Vowel signs: the attached forms

A Bangla vowel has two shapes. On its own it is written as a full letter. Following a consonant it shrinks to an attached mark — a kar — that hangs off, sits under, or wraps around the consonant.

Every sign below is shown on ক, so you can see where it actually lands. Notice that ি is written to the left of the consonant even though it is read after it.

অ is the exception: it has no attached form because it is the vowel already built into every bare consonant. ক on its own is read ko — the অ is there without being written.