Learning the Hindi language alphabet is a crucial step in mastering Hindi, an Indo-Aryan language spoken mainly in India. Hindi is written in the Devanagari script, which is also used for Sanskrit, Marathi, and Nepali. Understanding this script is essential for reading, writing, and speaking in Hindi. The script is an abugida, where each consonant has an inherent vowel sound that can be changed or muted by diacritics. Here’s a detailed lesson to guide you through the Hindi alphabet:

Overview of the Hindi Alphabet

• Type of Script: Abugida (Devanagari script)
• Number of Basic Characters: 33 consonants and 12 vowels
• Direction of Writing: Left to Right

The Basic Characters of the Hindi Alphabet

Consonants (व्यंजन – Vyanjan)

1. क (ka)

   • Pronunciation: Like ‘k’ in “kite”
   • Example: कमल (kamal – lotus)

2. ख (kha)

   • Pronunciation: Like ‘kh’ in “Khan”
   • Example: खरगोश (khargosh – rabbit)

3. ग (ga)

   • Pronunciation: Like ‘g’ in “go”
   • Example: गाय (gāy – cow)

4. घ (gha)

   • Pronunciation: Like ‘gh’ in “loghouse”
   • Example: घर (ghar – house)

5. ङ (ṅa)

   • Pronunciation: Like ‘ng’ in “sing”
   • Example: बङ्गाल (Bangaal – Bengal)

6. च (cha)

   • Pronunciation: Like ‘ch’ in “churn”
   • Example: चाय (chāy – tea)

7. छ (chha)

   • Pronunciation: Like ‘ch’ in “church” with more aspiration
   • Example: छाता (chhātā – umbrella)

8. ज (ja)

   • Pronunciation: Like ‘j’ in “jump”
   • Example: जहाज (jahāj – ship)

9. झ (jha)

   • Pronunciation: Like ‘dg’ in “hedgehog” with more aspiration
   • Example: झंडा (jhaṇḍā – flag)

10. ञ (ña)

    • Pronunciation: Like ‘ny’ in “canyon”
    • Example: पंजा (pañjā – claw)

11. ट (ṭa)

    • Pronunciation: Like ‘t’ in “stand” (retroflex)
    • Example: टमाटर (ṭamāṭar – tomato)

12. ठ (ṭha)

    • Pronunciation: Like ‘t’ with more aspiration (retroflex)
    • Example: ठंडा (ṭhaṇḍā – cold)

13. ड (ḍa)

    • Pronunciation: Like ‘d’ in “bed” (retroflex)
    • Example: डॉक्टर (ḍŏkṭar – doctor)

14. ढ (ḍha)

    • Pronunciation: Like ‘dh’ in “adhere” with more aspiration (retroflex)
    • Example: ढक्कन (ḍhakkan – lid)

15. ण (ṇa)

    • Pronunciation: Like ‘n’ in “fun” (retroflex)
    • Example: कर्ण (karṇ – ear)

16. त (ta)

    • Pronunciation: Like ‘t’ in “top”
    • Example: तारा (tārā – star)

17. थ (tha)

    • Pronunciation: Like ‘t’ with a dental aspect
    • Example: थाली (thālī – plate)

18. द (da)

    • Pronunciation: Like ‘d’ in “dog”
    • Example: दरवाजा (darvājā – door)

19. ध (dha)

    • Pronunciation: Like ‘dh’ in “adhere”
    • Example: धनुष (dhanuṣ – bow)

20. न (na)

    • Pronunciation: Like ‘n’ in “nose”
    • Example: नमक (namak – salt)

21. प (pa)

    • Pronunciation: Like ‘p’ in “pan”
    • Example: पतंग (pataṅg – kite)

22. फ (pha)

    • Pronunciation: Like ‘ph’ in “phone”
    • Example: फल (phal – fruit)

23. ब (ba)

    • Pronunciation: Like ‘b’ in “bat”
    • Example: बाल (bāl – hair)

24. भ (bha)

    • Pronunciation: Like ‘bh’ in “abhor”
    • Example: भारत (bhārat – India)

25. म (ma)

    • Pronunciation: Like ‘m’ in “moon”
    • Example: माता (mātā – mother)

26. य (ya)

    • Pronunciation: Like ‘y’ in “yes”
    • Example: यमुना (Yamunā – Yamuna)

27. र (ra)

    • Pronunciation: Like ‘r’ in “run”
    • Example: रसोई (rasoī – kitchen)

28. ल (la)

    • Pronunciation: Like ‘l’ in “lamp”
    • Example: लाल (lāl – red)

29. व (va)

    • Pronunciation: Like ‘v’ in “van”
    • Example: वन (van – forest)

30. श (sha)

    • Pronunciation: Like ‘sh’ in “sheep”
    • Example: शेर (sher – lion)

31. ष (ṣa)

    • Pronunciation: Like ‘sh’ in “shun” (retroflex)
    • Example: षटकोण (ṣaṭkoṇ – hexagon)

32. स (sa)

    • Pronunciation: Like ‘s’ in “sun”
    • Example: सागर (sāgar – ocean)

33. ह (ha)

    • Pronunciation: Like ‘h’ in “hat”
    • Example: हाथी (hāthī – elephant)

Vowels (स्वर – Svar)

1. अ (a)

   • Pronunciation: Like ‘u’ in “but”
   • Example: अनार (anār – pomegranate)

2. आ (ā)

   • Pronunciation: Like ‘a’ in “father”
   • Example: आम (ām – mango)

3. इ (i)

   • Pronunciation: Like ‘i’ in “bit”
   • Example: इमली (imlī – tamarind)

4. ई (ī)

   • Pronunciation: Like ‘ee’ in “see”
   • Example: ईख (īkh – sugarcane)

5. उ (u)

   • Pronunciation: Like ‘u’ in “put”
   • Example: उल्लू (ullū – owl)

6. ऊ (ū)

   • Pronunciation: Like ‘oo’ in “food”
   • Example: ऊन (ūn – wool)

7. ए (e)

   • Pronunciation: Like ‘e’ in “get”
   • Example: एक (ek – one)

8. ऐ (ai)

   • Pronunciation: Like ‘ai’ in “fair”
   • Example: ऐनक (ainak – glasses)

9. ओ (o)

   • Pronunciation: Like ‘o’ in “or”
   • Example: ओस (os – dew)

10. औ (au)

    • Pronunciation: Like ‘ow’ in “cow”
    • Example: औरत (aurat – woman)

11. अं (aṁ)

    • Pronunciation: Nasalized ‘a’
    • Example: अंगूर (aṁgūr – grapes)

12. अः (ah)

    • Pronunciation: ‘a’ followed by a breathy aspirate
    • Example: अःस्वस्थ (ahsvasth – unwell)

Additional Notes

• Consonants Inherently Carry ‘a’ Sound: Each consonant inherently has an ‘a’ sound, which can be modified with vowel diacritics.
• Diacritics for Vowels: Vowels in Hindi can be written as independent letters or as diacritics combined with consonants.
• Barakhadi: This term refers to the set of syllables created when each consonant is combined with different vowel sounds.

This list covers the basic structure of the Hindi alphabet, which is rich in sounds and phonetic diversity. Learning these basics is key to understanding and speaking the language effectively.