Hindi vowels
11 vowel letters from the Hindi course, with sound spellings and available recordings. Learn to recognise the shapes before moving to attached vowel signs.
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11 Hindi vowel letters
Compare the independent letters, English sound spellings, and course hints. The English labels are approximate reading aids.
| Letter | English sound guide | Reading hint | Recording |
|---|---|---|---|
| अ | a | Hindi a is the relaxed central vowel in about, not the aa of father. अनार — anaar · pomegranate | Listen |
| आ | aa | Open aa, roughly as in father; different in quality as well as length from अ. आम — aam · mango | Listen |
| इ | i | Brief i, roughly as in sit. The sign ि appears to the left but is read after the consonant. इमली — imlee · tamarind | Listen |
| ई | ee | Close ee, roughly as in see; keep it distinct from इ. ईख — eekh · sugar cane | Listen |
| उ | u | Brief rounded u, roughly as in put. उल्लू — ulloo · owl | Listen |
| ऊ | oo | Close rounded oo, roughly as in moon. ऊन — oon · wool | Listen |
| ऋ | ri (ऋ) | Usually ri in modern Hindi Sanskrit-derived words. The ऋ label identifies the spelling, not a new sound. | Listen |
| ए | e | A steady close e; avoid adding the English ay glide. एक — ek · one | Listen |
| ऐ | ai | Usually a steady open e sound /ɛː/ in standard Hindi. The aid ai does not mean English eye. ऐनक — ainak · spectacles | Listen |
| ओ | o | A steady rounded o; avoid adding the English ow glide. | Listen |
| औ | au | Usually a steady open rounded o /ɔː/ in standard Hindi. The aid au does not mean English how. | Listen |
Compare the letters and hints
Use the course’s hints for these vowel letters. Similar English spellings do not necessarily represent the same sound.
- अ — Hindi a is the relaxed central vowel in about, not the aa of father.
- आ — Open aa, roughly as in father; different in quality as well as length from अ.
- इ — Brief i, roughly as in sit. The sign ि appears to the left but is read after the consonant.
Move to attached vowel signs
- Choose a few written forms and compare their English hints.
- Cover the hints and identify the letters in a different order.
- Practise with matching, mixing, flashcards, or a visual quiz.
Compare each independent vowel with its attached form in the vowel-sign chart.
Prepared by Learn Akshara from our beginner Hindi curriculum. English spellings are approximate learning aids. Writing-system reference: The Unicode Standard, South Asian Scripts. AI-generated pronunciation is a learning aid, not a guarantee of accuracy. See our audio sources and credits.