वर्णमाला (varnmaalaa)

noun A single-sense word meaning 'alphabet' -- literally 'garland of letters/sounds' (वर्ण (varn, 'sound/letter') + माला (maalaa, 'garland/string')), used for the Devanagari alphabet and alphabets in general.
Sense 1 : alphabet
noun, feminine
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: This is the word every Hindi-medium schoolkid meets on the very first page of their language workbook, usually as a chart running from अ (a) to ज्ञ (gy). The compound itself is a nice bit of imagery: माला (maalaa) is the same word used for a flower garland or a string of prayer beads, so वर्णमाला (varnmaalaa) literally pictures the letters as beads strung together in order.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes reach for वर्णमाला (varnmaalaa) when they just mean a single 'letter'; the individual unit is अक्षर (akshar) or वर्ण (varn), while वर्णमाला (varnmaalaa) is the whole ordered set. 2) It refers to the writing system's letter-inventory, not to spelling or vocabulary in general, so it cannot substitute for शब्दावली (shabdaavlii, 'vocabulary') or वर्तनी (vartnii, 'spelling').
Sample Sentences:
हिंदी वर्णमाला में कुल तैंतीस व्यंजन होते हैं। There are a total of thirty-three consonants in the Hindi alphabet.
(hindii varnmaalaa men kul taintiis vyanjan hote hain।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
बच्चे पहली कक्षा में वर्णमाला सीखते हैं। Children learn the alphabet in the first grade.
(bachche pahlii kakshaa men varnmaalaa siikhte hain।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
मेरी बेटी ने कल पूरी वर्णमाला याद कर ली। My daughter memorized the entire alphabet yesterday.
(merii betii ne kal poorii varnmaalaa yaad kar lii।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
दीवार पर वर्णमाला का एक बड़ा चार्ट लटका हुआ है। A big alphabet chart is hanging on the wall.
(diivaar par varnmaalaa kaa ek badaa chaart latkaa huaa hai।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
वर्णमाला को अ से ज्ञ तक ध्यान से पढ़ो। Read the alphabet carefully from a to gya.
(varnmaalaa ko a se gy tak dhyaan se padho।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Imperative -- Voice: Active
अगर तुम रोज़ अभ्यास करते तो वर्णमाला अब तक याद हो जाती। If you had practiced daily, you would have memorized the alphabet by now.
(agar tum roz abhyaas karte to varnmaalaa ab tak yaad ho jaatii।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Counterfactual -- Aspect: Habitual -- Voice: Active
शिक्षक चाहते हैं कि हर बच्चा वर्णमाला ठीक से बोले। The teacher wants every child to pronounce the alphabet correctly.
(shikshak chaahte hain ki har bachchaa varnmaalaa thiik se bole।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Subjunctive -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
स्कूल में नए बच्चों को वर्णमाला सिखाई जा रही है। The alphabet is being taught to the new children at school.
(skool men nae bachchon ko varnmaalaa sikhaaii jaa rahii hai।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Continuous -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Passive
देवनागरी वर्णमाला में स्वर और व्यंजन दोनों शामिल हैं। The Devanagari alphabet includes both vowels and consonants.
(devnaagrii varnmaalaa men svar aur vyanjan donon shaamil hain।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
जब तक वर्णमाला ठीक से नहीं आती, आगे की किताबें मत पढ़ो। Don't read the further books until you don't know the alphabet properly.
(jab tak varnmaalaa thiik se nahiin aatii, aage kii kitaaben mat padho।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Imperative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
वर्णमाला के हर अक्षर की अपनी एक ध्वनि होती है। Every letter of the alphabet has its own distinct sound.
(varnmaalaa ke har akshar kii apnii ek dhvani hotii hai।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
Morphology
Noun
(sg.f.direct): वर्णमाला (varnmaalaa)
(sg.f.oblique): वर्णमाला (varnmaalaa)
(pl.f.direct): वर्णमालाएँ (varnmaalaaen)
(pl.f.oblique): वर्णमालाओं (varnmaalaaon)