Sanskrit Sandhi: Rules of Vowel, Consonant and Visarga Sandhi
Sandhi is the most frequently tested topic in Sanskrit grammar — almost every REET Sanskrit paper carries at least one question on vowel, consonant or visarga sandhi. This page explains all three sandhis with examples in a way that makes both forming a sandhi and breaking one apart (sandhi-viccheda) equally easy to handle.
- No direct 2024 PYQ on record — syllabus-based
- Class 6-8 level
- 9 min read
How sandhi is asked in REET
There is no REET 2024 question linked to this topic in RajStudy's database yet, so the question style suggested here is not based on any one specific past paper but directly on the official REET syllabus and standard Sanskrit grammar textbooks — it felt important to say that honestly. Two question types show up most often: first, you're given two words and asked to identify the correct sandhi-joined form (for example, 'देव + इन्द्र = ?'), and second, you're given a sandhi-joined word and asked to identify the correct sandhi-viccheda, such as 'what is the split of देवेन्द्र?'. It's worth memorising at least one example each of vowel, consonant and visarga sandhi — all three are tested roughly equally.
What is Sandhi
When two sounds meet — whether both are vowels, or a consonant meets a vowel or another consonant, or a visarga meets a following vowel or consonant — the sound change that results from their combination is called 'sandhi'. Sandhi comes in three types: vowel sandhi (स्वर संधि), consonant sandhi (व्यंजन संधि) and visarga sandhi (विसर्ग संधि).
The reverse process — breaking a sandhi-joined word back into its original component words — is called sandhi-viccheda. From an exam standpoint, both directions matter equally, because a question can come at you either way: form the sandhi, or split it apart. Treat them as two halves of the same skill rather than two separate topics, and practise going back and forth between them rather than only memorising the joined forms.
Rules of Vowel Sandhi
| Sandhi type | Rule | Example |
|---|---|---|
| दीर्घ संधि | अ/आ + अ/आ = आ; इ/ई + इ/ई = ई; उ/ऊ + उ/ऊ = ऊ | धर्म+अर्थ=धर्मार्थ; गिरि+ईश=गिरीश; भानु+उदय=भानूदय |
| गुण संधि | अ/आ + इ/ई = ए; अ/आ + उ/ऊ = ओ; अ/आ + ऋ = अर् | देव+इन्द्र=देवेन्द्र; महा+उत्सव=महोत्सव; देव+ऋषि=देवर्षि |
| वृद्धि संधि | अ/आ + ए/ऐ = ऐ; अ/आ + ओ/औ = औ | सदा+एव=सदैव; महा+औषध=महौषध |
| यण् संधि | इ/ई + असमान स्वर = य्; उ/ऊ + असमान स्वर = व्; ऋ + असमान स्वर = र् | यदि+अपि=यद्यपि; सु+अल्प=स्वल्प; इति+आदि=इत्यादि |
| अयादि संधि | ए+अ=अय्; ऐ+अ=आय्; ओ+अ=अव्; औ+अ=आव् | ने+अन=नयनम्; नै+अक=नायकः; पो+अन=पवनम् |
All five vowel-sandhis matter equally for REET — keep at least one worked example of each firmly memorised, not just the rule.[Source 2]
Consonant Sandhi — Key Examples
| Rule (in brief) | Example |
|---|---|
| When त् or द् is followed by a voiced sound (घोष वर्ण such as ज, ग, ड, ब), त्/द् changes into the voiced consonant of that same class | सत्+जन=सज्जन; जगत्+ईश=जगदीश; उत्+लास=उल्लास |
| When क्/ग् or letters of other classes are followed by a vowel or voiced consonant, a cognate voiced consonant results | दिक्+गज=दिग्गज; वाक्+ईश=वागीश |
| When त् is followed by च/छ, त् changes to 'च्' | सत्+चित्=सच्चित् |
The full rules of consonant sandhi are extensive; REET typically tests the common word-examples above, so memorising examples pays off more than memorising rules in the abstract.
Visarga Sandhi — Key Examples
| Rule (in brief) | Example |
|---|---|
| When a voiced consonant or vowel follows a visarga, the visarga usually changes to 'ओ' or 'र्' | रामः+वनम्=रामो वनम्; मनः+रथ=मनोरथ; तपः+वन=तपोवन |
| When च/छ follows a visarga, the visarga changes to 'श्' | निः+चल=निश्चल |
| When र follows a visarga, the visarga is dropped and the preceding vowel lengthens | निः+रोग=नीरोग |
The easiest way to spot visarga sandhi is to look for 'ः' at the end of a word — that is your visarga-sandhi signal.
Why sandhi matters, and how to master it for the exam
Sandhi is not an isolated grammar rule sitting off to one side — it is present in almost every Sanskrit word, sentence and verse. Many of the final forms we memorise in शब्द रूप (noun declensions) and धातु रूप (verb conjugations) are themselves the product of sandhi rules — for instance, 'रामः वनम् गच्छति' naturally becomes 'रामो वनं गच्छति' in connected speech. So rather than treating sandhi as a separate, standalone topic, think of it as the foundation every other grammar topic rests on, and make sure it is solid before you move on.
The most effective exam-prep habit is picking five new sandhi examples every day from a textbook or verse and trying to split them yourself before checking the answer. Mistakes are natural at first, but regular practice lets the patterns settle into memory on their own. Also keep in mind that in REET, sandhi appears both as an independent question and hidden inside शब्द रूप or sentence-construction questions, so a shaky grasp of sandhi quietly costs marks elsewhere too.
A further habit worth building: whenever you spot a new sandhi-joined word, don't just recognise it — say it out loud and notice how the sound naturally changes when the two original words are pronounced quickly together. Saying 'देव' and 'इन्द्र' fast, for instance, you can almost feel the sound turning into 'देवेन्द्र' on its own. This listen-and-speak practice builds a far more durable understanding than memorising rules alone, because the rule then feels experienced rather than merely memorised, and that kind of understanding is much harder to forget under exam pressure.
How to teach this to children
Activity
Write two words (say 'देव' and 'इन्द्र') on two differently-coloured cards and have children physically join them, then talk through how the sound changed as they joined — this builds understanding through experience rather than rote recall.
Teaching aid
Putting up a vowel chart (अ, आ, इ, ई...) in the classroom and pointing to it during every sandhi example helps children retain the rules visually rather than just verbally.
Common misconception
Children often reverse sandhi and sandhi-viccheda, or confuse दीर्घ संधि with गुण संधि — repeated oral practice in both directions is what actually clears up this confusion, not more repetition of the definition.
Assessment
Writing five word-pairs on the board and asking children to call out the sandhi orally, on the spot, is a quick and effective in-class assessment that surfaces confusion immediately.
Trick to remember
A simple line for गुण संधि: 'अ/आ followed by इ-ई gives ए, followed by उ-ऊ gives ओ, followed by ऋ gives अर्' — say it aloud a few times until it sticks, then add वृद्धि संधि (ए/ऐ giving ऐ, ओ/औ giving औ) as the 'next step up' from गुण संधि, since the two are easiest to remember together.
Practice Questions
Question 1
What will be the sandhi (combination) of 'देव + इन्द्र'?
- Aदेवइन्द्र
- Bदेवेन्द्र
- Cदेवैन्द्र
- Dदेवोइन्द्र
Explanation
When अ/आ is followed by इ/ई, गुण sandhi produces 'ए' — so देव+इन्द्र=देवेन्द्र.
Question 2
Which sandhi applies in 'महा + औषध'?
- Aगुण संधि
- Bयण् संधि
- Cवृद्धि संधि
- Dदीर्घ संधि
Explanation
When अ/आ is followed by ओ/औ, वृद्धि sandhi produces 'औ' — महा+औषध=महौषध.
Question 3
'सु + अल्प = स्वल्प' is an example of which sandhi?
- Aगुण संधि
- Bयण् संधि
- Cअयादि संधि
- Dदीर्घ संधि
Explanation
When उ is followed by a dissimilar vowel, उ changes to 'व्' — this is exactly what यण् sandhi describes.
Question 4
What is the sandhi form of 'गिरि + ईश'?
- Aगिर्यीश
- Bगिरीश
- Cगिरेश
- Dगिरयीश
Explanation
इ/ई + इ/ई gives ई (दीर्घ sandhi), so गिरि+ईश=गिरीश.
Question 5
What is formed by the sandhi of 'निः + चल'?
- Aनिश्चल
- Bनिचल
- Cनिःचल
- Dनिर्चल
Explanation
When च/छ follows a visarga, the visarga changes to 'श्' — निः+चल=निश्चल.
Question 6
What word is formed by the consonant (vyanjan) sandhi of 'सत् + जन'?
- Aसत्जन
- Bसज्जन
- Cसद्जन
- Dसज्जान
Explanation
Since the voiced consonant 'ज' follows त्, the त् also turns into the voiced 'ज्', giving सज्जन.
Question 7
What word is formed by Ayadi sandhi in 'ने + अन'?
- Aनयनम्
- Bनायनम्
- Cनेअनम्
- Dनवनम्
Explanation
When अ follows ए, it becomes 'अय्' under अयादि sandhi, so ने+अन=नयनम्.
Question 8
What is the correct sandhi form of 'मनः + रथ'?
- Aमनःरथ
- Bमनोरथ
- Cमनरथ
- Dमनारथ
Explanation
When a voiced sound follows a visarga, the visarga changes to 'ओ' — मनः+रथ=मनोरथ.
Question 9
Which sandhi applies in 'भानु + उदय'?
- Aगुण संधि
- Bवृद्धि संधि
- Cदीर्घ संधि
- Dयण् संधि
Explanation
When उ/ऊ is followed by उ/ऊ, दीर्घ sandhi produces 'ऊ' — भानु+उदय=भानूदय.
Question 10
What is the most effective approach for a teacher when teaching sandhi in class?
- Aकेवल नियम रटवाना
- Bशब्द-कार्ड जोड़कर व्यावहारिक अभ्यास कराना
- Cकेवल पाठ्यपुस्तक पढ़ाना
- Dसंधि को छोड़ देना
Explanation
Letting children physically join word-cards and watch the sandhi happen builds real understanding rather than rote memorisation, which is what makes it stick long-term.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many types of sandhi are there?+
Sandhi has three main types — vowel sandhi (स्वर संधि), consonant sandhi (व्यंजन संधि) and visarga sandhi (विसर्ग संधि). Vowel sandhi further splits into five sub-types: दीर्घ, गुण, वृद्धि, यण् and अयादि sandhi.
How many sandhi questions come in REET?+
The exact number can vary from year to year, but sandhi is one of the most consistently asked topics in the Sanskrit grammar section, so never take it lightly.
What's the difference between sandhi and sandhi-viccheda?+
Joining two words to form a new word is 'sandhi', while splitting a sandhi-joined word back into its two original words is called 'sandhi-viccheda'.
What is यण् संधि?+
When इ/ई, उ/ऊ or ऋ is followed by a dissimilar vowel, इ/ई becomes 'य्', उ/ऊ becomes 'व्', and ऋ becomes 'र्' — this is यण् संधि, as in 'यदि+अपि=यद्यपि'.
What is the easiest way to spot visarga sandhi?+
Wherever a word ends in a visarga (ः) and the following sound triggers a change in it, that is visarga sandhi — as in 'निः+चल=निश्चल'.
Is sandhi limited to Sanskrit alone?+
Sandhi is fundamentally a Sanskrit grammar concept, but many tatsam (Sanskrit-derived) words used in everyday Hindi — such as 'विद्यालय' and 'सूर्योदय' — are themselves formed by Sanskrit sandhi rules, so understanding it helps with Hindi grammar exams too.
What's the difference between गुण संधि and वृद्धि संधि?+
In गुण संधि, अ/आ followed by इ/ई gives 'ए', and followed by उ/ऊ gives 'ओ'; in वृद्धि संधि, अ/आ followed by ए/ऐ gives 'ऐ', and followed by ओ/औ gives 'औ' — the two are simply two levels of essentially the same process.
Do I need to be able to speak Sanskrit to memorise sandhi?+
No — sandhi rules can be learned perfectly well in a structured way, using vowel charts and example tables. Speaking practice helps reinforce it, but it isn't essential.
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Official Sources
Change Log
- 17 September 2026 — English page published — mirrors the fact-checked Hindi page, independently bilingual-accuracy checked