Visarga (visargá) is a Sanskrit word meaning "sending forth, discharge". In Sanskrit phonology (śikṣā), visarga (also called, equivalently visarjanīya by earlier grammarians) is the name of a phone, approximately IPA , written as IAST ḥ, Harvard-Kyoto H, Devanagari ः. Visarga is an allophone of r and s in pausa (at the end of an utterance). Since -s a frequent desinence (Nominative singular, second person singular, etc.), Visarga appears frequently in Sanskrit texts. In the traditional order of Sanskrit sounds, Visarga together with Anusvara appears between the vowels and the stop consonants.
The precise pronunciation of Visarga in Vedic texts may vary between shakhas. Some pronounce a slight echo of the preceding vowel after the fricative, e.g. aḥ will be pronounced , and iḥ will be pronounced .