Hindi Alphabet

A is the inherent vowel in every consonant. It's the most fundamental sound in Devanagari.

Aa extends the basic 'a' sound. The vertical line indicates vowel lengthening.

I is the short 'i' vowel. Its matra (diacritic) appears before the consonant it modifies.

Ii is the long 'i'. The doubled curve represents the extended duration.

U is the short 'u' vowel, written below the consonant in its matra form.

Uu is the long 'u'. The tail extends further to show lengthening.

Ri is a vocalic 'r', unique to Sanskrit-derived words. Rare in everyday Hindi.

E is the 'e' vowel as in 'bay'. Its matra sits above the headline.

Ai is the diphthong, sounding like 'eye'. Doubled marks indicate the complex vowel.

O combines the 'a' and 'u' marks, reflecting its phonetic composition.

Au is the 'ow' diphthong, combining 'a' with a doubled 'u' mark.

Ka is the first consonant, representing the voiceless velar stop.

Kha is aspirated 'k', distinguished by a stronger breath release.

Ga is the voiced counterpart to Ka.

Gha is voiced and aspirated, one of Hindi's distinctive sounds.

Nga is the velar nasal, as in 'sing'. Rare as an initial consonant.

Cha is the voiceless palatal stop, like 'ch' in 'church'.

Chha is the aspirated version, with a strong breath.

Ja is voiced, like 'j' in 'jam'.

Jha adds aspiration to 'j', a sound rare in other languages.

Nya is the palatal nasal, as in Spanish 'ñ'.

Ṭa is retroflex, made by curling the tongue back against the palate.

Ṭha is the aspirated retroflex, unique to South Asian languages.

Ḍa is the voiced retroflex stop.

Ḍha combines voicing, retroflexion, and aspiration.

Ṇa is the retroflex nasal, rarer than dental न.

Ta is dental, made with tongue against teeth, unlike English 't'.

Tha is the aspirated dental, distinct from retroflex ठ.

Da is the voiced dental, softer than English 'd'.

Dha combines voicing and aspiration at the dental position.

Na is the dental nasal, the most common nasal in Hindi.

Pa is the voiceless bilabial stop.

Pha is aspirated 'p'. Modern Hindi also uses it for 'f' in loanwords.

Ba is the voiced bilabial.

Bha is voiced and aspirated, as in 'abhor'.

Ma is the bilabial nasal, one of the most common sounds.

Ya is the palatal approximant, connecting vowels smoothly.

Ra is a tap or flap, made by briefly touching the alveolar ridge.

La is a dental or alveolar lateral.

Va can be 'v' or 'w' depending on dialect and position.

Sha is the voiceless palatal fricative, as in 'ship'.

Ṣa is the retroflex 'sh', distinct in Sanskrit but merged in Hindi.

Sa is the dental 's' sound.

Ha is the glottal fricative, the simple 'h' sound.