The Devanagari script is a writing system used for several languages in South Asia, including Hindi, Sanskrit, and Nepali. It is characterized by its horizontal line running along the top of the letters and consists of 47 primary characters, including 14 vowels and 33 consonants. Devanagari is an abugida, meaning each character represents a consonant with an inherent vowel sound that can be modified with diacritics. This script is written from left to right and is known for its phonetic nature, making it easier to pronounce words as they are written.