Start hereYour 7-day plan
Don't try to learn everything at once. One topic a day, plus 10 minutes of flashcards on everything you've already done.
- Day 1 · Alphabet. 41 letters, 8 vowels, 33 consonants. Easy marks.
- Day 2 · What a case is + the masculine. Learn bhūpāla. It's the master pattern, and the other two nouns copy it.
- Day 3 · Feminine + neuter. Only learn what's different from bhūpāla.
- Day 4 · Verbs. One set of endings (ti, si, mi), then add -issa- for the future and the past endings.
- Day 5 · Pūjā verses. Light, food and incense (4 lines each), then flowers (8 lines).
- Day 6 · Virtues. Buddha 9, Dhamma 6, Saṅgha 9. Learn the chant and you get the list for free.
- Day 7 · Practice tests. Do the practice test until you score 9/10 or better, three times in a row.
Say things out loud. Pali was a spoken and chanted language, and your memory for sound is much stronger than for spelling.
Lesson 1The Pali alphabet
Pali has 41 letters (this count comes from the old grammarian Kaccāyana). They split into two teams: 8 vowels (the sounds you can sing, like a, i, u) and 33 consonants (the sounds that need your tongue, teeth or lips, like k, t, p).
“8 singers and 33 helpers make 41.”
The 8 vowels: 3 short, 3 long, 2 that swing
| Type | Letters | Simple idea |
|---|---|---|
| Short | a · i · u | Quick tap, one beat |
| Long | ā · ī · ū | The bar on top means “hold it longer”, two beats |
| Variable | e · o | Usually long, but go short before a double consonant |
They change length like a swing. Normally they're long: deva, loka. When a double consonant comes next, they get squeezed short: mettā, sotthi.
The 33 consonants: a trip from throat to lips
25 of them sit in a neat 5 × 5 grid. Each row is one place in your mouth, moving from the back of your throat to your lips.
| Row (place) | Plain | Puff | Voiced | Plain + Voiced | Nasal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guttural · throat | k | kh | g | gh | ṅ |
| Palatal · roof of mouth | c | ch | j | jh | ñ |
| Cerebral · tongue curled back | ṭ | ṭh | ḍ | ḍh | ṇ |
| Dental · teeth | t | th | d | dh | n |
| Labial · lips | p | ph | b | bh | m |
K-group, C-group, Ṭ-group, T-group, P-group. Throat → lips. Say k… c… ṭ… t… p… and feel the sound walk forward in your mouth.
Plain → Puff → Voiced → Plain + Voiced → Nasal. Learn row 1 (k kh g gh ṅ) and the other rows follow the same rhythm.
The other 8 are ungrouped: y r l v s h ḷ ṁ
y · r · l · v · s · h · ḷ · ṁ. The final “Mmm” is the humming sound ṁ, called niggahīta.
- According to Kaccāyana, the Pali alphabet has 41 letters: 8 vowels and 33 consonants.
- Vowels: short a, i, u; long ā, ī, ū; variable e, o (long by nature, short before a double consonant).
- Consonants: 25 grouped into 5 groups by place of pronunciation (guttural k, palatal c, cerebral ṭ, dental t, labial p), plus 8 ungrouped: y, r, l, v, s, h, ḷ, ṁ.
Lesson 2What is a “case”?
In English, word order tells you who does what: “The king sees the dog” vs “The dog sees the king”.
Pali doesn't care about order. Instead, the end of the word changes to show its job. Think of the king wearing a different costume for each job. The person underneath (bhūpāl-) stays the same; only the ending (the costume) changes.
There are 8 jobs (cases) × 2 numbers (one king, many kings) = 16 boxes per noun.
| Case | Its job | Ask | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | The doer | Who? | The king walks. |
| Accusative | The one something is done to | Whom? What? | I see the king. |
| Instrumental | With / by | With whom? By what? | Done by the king. |
| Dative | To / for | To whom? For whom? | A gift for the king. |
| Ablative | From / away from | From where? | Run from the king. |
| Genitive | Of / 's | Whose? | The king's palace. |
| Locative | In / on / at | Where? | Trust in the king. |
| Vocative | Calling someone | “O…!” | O king! |
Nom · Acc · Ins · Dat · Abl · Gen · Loc · Voc. Always fill your charts in this order.
Lesson 3Masculine: bhūpāla (king)
This is the master pattern. Learn it well and the other two nouns are mostly copies. Stem: bhūpāl- + ending.
| Case | One king | Many kings | Memory hook |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nom | bhūpālo | bhūpālā | -o = the bOss, the doer |
| Acc | bhūpālaṁ | bhūpāle | -aṁ = what I aim at |
| Ins | bhūpālena | bhūpālebhi, ehi | -ena = done with Ena; bhi/hi = “by” |
| Dat | bhūpālāya, assa | bhūpālānaṁ | -āya sounds like “for ya” |
| Abl | bhūpālā, amhā, asmā | bhūpālebhi, ehi | ends in ā = “aaa-way” (from) |
| Gen | bhūpālassa | bhūpālānaṁ | -assa = the king's |
| Loc | bhūpāle, asmiṁ, amhi | bhūpālesu | ends in i = “iii-n”; -esu = “surrounded by” |
| Voc | bhūpāla, ā | bhūpālā | “O king!” Just drop the -o |
- Ins plural = Abl plural: both -ebhi, -ehi. “By them” and “from them” share one outfit.
- Dat plural = Gen plural: both -ānaṁ. Think “and 'em”: for them, of them.
- Dat singular can also be Gen singular: -assa works for both.
- Nom plural = Voc plural: both -ā.
Ablative ends in ā = aaa-way (moving from). Locative ends in i = iii-n (sitting in). Same letters s-m and m-h; only the vowel at the end tells you which.
Lesson 4Feminine: bhariyā (wife)
Feminine nouns end in long -ā. Bhariyā is lazy in a good way: she uses one ending, -āya, for 5 different jobs. That makes her the easiest noun on the exam.
| Case | One wife | Many wives |
|---|---|---|
| Nom | bhariyā | bhariyā, āyo |
| Acc | bhariyaṁ | bhariyā, āyo |
| Ins | bhariyāya | bhariyābhi, āhi |
| Dat | bhariyāya | bhariyānaṁ |
| Abl | bhariyāya | bhariyābhi, āhi |
| Gen | bhariyāya | bhariyānaṁ |
| Loc | bhariyāya, āyaṁ | bhariyāsu |
| Voc | bhariye | bhariyā, āyo |
- The “āya family”: Ins, Dat, Abl, Gen and Loc singular are all -āya. Loc also gets -āyaṁ, as in “āya, I'M here”.
- Plural Nom = Acc = Voc: -ā, -āyo. Think “all of you ladies”.
- Calling her: bhariye! sounds like “hey!”.
- Same twins as the king, with ā instead of e: -ābhi/-āhi (Ins = Abl plural), -ānaṁ (Dat = Gen plural), and -āsu for Loc plural (king has -esu).
Lesson 5Neuter: paṇṇa (leaf)
Paṇṇa is the king's twin. It copies bhūpāla in 5 cases. Only 3 rows change: Nom, Acc and Voc. So you only need to learn 3 new rows!
| Case | One leaf | Many leaves |
|---|---|---|
| Nom | paṇṇaṁ | paṇṇā, āni |
| Acc | paṇṇaṁ | paṇṇe, āni |
| Voc | paṇṇa, ā | paṇṇāni |
| Ins → Loc | Same as bhūpāla: paṇṇena, paṇṇassa, paṇṇasmā, paṇṇasmiṁ, paṇṇesu… | |
A leaf can't do anything, so it looks the same whether it's the doer or the thing done to: Nom = Acc = -aṁ. Many leaves pile up: -āni (“ā-nnni, a pile of leaves”).
Lesson 6Verbs: dhāvati (runs)
A verb has a root, the core meaning: dhāv = run. The ending tells you who is doing it and when. Pali lists people in this order: 3rd (he/they) → 2nd (you) → 1st (I/we).
Present: the 6 endings everything else is built on
| Person | One | Many | Memory hook |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3rd · he / they | dhāvati | dhāvanti | ti = that one · nti = and them all |
| 2nd · you | dhāvasi | dhāvatha | si = I see you · tha = all of tha lot of you |
| 1st · I / we | dhāvāmi | dhāvāma | mi = me · ma = many of us |
Say it 10 times. This little rhyme is the key to every tense.
Future: just add “issa”
| Person | One | Many |
|---|---|---|
| 3rd | dhāvissati | dhāvissanti |
| 2nd | dhāvissasi | dhāvissatha |
| 1st | dhāvissāmi | dhāvissāma |
Root + issa + the same rhyme (ti-nti, si-tha, mi-ma). “Dhāv-issa-ti” = he will run. Like the present, the a lengthens to ā before mi and ma.
Past (aorist): an optional “a-” at the front
| Person | One | Many |
|---|---|---|
| 3rd · he ran / they ran | (a)dhāvi, (a)dhāvī | (a)dhāviṁsu, (a)dhāvuṁ |
| 2nd · you ran | (a)dhāvi, (a)dhāvo | (a)dhāvittha |
| 1st · I ran / we ran | (a)dhāviṁ | (a)dhāvimhā, (a)dhāvimha |
- “a-” = “a-go”. Put a in front to show it happened ago. It's optional, so every form has a with-a and a without-a version: adhāvi / dhāvi.
- -iṁsu (the teacher marked this in red!): “they ran” → they're all in-su-ide now, gone.
- -iṁ = “I'm done running.” -imha = “we did it, ha!”
- -ittha = you all ran. It has the same tha as the present “you all” (dhāvatha).
Lesson 7Pūjā offering verses
Each verse is a tiny story: what I'm offering → who I offer it to → I offer it. Learn the story in English first, then the Pali words fall into place. The highlighted words are the anchors.
1. Light · 4 lines
Ghanasārappadittenadīpena tamadhaṁsināTilokadīpaṁ sambuddhaṁpūjayāmi tamonudaṁ.
Story: camphor-bright → lamp → for the Light of the 3 worlds → I worship the darkness-remover.
dīpa = lamp appears twice: my dīpa (lamp) for the Ti-loka-dīpa (lamp of 3 worlds). And tama (darkness) also appears twice: tama-dhaṁsinā, tamo-nudaṁ. “My lamp for the world's lamp, removing darkness twice.”
2. Food · 4 lines
Adhivāsetu no bhantebhojanaṁ parikappitaṁAnukampaṁ upādāyapaṭiggaṇhātu-m-uttamaṁ.
Story: Please accept, Bhante → this food we prepared → out of compassion → please receive it.
“A Few Can Receive.” Bhojanaṁ sounds like bhojan, the Hindi/Malay-Indian word for a meal.
3. Incense · 4 lines
Gandhasambhārayuttenadhūpenāhaṁ sugandhināPūjaye pūjaneyyaṁ taṁpūjābhājanamuttamaṁ.
Story: fragrant mix → incense smoke → I honour the honour-worthy → the best vessel of honour.
Gandha (smell) appears twice in lines 1–2. Then pūjā appears 3 times in lines 3–4: pūjaye, pūjaneyyaṁ, pūjā-bhājanaṁ. “Smell, smell, then honour, honour, honour.”
4. Flowers · 8 lines in 2 halves
Vaṇṇa-gandha-guṇopetaṁetaṁ kusumasantatiṁPūjayāmi munindassasirīpāda-saroruhe.
Half 1, the offering: these flowers with colour, scent, quality → I offer → at the Sage's lotus feet.
Pūjemi buddhaṁ kusumenanenapuññenametena ca hotu mokkhaṁPupphaṁ milāyāti yathā idaṁ mekāyo tathā yāti vināsabhāvaṁ.
Half 2, the reflection: I worship the Buddha with these flowers → by this merit may there be freedom → as this flower fades → so my body goes to destruction.
Half 1 = Colour-Scent-Quality, “C S Q”. Half 2 = Merit → Freedom → Fading flower → Fading body, “the flower is me”. This verse teaches impermanence (anicca).
Lesson 8Virtues of the Triple Gem
Each vandanā chant is the list of virtues, in order. If you can chant Iti pi so…, you already know the 9 virtues. So learn the chant, then split it up.
Buddha · 9 virtues (Iti pi so bhagavā…)
| # | Pali | Simple meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arahaṁ | Pure, all defilements gone |
| 2 | Sammāsambuddho | Woke up fully, by himself |
| 3 | Vijjācaraṇasampanno | Perfect in knowing (vijjā) and doing (caraṇa) |
| 4 | Sugato | Went well (su = good, gata = gone) |
| 5 | Lokavidū | Knows the worlds (loka = world) |
| 6 | Anuttaro purisadammasārathi | Best trainer of people to be tamed (sārathi = charioteer) |
| 7 | Satthā devamanussānaṁ | Teacher of gods (deva) and humans (manussa) |
| 8 | Buddho | The Awakened One |
| 9 | Bhagavā | The Blessed One |
- What he IS: Arahaṁ, Sammāsambuddho, Vijjācaraṇasampanno: pure, awake, perfect.
- What he KNOWS / where he WENT: Sugato, Lokavidū, Anuttaro purisadammasārathi: went well, knows the world, trains others.
- What we CALL him: Satthā, Buddho, Bhagavā: Teacher, Buddha, Blessed One.
Acronym: A S V · S L A · S B B, “A Sage Very Serene Leads All; Sweet Blessed Buddha.”
Dhamma · 6 virtues (Svākkhāto…)
| # | Pali | Simple meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Svākkhāto bhagavatā dhammo | Well taught by the Buddha |
| 2 | Sandiṭṭhiko | You can see it yourself, here and now |
| 3 | Akāliko | Timeless (a = not, kāla = time) |
| 4 | Ehipassiko | “Come and see!” (ehi = come, passa = see) |
| 5 | Opanayiko | Leads you onward, toward Nibbāna |
| 6 | Paccattaṁ veditabbo viññūhi | The wise must experience it for themselves |
Svākkhāto · Sandiṭṭhiko · Akāliko · Ehipassiko · Opanayiko · Paccattaṁ. And Ehipassiko is the friendliest word in Pali: “come, see!”
Saṅgha · 9 virtues (Supaṭipanno…), grouped 4 + 4 + 1
| # | Pali | Simple meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Supaṭipanno | Practises well |
| 2 | Ujupaṭipanno | Practises straight (uju = straight) |
| 3 | Ñāyapaṭipanno | Practises the true way |
| 4 | Sāmīcipaṭipanno | Practises properly |
| 5 | Āhuneyyo | Worthy of gifts |
| 6 | Pāhuneyyo | Worthy of hospitality |
| 7 | Dakkhiṇeyyo | Worthy of offerings |
| 8 | Añjalikaraṇīyo | Worthy of respect (añjali = palms joined) |
| 9 | Anuttaraṁ puññakkhettaṁ lokassa | The best field of merit in the world |
- First 4 all end in -paṭipanno (“practising”). Just learn the 4 fronts: Su · Uju · Ñāya · Sāmīci, “Well, Straight, True, Proper”: “We Should Try Properly.”
- Next 4 mean “worthy of…”: Āhuneyyo, Pāhuneyyo, Dakkhiṇeyyo, Añjalikaraṇīyo. Āhun and Pāhun rhyme, so learn them as a pair.
- Last 1: the field where merit grows. Picture a rice field.
Learn the Karaṇīya Metta Sutta (loving-kindness) from your chanting book. It opens with Karaṇīyam atthakusalena…. Practise it a few lines a day, out loud.