Sanskrit Sandhi Rules — Complete Guide for Class 6, 7 & 8
संधि (Sandhi) — Sam (together) + Dhā (to place): a junction. When two Sanskrit words are spoken or written together, their boundary sounds change according to predictable rules. Master these 15 rules and you can break apart (vicchheda) any Sanskrit compound — a core CBSE exam skill.
All examples below come from words in the NCERT Ruchira textbooks or everyday Sanskrit vocabulary.
Svara Sandhi (स्वर संधि)
Vowel Junction — when two vowels meet
Dīrgha Sandhi (दीर्घ संधि) — Lengthening
When the same vowel (a/ā, i/ī, u/ū) occurs at the junction of two words, both merge into the long (dīrgha) form.
राम + अयन = रामायण
Rāma + Ayana = Rāmāyaṇa (a + a → ā)
गिरि + ईश = गिरीश
Giri + Īśa = Girīśa (Lord of Mountains) (i + ī → ī)
विद्या + आलय = विद्यालय
Vidyā + Ālaya = Vidyālaya (school) (ā + ā → ā)
Guṇa Sandhi (गुण संधि)
When a or ā is followed by i/ī, u/ū, or ṛ, the combination becomes e, o, or ar respectively.
देव + इन्द्र = देवेन्द्र
Deva + Indra = Devendra (a + i → e)
सूर्य + उदय = सूर्योदय
Sūrya + Udaya = Sūryodaya (sunrise) (a + u → o)
महा + ऋषि = महर्षि
Mahā + Ṛṣi = Maharṣi (great sage) (ā + ṛ → ar)
Yan Sandhi (यण् संधि)
When i/ī, u/ū, or ṛ is followed by a different vowel, they become y, v, or r (semi-vowels).
इति + आदि = इत्यादि
Iti + Ādi = Ityādi (and so on) (i + ā → y + ā)
अनु + एषण = अन्वेषण
Anu + Eṣaṇa = Anveṣaṇa (search) (u + e → v + e)
Vyañjana Sandhi (व्यञ्जन संधि)
Consonant Junction — when consonants meet
Jaśtva Sandhi (जश्त्व संधि) — Voicing
When a hard unaspirated consonant (k, c, ṭ, t, p) is followed by a vowel or a soft consonant or a nasal, it becomes its voiced equivalent (g, j, ḍ, d, b).
वाक् + ईश = वागीश
Vāk + Īśa = Vāgīśa (Lord of Speech) (k → g before vowel)
षट् + आनन = षडानन
Ṣaṭ + Ānana = Ṣaḍānana (six-faced Skanda) (ṭ → ḍ before vowel)
Anunāsika Sandhi (अनुनासिक संधि) — Nasalisation
When a hard stop consonant is followed by a nasal (ṅ, ñ, ṇ, n, m), the stop changes to the nasal of its own class.
वाक् + मय = वाङ्मय
Vāk + Maya = Vāṅmaya (all speech/literature) (k → ṅ before m)
उत् + नति = उन्नति
Ut + Nati = Unnati (progress, rise) (t → n before n)
Visarga Sandhi (विसर्ग संधि)
Visarga Junction — the ḥ sound changes
Visarga → o
When the word ends in aḥ (as in namaḥ, rāmaḥ) and is followed by a voiced consonant or a, the visarga (ḥ) becomes o.
नमः + ते = नमस्ते
Namaḥ + Te = Namaste (aḥ + t → as (then s + t = st))
रामः + गच्छति = रामो गच्छति
Rāmaḥ + Gacchati = Rāmo gacchati (aḥ → o before voiced g)
Visarga → s
When a word ends in aḥ or āḥ and is followed by a hard unvoiced consonant (k, c, ṭ, t, p and their aspirates), visarga stays as s.
नमः + ते = नमस्ते
Namaḥ + Te = Namaste (ḥ → s before t (unvoiced))
पुरुषः + च = पुरुषश्च
Puruṣaḥ + Ca = Puruṣaśca (ḥ → ś before c)
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Sandhi in Sanskrit?
Sandhi (संधि) literally means "junction" or "joining" — from sam (together) + dhā (to place, √dhā). In Sanskrit grammar, sandhi refers to the phonetic changes that occur at the boundary between two words or morphemes when they are written together. Sanskrit is a highly phonetic language — the Vedic rishis encoded these junction rules to preserve the exact sound of speech when written. Every word join follows a predictable rule, which means: once you know the ~15 main sandhi rules, you can break apart (vicchheda) or join any Sanskrit compound.
How many types of Sandhi are there in Sanskrit?
Sanskrit sandhi is classified into three main types: (1) Svara Sandhi (स्वर संधि) — vowel junction, the most common, with 8-10 subtypes; (2) Vyañjana Sandhi (व्यञ्जन संधि) — consonant junction, ~5 major rules; (3) Visarga Sandhi (विसर्ग संधि) — the behaviour of the visarga ḥ at word boundaries, ~4 rules. For CBSE Class 6-8, the NCERT syllabus focuses on Dīrgha, Guṇa, and Visarga sandhi — those are the high-exam-weight types.
What is Sandhi Viched?
Sandhi Viched (संधि विच्छेद) means "sandhi separation" — vi (apart) + chhed (√chid, to cut/separate). When a compound Sanskrit word is written, the junction rules change the sounds. Sandhi viched is the reverse process: given a compound word, identify the original two (or more) words before they were joined. For example: Rāmāyaṇa → Rāma + Ayana. Himalaya → Hima (snow) + Ālaya (home/abode). This is a core CBSE exam skill from Class 6 onward.
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