Language/Hindi/Pronunciation/Alphabet-and-Pronunciation
When you've conquered this material, you may be interested in these supplementary lessons: hindi Pronunciation, Confusing Consonants स श ष क्ष & Confusing Consonants स श ष क्ष.
Hindi Alphabet[edit | edit source]
Vowels[edit | edit source]
Most vowels in Hindi have a clear equivalent in English, so that pronouncing should not pose any major problem. The Hindi vowels differ in length—as in shabd (word) and āj (today). But there is a degree of variation in the pronunciation of certain vowels, often due to regional differences.
Letter | अ | आ | इ | ई | उ | ऊ | ऋ | ए | ऐ | ओ | औ | अं | अः |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Diacritic | ◌ | ा | ि | ी | ु | ू | ृ | ॅ | ै | ो | ौ | ं | ः |
ISO | a | ā | i | ī | u | ū | ṛ | e | ai | o | au | aṃ | aḥ |
IPA | ʌə | aə | iə | iːə | uə | uːə | ṛə | eə | æːə | oə | ɔːə | aŋə | əhə |
Consonants[edit | edit source]
Letter | क | ख | ग | घ | ङ | च | छ | ज | झ | ञ | ट | ठ | ड | ढ | ण | त | थ | द | ध | न | प | फ | ब | भ | म | य | र | ल | व | श | ष | स | ह |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ISO | ka | kha | ga | gha | ṅa | ca | cha | ja | jha | ña | ṭa | ṭha | ḍa | ḍha | ṇa | ta | tha | da | dha | na | pa | pha | ba | bha | ma | ya | ra | la | va | śa | ṣa | sa | ha |
IPA | kə | kʰə | ɡə | ɡʱə | ŋə | cə, t͡ʃə | cʰə, t͡ʃʰə | ɟə, d͡ʒə | ɟʱə, d͡ʒʱə | ɲə | ʈə | ʈʰə | ɖə | ɖʱə | ɳə | t̪ə | t̪ʰə | d̪ə | d̪ʱə | nə | pə | pʰə, ɸə | bə | bʱə, βə | mə | jə | rə | lə | wə, ʋə | ɕə, ʃə | ʂə | sə | ɦə |
Letter | क़ | ख़ | ग़ | ज़ | झ़ | फ़ | ड़ | ढ़ |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ISO | qa | xa | ġa | za | zha | fa | ṛa | ṛha |
IPA | qə | xə | ɣə | zə | ʒə | fə | ɽə | ɽʱə |
Unlike the Hindi vowel system, the consonants are more complex and to master them some more information is necessary:
Retroflex consonants[edit | edit source]
There is a crucial difference between dental and retroflex consonants in Hindi. In dental consonants, the tongue touches the upper front teeth, whereas retroflex consonants are pronounced with the tongue turned back to the roof of your mouth. For example, set your mouth up to pronounce a “regular” d, but then curl your tongue right up so that the bottom part of it touches the top part of your mouth. As you try to pronounce the original d, you will feel your tongue “flapping” forward. Strictly speaking ṣ is also a retroflex, but in practice it is rarely distinguished from an English “sh”.
Aspirated consonants[edit | edit source]
Hindi also distinguishes breathed or aspirated consonants from light or non-aspirated ones. Aspirated consonants are those pronounced with an audible expulsion of breath, i.e. a discernable, heavy puff of air. The aspirated consonants are marked by an h following them (except for sh which is always pronounced as the English “sh”) and they are: bh, ch, dh, ḍh, gh, jh, kh, ph, th and ṭh. On the other hand, non-aspirated consonants are pronounced far lighter—i.e. with minimal breath—than their English equivalents. For the matter of making yourself understand it is vital to emphasize the difference between aspirated and unaspirated consonants.
Nasalization[edit | edit source]
Hindi has several nasal consonants which affect the vowel placed before them in a similar way to the “n” in French (e.g. “bon”) or the Portuguese “m” (e.g. “bem”). These nasal sounds are: ṃ, ñ and ṅ but even the consonants m, n and ṇ can cause light nasalization when positioned in front of another consonant, e.g. Mumbaī (Mumbai)
Hindi Pronunciation[edit | edit source]
Pronunciation in English[edit | edit source]
Hindi Alphabet | English Sound | Pronunciation Example |
---|---|---|
अ |
a | as in apple |
आ |
aa | as in hat |
ए |
e | as in energy |
ई |
ii | as in Wii |
ऍ |
ei | as in mean |
ऎ |
ei | as in mean |
ऐ |
ai | as in mate |
इ |
i | as in history |
ओ |
o | as in home |
ऑ |
oi | as in moisture |
ऒ |
oii | as in oyster |
ऊ |
uu | as in noon |
औ |
ou | as in mouse |
उ |
u | as in ultimate |
ब |
B | as in basket |
भ |
Bha | as in Bob Hansen |
च |
Ca | as in California |
छ |
Chha | as in Rich Hansen |
ड |
Da | as in Dalila |
ढ |
Dha | as in Edward Hansen |
फ |
Fa | as in fast |
फ़ |
Fi | as in Finland |
ग |
Ga | as in galaxy |
घ |
Gha | as in Ghana |
ग़ |
Ghi | as in Ghistapo |
ह |
Ha | as in hand |
ज |
Ja | as in Jakarta |
झ |
Jha | as in Jhahan |
क |
Ka | as in Kashmir |
ख |
Kha | as in Khan |
ख़ |
Khi | as in blac |
ल |
L | as in love |
ळ |
Li | as in link |
ऌ |
Li | as in military |
ऴ |
Lii | as in Lima |
ॡ |
Lii | as in Bradley |
म |
Ma | as in man |
न |
Na | as in Namibia |
ङ |
N'a | as in Stan Alan |
ञ |
Nia | as in Niagara |
ण |
Nae | as in Nigeria |
ऩ |
Ni | as in Nicaragua |
ॐ |
oms | as in Tom's book |
प |
Pa | as in Panama |
क़ |
Qi | as in King |
र |
Ra | as in rank |
ऋ |
Ri | as in ring |
ॠ |
Ri | as in risk |
ऱ |
Ri | as in Brie |
स |
Sa | as in Sam |
श |
Sha | as in Shanghai |
ष |
Shha | as in wash hand |
ट |
Ta | as in Tamara |
त |
T'a | as in Matt Alan |
ठ |
Tha | as in Thailand |
द |
Tha | as in Thailand |
थ |
T'ha | as in Thailand |
ध |
Thha | as in Keith Hansen |
ड़ |
ugDha | as in drug down |
ढ़ |
ugDhha | as in hugged hand |
व |
Va | as in vast |
य |
Ya | as in yard |
य़ |
Yi | as in year |
ज़ |
Za | as in Zambia |
Pronunciation, the pitfalls[edit | edit source]
As we have seen, there are different kinds of consonants in Hindi (“regular” and retroflex, aspirated and unaspirated), as well as different kinds of vowels (long and short). To the untrained ear, the difference may appear minor, but employing the wrong type of consonant or wrong length of vowel can fatally alter the meaning of a word. For example:
- ḍāl = a lentil dish; dal = group, team, (political) party.
- nāṭā = small in stature; nātā = relationship.
Pronunciation, some encouragement[edit | edit source]
Initially, pronouncing a new language might get your tongue in a proverbial twist, but practice makes perfect—so don’t be shy at speaking, even at the risk of making mistakes or gaffes. There are only a few non-Indian Hindi speakers, and the locals will be absolutely delighted to find a foreigner making the effort to learn their mother tongue. They will gladly help you improve your skills. Simply go for it!
Pronunciation Video[edit | edit source]
Devanāgarī Online Virtual Keyboard[edit | edit source]
Other Lessons[edit | edit source]