Quick and Basic Pronunciation Guide
Vowels
Hindi vowels are divided into short and long. These vowels in combination with consonants are used to form words. It is important to be able to distinguish between short and long vowels for correct pronunciation.
Pronunciation (short vs long vowel) | Examples |
a vs. aa | anaar, aam |
i vs. ee | imlee, eekh |
u vs. oo | ullu, oon |
ei vs. eii | eik, eiinak |
o vs. au | or, aurat |
Nasal (ang) | angoor |
Consonants
Many consonants found in Hindi do not exist in English. It can take a little getting used to in order to be able to differentiate between the pronunciations of some of these consonants since they can sound similar to an ear untrained to the language. Below is a table with few such consonants. Remember this is not a complete list of consonants.
Unaspirated vs Aspirated | Examples |
b vs. bh | bol, bhoora |
ch vs. chh | chal, chhavaa |
k vs. kh | kal, khaana |
p vs. ph | pitaa, phir |
g vs. gh | gol, ghoomnaa |
j vs. jh | jal, jhalak |
t vs. th (dental) | tab, thaa |
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