Devanagari U

उ represents a short u vowel. The Devanagari u letter can begin a word or a new syllable after another vowel. Hindi, Marathi, Nepali and Sanskrit use this script; the surrounding language tells you how to read the word.

How do I type उ?

Use your layout’s standalone-vowel setting for उ. A key that produces ु gives you a consonant’s vowel sign. As of 2026, UBC Devanāgarī-QWERTY uses AltGr (Windows) or Option (Mac) for full vowels; other layouts differ.

Enter the consonant before its vowel sign: क + ु makes कु (“ku” in Latin letters). The font places the mark under क. Avoid क् + उ: the mark in क् removes its built-in vowel, while उ remains separate. With र + ु, the font forms रु (“ru”).

Where does उ come from?

उ belongs to a script that evolved over centuries. Devanagari descends from Brahmi, used for Emperor Ashoka’s Prakrit inscriptions in the 3rd century BCE. Prakrit names a group of ancient Indian languages. This writing tradition records speech in syllables built from consonants and vowels.

Gupta script was a northern stage in the 4th–6th century CE; it and later Brahmi forms also carried Buddhist texts. Nāgarī became a prominent northern script by the 10th century, leading to Devanagari.