Pronunciation
Vowels - स्वर (Swar)
Hindi has a total of 11 vowels, including short and long vowels.
| Letter in Hindi | Corresponding Sound in Hindi |
|---|---|
|
अ (a) आ (ā) इ (i) उ (u) ऊ (ū) ए (e) ऐ (ai) ओ (o) औ (au) अं (ṅ) |
Similar to the 'u' in "cut." Similar to the 'a' in "car." Similar to the 'i' in "sit." Similar to the 'u' in "put." Similar to the 'oo' in "pool." Similar to the 'e' in "bed." Pronounced like the 'i' in "find." Similar to the 'o' in "pot." Pronounced like the 'ou' in "house." Nasal sound, as in the English word "sing." |
Consonants - व्यंजन (Vyanjan)
Hindi has 33 consonants, each with its distinct sound.
| Letter in Hindi | Corresponding Sound in Hindi |
|---|---|
| क (ka) | {% trans "Pronounced like the 'k' in "kite."" |
| ख (kha) | Aspirated 'k,' similar to the 'kh' in "khan." |
| ग (ga) | Pronounced like the 'g' in "go." |
| घ (gha) | Aspirated 'g,' similar to the 'gh' in "ghost." |
| ङ (ṅa) | Nasal sound, as in the English word "sing." |
| च (cha) | Pronounced like the 'ch' in "chat." |
| छ (chha) | Aspirated 'c,' 'chh' as in "Chhatri". |
| ज (ja) | Pronounced like the 'j' in "jump." |
| झ (jha) | Aspirated 'j,' similar to the 'jha' in "Jhansi". |
| ञ (ña) | Nasal sound as in "pinch". |
| ट (ṭa) | Sound of 'T' as in "tap/tub". |
| ठ (ṭha) | Sound of 'Th' as in "Pathan". |
| ड (ḍa) | Sound of 'D' as in "dim/dig." |
| ढ (ḍha) | Sound of 'Dh' as in "Dhaka". |
| ण (ṇa) | Sound of 'n' as in "grunt" |
| त (ta) | Sound of 't' as in "Tabla". |
| थ (tha) | Sound of 'th' as in "thing/thin" |
| द (da) | Sound of 'th' as in "them/then" |
| ध (dha) | Sound of 'dh' as in "Dharma". |
| न (na) | Sound of 'na' as in "nice". |
| प (pa) | Sound of 'p' as in "pin" |
| फ (pha) | Aspirated 'p,' similar to the 'ph' in "phone." |
| ब (ba) | Pronounced like the 'b' in "bat." |
| भ (bha) | Sound of 'bh' in "Bharat/Bhim" |
| म (ma) | Sound of 'm' as in "Mat" |
| य (ya) | Pronounced like the 'y' in "yes." |
| र (ra) | Sound of 'r' as in "rain". |
| ल (la) | Sound of 'l' as in "lake". |
| व(va) | Sound of 'v' as in "very/waste". |
| श (śa) | Similar to the 'sh' in "shy." |
| ष (ṣa) | Retroflex 's,' similar to the 's' in "measure." |
| स (sa) | Pronounced like the 's' in "snake." |
| ह (ha) | Pronounced like the 'h' in "house." |
Compound Consonants - संयुक्त व्यंजन (Saṅyukta Vyanjan)
Hindi has four major compound consonants.
| Letter in Hindi | Corresponding Sound in Hindi |
|---|---|
|
क्ष(ksha) त्र(tra) ज्ञ(gya) श(sh) |
Sound of 'xiou' as in "obnoxious". Sound of 'tra' as in "Yatra" Sound of 'Jn/gy' as in "gyan". Similar to the 'sh' in "shy." |