औ — Vowel (au)

• English sound anchor: owl

• Hindi words:
• औरत ('aurat') — Woman
• औजार ('aujaar') — Tool / Instrument
• औषध ('aushadh') — Medicine / Herb
• औसत ('ausat') — Average
• औलाद ('aulaad') — Offspring / Children

Matra (Vowel Sign): ौ

When औ (au, like 'ou' in 'out') attaches to a consonant, it uses the matra ौ — similar to ो but with a larger stroke to the right. It wraps around the top-right, making the syllable visually distinct from ो.

Examples on different consonants:
- क + ौ = कौ ('kau')
- न + ौ = नौ ('nau')
- म + ौ = मौ ('mau')

Words using ौ:
- मौसम ('mausam') — Weather / Season
- नौकर ('naukar') — Servant
- पौधा ('paudha') — Plant / Sapling
- कौन ('kaun') — Who
- चौक ('chauk') — Town square / Marketplace

How to Write औ

Watch the animated stroke order below. Each stroke is drawn in sequence — follow the arrows.

Stroke order animation via Wikimedia Commons, public domain.