There are thirteen vowels and twenty five consonants in the Hindi alphabet. Apart from these, there are also some letters which are combinations of others and some special letters. We will go through each section in detail.
Resources for further reading:
Pronouncing the Hindi Alphabet
Let's get started....
Vowels
अ
a
U as in “Bun”
आ
ā
A as in Car”
इ
i
I as in “Ink”
ई
ee
Ee as in “See”
उ
u
U as in “Push”
ऊ
oo
Oo as in “Loop”
ऋ
ri
Ri as in “Crisp”
ए
ae
Ae as in “Made”
ऐ
ai
Ai as in “Eye”
ओ
o
O as in “Cone”
औ
au
O as in “God”
अं
an
An as in “understand”
अः
aH
aha - Not commonly used
Now I’ll introduce some corresponding symbols, which when combined with consonants make different sounds.
आ
क + ा
का
a
k + ā
kaa
इ
क + ि
कि
i
k + i
ki
ई
क + ी
की
ee
k + ee
kee
उ
क + ु
कु
u
k + u
ku
ऊ
क + ू
कू
oo
k + oo
koo
ऋ
क + ृ
कृ
ri
k + ri
kri
ए
क + े
के
e
k + e
ke
ऐ
क + ै
कै
ai
k + ai
kai
ओ
क + ो
को
k
k + o
ko
औ
क + ौ
कौ
au
k + au
kau
अं
क + ँ
कँ
an
k + an
kan
You can add these symbols to all the consonants and special letters to make the required sound. It takes a little practice to feel confident with this, so try not to feel frustrated!
That’s it for this lesson. I hope it's been interesting and helpful for you.
Here are a few recommended Hindi lessons to try next!
- Hindi Numbers.
- Break the ice by talking about your hobbies in Hindi.
- Fitting out an apartment in India? Know how to pronounce your household appliances in Hindi.
फिर मिलेंगे (phir milenge),
Nikita Sharma: Rocket Hindi