Hindi Alphabet – Devanagari Vowels, Consonants & Matras
Hindi is written in the Devanagari script (देवनागरी). Learn the vowels (स्वर, swar), consonants (व्यंजन, vyanjan) and vowel signs (मात्रा, matra) with English pronunciation.
How Devanagari works
- It's phonetic. Words are almost always pronounced the way they are written.
- Each consonant includes an “a” sound. क is read “ka”, not just “k”.
- Vowels have two forms. A full letter at the start of a syllable (इ) and a matra attached to a consonant (कि).
- Aspiration matters. क (ka) and ख (kha) are different letters — kha is said with a puff of air.
Hindi vowels (स्वर – swar)
अं (anusvara) and अः (visarga) are traditionally listed with the vowels, although they mark a nasal sound and a breathy “h”.
Hindi consonants (व्यंजन – vyanjan)
The consonants are arranged by where the sound is made in the mouth. In each row of five, the pattern is: unaspirated, aspirated, voiced, voiced aspirated, nasal.
Velar (back of the throat)
Palatal (tongue on palate)
Retroflex (tongue curled back)
Dental (tongue on teeth)
Labial (lips)
Semi-vowels
Sibilants and h
Conjuncts
Extra letters (with a dot / nukta)
Matras – vowel signs
Matras attach to a consonant to change its vowel sound. Here they are with क (ka):
| Vowel | Matra | With क | Sound |
|---|---|---|---|
| आ | ा | का | kaa |
| इ | ि | कि | ki |
| ई | ी | की | kee |
| उ | ु | कु | ku |
| ऊ | ू | कू | koo |
| ऋ | ृ | कृ | kri |
| ए | े | के | ke |
| ऐ | ै | कै | kai |
| ओ | ो | को | ko |
| औ | ौ | कौ | kau |
| अं | ं | कं | kam / kan |
| अः | ः | कः | kah |
Note that the ि (i) matra is written before the consonant even though it is pronounced after it.
Practise reading simple Hindi words
| Hindi | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| कमल | kamal | lotus |
| घर | ghar | house |
| पानी | paani | water |
| किताब | kitaab | book |
| दूध | doodh | milk |
| मेज़ | mez | table |
| सूरज | sooraj | sun |
| भारत | bhaarat | India |
Try typing these words into the Hindi to English translator and use the speaker button to hear them.
Frequently asked questions
How many letters are in the Hindi alphabet?
The traditional Hindi varnamala (वर्णमाला) has 13 vowels and 33 core consonants, plus the conjuncts क्ष, त्र, ज्ञ and श्र and a few dotted letters used for borrowed sounds — around 52 characters in total, depending on how they are counted.
What is a matra in Hindi?
A matra (मात्रा) is the vowel sign attached to a consonant. Every consonant carries an inherent “a” sound; matras replace it with another vowel, for example क (ka) + ी = की (kee).
What is the line on top of Hindi words?
It is called the shirorekha (शिरोरेखा), the headline that joins the letters of a word together. It's a distinctive feature of Devanagari handwriting and print.
Is Hindi written left to right?
Yes. Devanagari is written from left to right, just like English. There are no capital letters.