Unlock Devanagari
From complete consonant–vowel units to Hindi signs, messages and the first A1 scene.
Learn to read Hindi in 34 short units.
Hindi · 0 of 34 units done
Discover Hindi writing
See how Devanagari works, hear Hindi sounds and understand why whole-word listening matters.
- 01
How Hindi writing works
Understand consonants, attached vowels and reading direction.
Up next - 02
A little Devanagari history
Discover its origins and where the script is used.
Up next - 03
Hear vowel length and consonant contrasts
Listen to complete syllables and words before learning their signs.
Up next - 04
Rhythm, schwa and spelling
Understand unwritten vowel loss, nasal vowels and phrase melody.
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First sounds and signs
Hear the key contrasts with labelled models, then read the first real words.
- 05
Tune your ear
Learn three contrasts Hindi uses to tell words apart, with a model and a picture cue for each.
Up next - 06
क, म, ल and न
Read four consonants with their built-in a, and notice the silent final a.
Up next - 07
र, अ, आ and ◌ा
Read long ā as a sign to the right and as a letter at the start of a word.
Up next - 08
द and ◌ि
Read the short i sign that is written on the left but spoken after its consonant.
Up next - 09
त, ◌ी and इ
Hear and read the difference between short i and long ī.
Up next - 10
Review: the first signs
Read the first words again without a sound cue.
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Vowels and consonant families
Complete the vowel signs and meet the consonants in families that differ by breath and buzz.
- 11
प, ◌ु, ◌ू and ऊ
Read the u-signs written below a consonant.
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स, ◌े, ◌ै, ए and ऐ
Read e and ai, the signs written above a consonant.
Up next - 13
◌ो, ◌ौ, ओ and औ
Read o and au, written as a sign on the right with a stroke on top.
Up next - 14
ख, ग, घ and ई
Hear the four k-sounds by their breath and buzz, then read them in words.
Up next - 15
Review: vowels and breath
Read words with all vowel signs and the k-family without a sound cue.
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च, छ, ज and झ
Use the same breath-and-buzz pattern for the ch-family.
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थ, ध, फ, ब and भ
Complete the t- and p-families: hear the puff and the breathy buzz.
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ट, ठ, ड and ढ
Hear and read the curled-tongue family.
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य, व, ह and उ
Read the flowing consonants and short u at the start of a word.
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Review: the consonant families
Read words from all consonant families without a sound cue.
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How the system works
Add hissing sounds, nasal marks, joined letters and dotted letters.
- 21
श, ष, ण, ऋ and ◌ृ
Read sh, the retroflex n and the Sanskrit vowel ṛ.
Up next - 22
◌ं and ◌ँ
Read the nasal dot and the moon-dot.
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◌्, ◌ः, ङ and ञ
Join consonants without a vowel and recognise rare nasal letters.
Up next - 24
◌़, ड़, ढ़, फ़ and ज़
Read the dot that changes a consonant: flaps, f and z.
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Review: marks and joined letters
Read words with nasal marks, joined letters and dots without a sound cue.
Up next - 26
क़, ख़, ग़, ऑ and ◌ॉ
Recognise dotted loan consonants and the open o of English loans.
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Joined consonants
Read common joined shapes without adding extra vowels.
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The silent a
Read whole words when a written a is not spoken.
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Complete the toolkit
Read numbers, punctuation, typeface changes and keyboard order.
Real-world reading
Read signs, menus and the A1 opening encounter.
Check and return
Prove fresh reading and revisit it after a day.