The Hindi alphabet may look intimidating at first. However you’ll be happy to know that almost all Hindi sounds have direct equivalents in English! So, you’ll be able to study the Hindi alphabet with English as your language companion.
In Hindi, what you see is what you say – making it some of the phonetically correct writing methods on the earth. When you perceive the essential patterns, you’ll discover that Hindi letters comply with logical guidelines that make studying a lot simpler than you may count on.
Let’s begin on the high.
What’s the Hindi alphabet?
The Hindi alphabet, generally known as the Varnamala – “garland of sounds” – is written within the Devanagari script.
Hindi Varnamala consists of 48 fundamental letters:
- 11 vowels (“स्वर” – swar)
- 35 consonants (“व्यंजन” – vyanjan)
- 2 extra modifiers for nasalization (These create nasal sounds, just like the “ng” in “sing”)
Right here’s the Hindi alphabet chart at a look:
The script has some distinctive options that make it particular:
- A particular horizontal line (“shirorekha”) that runs throughout the highest of phrases, connecting letters
- An abugida system the place consonant-vowel pairs are written as single items
- A scientific group that teams related sounds collectively
- Particular marks and strokes that add layers of that means to the essential letters
Every image represents precisely one sound, and these sounds keep constant irrespective of the place you utilize them. In contrast to English, the place “ough” can sound totally different in “although,” “by way of,” and “robust,” Hindi letters by no means change their pronunciation.
The construction of the Hindi alphabet
The “Varnamala” is organized in a grid-like chart, grouping related sounds collectively. This makes it simpler to study and keep in mind Hindi letters.
The muse: Vowels
At its coronary heart, Hindi begins with three elementary vowels that type the idea of all different vowel sounds. These vowels don’t require any consonant to accompany them:
- “अ” (a): Just like the “u” in “enjoyable”
- “इ” (i): Just like the “i” in “pin”
- “उ” (u): Just like the “u” in “put”
And from these three major vowels, Hindi then develops its sound system – seven secondary vowels and one particular vowel sound:
- “आ“ (aa): Stretching “अ” (a) into an extended sound
- “ई” (ii): Extending “इ” (i) into an extended model
- “ऊ” (oo): Lengthening “उ” (o)
- “ए” (e): A brand new sound derived from “अ” (a) and “इ” (i)
- “ऐ“ (ai): One other mix
- “ओ” (o): Combining “अ” (a) and “उ” (o)
- “औ” (au): The ultimate vowel mix
- “ऋ” (ri): A novel vowel combining “r” and “i”
These vowels mix with consonants utilizing diacritical marks (symbols indicating both a change in a letter’s pronunciation or the stress on a syllable) known as “matras.”
The constructing blocks: Consonants
Hindi organizes its consonants into 5 “households” based mostly on the place they’re pronounced in your mouth.
Every household follows the identical sample: unaspirated sound (sound made with out puffing air or an “h”), aspirated sound (pronounced with a burst of air after the consonant), tender sound, breathy sound, and nasal sound.
1. The throat household (“क-वर्ग”):
- Made behind your throat
- “क,” “ख,” “ग,” “घ,” “ङ”
- Just like the “okay” and “g” sounds in English
2. The palate household (“च-वर्ग”):
- Made along with your tongue touching your palate
- “च,” “छ,” “ज,” “झ,” “ञ”
- Just like the “ch” and “j” sounds
3. The retroflex household (“ट-वर्ग”):
- Made along with your tongue curled again
- “ट,” “ठ,” “ड,” “ढ,” “ण”
- Distinctive to Hindi and related languages
4. The tooth household (“त-वर्ग”):
- Made along with your tongue touching your enamel
- “त,” “थ,” “द,” “ध,” “न”
- Like English “t” and “d” however extra ahead
5. The lip household (“प-वर्ग”):
- Made along with your lips
- “प,” “फ,” “ब,” “भ,” “म”
- Just like English “p” and “b” sounds
One of the distinctive options of Hindi consonants is how they pair unaspirated and aspirated sounds. Consider it this fashion:
- Unaspirated sounds: Made with minimal breath (“क,” “प,” “त”)
- Aspirated sounds: Made with an additional puff of air (“ख,” “फ,” “थ”)
- “क” (okay): You’ll really feel a bit of air
- “ख” (kh): You’ll really feel a puff of air
Find out how to construct phrases with Hindi alphabets
Combining vowels and consonants to type phrases is straightforward when you perceive the system.
Primary pairs
Every consonant in Hindi has an inherent “a” sound. To make different sounds, you mix consonants with vowels:
- “क” (ka) + “अ” (a) = “क” (ka): That is the essential “ka” sound, like in “kite”
- “म” (ma) + “आ” (aa) = “मा” (maa): This appears like “ma” in “mama”
- “स” (sa) + “इ” (i) = “सि” (si): Just like “see” however with an “s” sound
Including vowel marks (“matras”)
Vowel marks are just like the “tuning knobs” of Hindi pronunciation. They fine-tune the sounds of consonants to assist create the distinctive sounds of the Hindi language:
- “प” (pa) + “ा” (aa) = “पा” (paa): This appears like “pa” in “papa”
- “ल “(la) + “ि” (i) = “लि” (li): Just like the “li” in “pay attention”
- “ख” (kha) + “ु” (u) = “खु” (khu): Think about saying “khoo” with a breathy “kh” sound
Vowel marks (“matras”) cheat sheet
To create totally different sounds, you add vowel marks (“matras”) to the consonants. These marks are like particular connectors that change the sound of the consonant.
Right here’s every part it’s good to know:
- “ा” (aa): Makes the vowel lengthy, like in “ना” (naa), that means “no”
- “ि” (i): Sits under the consonant, like in “कि” (ki), that means “that”
- “ी” (ee): Comes after the consonant and makes the vowel lengthy, like in “नी” (nee), that means “blue”
- “ु” (u): Sits under the consonant, like in “सु” (su), that means “good”
- “ू” (oo): Follows the consonant and makes the vowel lengthy, like in “रू” (roo), that means “cease”
- “े” (e): Is positioned after the consonant, like in “मे” (me), that means “in me”
- “ै” (ai): Seems after the consonant, like in “कै” (kai), which is a part of the phrase “kaisa,” that means “how”
- “ो” (o): Follows the consonant, like in “को” (ko), that means “to whom”
- “ौ” (au): Is added after the consonant, like in “चौ” (chau), which is a part of the phrase “chauda,” that means “fourteen”
Placing all of it collectively
Let’s see how the weather work collectively:
Primary consonant + vowel:
- “म “+ “ी” = “मी” (“mee” – me)
- “ल” + “ू” = “लू” (“bathroom” – scorching wind)
Phrases with totally different “matras” (vowel marks):
- “किताब” (“kitaab” – guide): “क्” + “इ” + “त्’ + “आ” +” ब्” (exhibits brief “i” and lengthy “aa” marks)
Utilizing nasal marks:
- “पंखा” (“pankha” – fan): Dot above “प” modifications “pa” to “pan”
- “चाँद” (“chaand” – moon): “Chandrabindu” provides tender nasalization
Conjunct consonants (when consonants mix):
- “स्वागत” (“swaagat” – welcome): “स्” + “व” mix to make ”स्व”
- “प्यार” (“pyaar” – love): “प्” + “य” mix to make “प्य”
4 artistic hacks to grasp the Hindi alphabet
Wish to study the Hindi alphabet quicker? Overlook boring repetition drills – listed below are some unconventional methods that truly work.
1. Use the storytelling shortcut
Create visible tales for letter shapes:
- “ख” seems to be like a stick determine standing with a cane
- “फ” resembles a flower blooming on a stem
- “म” is three mountains in a row
- “ध” seems to be like an individual doing yoga
- “ट” is a chair seen from the facet
Make your personal tales – the extra private and weird, the extra memorable they’ll be!
2. Play the “sound-alike” recreation
We’ll hyperlink Hindi sounds to acquainted English phrases. Pay shut consideration to the particular sounds in these phrases:
- “थ”: This sounds just like the “th” in “thermometer” (not the “th” in “the”)
- “ड”: Think about the “d” in “drum,” however along with your tongue curled again additional in your mouth
- “ज”: This is similar because the “j” in “jungle” (which, enjoyable truth, is definitely a Hindi phrase!)
- “श”: This sounds just like the “sh” in “shut,” however make it softer and gentler
- “च”: That is much like the “ch” in “church,” however with out the “r” sound
Create sentences mixing each languages:
- “My “थरमामीटर” (thermometer) is damaged”
- “The “जंगल” (jungle) was lovely”
3. “Undertake” a letter for a day
As a substitute of making an attempt to memorize the entire alphabet without delay, deal with one letter a day:
- Select one Hindi letter
- Write it down a number of instances
- Discover phrases that begin with that letter (use a dictionary or on-line assets like our tailor-made Hindi programs)
- Create a flashcard with the letter, its pronunciation, and an image of one thing that begins with that sound
4. “Prepare dinner your means” by way of Hindi letters
Match Hindi letters to cooking sounds:
- “फ” (“ph”) is the steam escaping a strain cooker
- “स” (“s”) is scorching oil
- “च” (“ch”) is chopping greens
Making an attempt creating recipe playing cards in Hindi and labeling spice packing containers with Hindi names.
Begin your Hindi journey immediately
Don’t really feel pressured to study every part without delay. Begin with the essential vowels, add a consonant household or two, and progressively construct up your data. Use the artistic studying hacks that work greatest for you – whether or not it’s cooking your means by way of the alphabet, creating foolish tales about letter shapes, or turning your every day routine into Hindi follow.
Able to take the following step? Discover Preply’s on-line Hindi programs to discover a tutor who can information you in your language-learning journey!