In a cursory look, the Devanagari script appears different from other Indic scripts such as Bengali-Assamese, or Gurmukhi, but a closer examination reveals they are very similar except for angles and structural emphasis. It is written from left to right, has a strong preference for symmetrical rounded shapes within squared outlines, and is recognisable by a horizontal line, known as a shirorekhā, that runs along the top of full letters. Unlike the Latin alphabet, the script has no concept of letter case. The orthography of this script reflects the pronunciation of the language.
The Devanagari script, composed of 47 primary characters including 14 vowels and 33 consonants, is the fourth most widely adopted writing system in the world, being used for over 120 languages. It was developed in ancient India from the 1st to the 4th century CE and was in regular use by the 7th century CE.
Devanagari ( / ˌ d eɪ v ə ˈ n ɑː ɡ ə r i/ DAY-və- NAH-gə-ree देवनागरी, IAST: Devanāgarī, Sanskrit pronunciation: ), also called Nagari ( Sanskrit: नागरी, Nāgarī ?), is a left-to-right abugida (a type of segmental writing system), based on the ancient Brāhmī script, used in the Indian subcontinent.
