or Urdu-linked words. The dot marks the intended spelling, but it cannot guarantee how every reader will pronounce it.

Keeping the nukta makes the borrowed spelling and /f/ explicit. It may be left out in casual writing, so check the word and context before correcting someone.