Unit 14 · ख, ग, घ and ई · Meet

ख, ग, घ and ई

Hear the four k-sounds by their breath and buzz, then read them in words.

Meet the letters

Tap a card and listen. Try saying it too.

खpuff of air
i

kha. k with a puff of air, not English ch.

गthroat buzzes
i

ga

घbuzz + breath
i

gha. A buzzing g with a breathy release.

ई
i

ī

Words to read

food

खाना

foodkhānā
song

गाना

songgānā
house

घर

houseghar
grass

घास

grassghās
sugarcane

ईख

sugarcaneīkh
Reading tips

ख · kha · k with a puff of air, not English ch.

ग · ga

घ · gha · A buzzing g with a breathy release.

ई · ī

क ख ग घ form a family. Two questions sort them: is there a puff of air, and does the throat buzz? क: neither. ख: puff. ग: buzz. घ: buzz and breath. The same pattern returns in every family.

Reading practice

The k-family

Listen to the four k-sounds first. Then: which one is the mystery sound?

Listen first

plain k
airy kh
buzzing
buzz + breath
Mystery sound

The k-family

Listen to the four k-sounds first. Then: which one is the mystery sound?

Listen first

plain k
airy kh
buzzing
buzz + breath
Mystery sound

The k-family

Listen to the four k-sounds first. Then: which one is the mystery sound?

Listen first

plain k
airy kh
buzzing
buzz + breath
Mystery sound

The k-family

Listen to the four k-sounds first. Then: which one is the mystery sound?

Listen first

plain k
airy kh
buzzing
buzz + breath
Mystery sound

Letters in words

Match each sign to the same sign in its example.

Find the sound

Match the sounds to the signs. Tap a sign to check.

Read with support

Match the words to their pictures.

Read with support

Match the words to their pictures.

Read without a sound cue

Match the words to their pictures.

Read without a sound cue

Match the words to their pictures.

Sound to spelling

Listen. Choose the spelling.

Spelling to sound

Read the word. Choose its sound.

गाना

Sound to spelling

Listen. Choose the spelling.

Spelling to sound

Read the word. Choose its sound.

घास

Build the word

Listen and build the word in typing order.

food

Recall the spelling

Listen and build the word without its picture.

Build the word

Listen and build the word in typing order.

song

Recall the spelling

Listen and build the word without its picture.

Build the word

Listen and build the word in typing order.

house

Recall the spelling

Listen and build the word without its picture.

Finish practice to save this unit.

You can read and write this

Hear the four k-sounds by their breath and buzz, then read them in words.

Next unit
food

खाना

food
song

गाना

song
house

घर

house
grass

घास

grass
sugarcane

ईख

sugarcane
Use a Hindi keyboard

Use Devanagari InScript or the course tiles. Consonant comes first, then matra; halant joins consonants. Unicode normalisation accepts equivalent dotted spellings.

All letters

कno puff of air
i

ka. Plain k: no puff of air.

म
i

ma

ल
i

la

न
i

na

र
i

ra

अ
i

a

आ
i

ā

◌ाlong vowelIn मा
i

ā sign. The dotted circle only shows where a consonant would go.

दtongue at the teeththroat buzzes
i

da. Dental d: the tongue tip touches the upper teeth.

◌िshort vowelIn दि
i

short i sign. Written first, read second: दि is d + i.

तtongue at the teethno puff of air
i

ta. Dental t without a puff of air.

◌ीlong vowelIn ती
i

long ī sign

इ
i

i

पno puff of air
i

pa. Plain p: no puff of air.

◌ुshort vowelIn पु
i

short u sign

◌ूlong vowelIn लू
i

long ū sign

ऊ
i

ū

स
i

sa

◌ेIn के
i

e sign

◌ैIn पै
i

ai sign

ए
i

e

ऐ
i

ai

◌ोIn मो
i

o sign

◌ौIn नौ
i

au sign

ओ
i

o

औ
i

au

खpuff of air
i

kha. k with a puff of air, not English ch.

गthroat buzzes
i

ga

घbuzz + breath
i

gha. A buzzing g with a breathy release.

ई
i

ī

चno puff of air
i

ca. Like ch in “chin”, without a puff of air.

छpuff of air
i

cha

जthroat buzzes
i

ja

झbuzz + breath
i

jha

थtongue at the teethpuff of air
i

tha. Dental t with a puff of air, not English th.

धtongue at the teethbuzz + breath
i

dha. Dental d with a breathy release.

फpuff of air
i

pha. p with a puff of air; many speakers say f.

बthroat buzzes
i

ba

भbuzz + breath
i

bha

टtongue curled backno puff of air
i

ṭa. The tongue tip curls back.

ठtongue curled backpuff of air
i

ṭha. Curled tongue with a puff of air.

डtongue curled backthroat buzzes
i

ḍa. Curled tongue with a buzz.

ढtongue curled backbuzz + breath
i

ḍha. Curled tongue, buzz and breath.

य
i

ya

व
i

va / wa. Between English v and w.

ह
i

ha

उ
i

u

श
i

śa / sha

ष
i

ṣa / sha. Today usually the same sound as श; learn the spelling word by word.

णtongue curled back
i

ṇa. Curled-tongue n; many speakers say it close to न.

ऋ
i

ṛ / ri

◌ृIn कृ
i

ri sign

◌ंIn अंडा
i

nasal dot. Before a consonant the dot is a nasal that matches it: n in अंडा, ng in पतंग.

◌ँIn चाँद
i

moon-dot: nasal vowel. The vowel goes through the nose; there is no separate n.

◌्In बिल्ली
i

halant: no inherent vowel. Joined letters can show as a half shape, a stack or a new ligature.

◌ःIn दुःख
i

visarga. Learn the whole-word pronunciation.

ङ
i

ṅa. The ng sound; usually written with ं today: गंगा.

ञ
i

ña. Mostly inside joined letters; ज्ञ is said gy in Hindi.

◌़In पेड़
i

nukta: changes a consonant

ड़quick flap
i

ṛa. A quick flap: the curled tongue flicks forward once.

ढ़
i

ṛha. A breathy flap.

फ़
i

fa

ज़
i

za

क़
i

qa / ka

ख़
i

xa / kha

ग़
i

ɣa / ga

ऑ
i

ɔ

◌ॉIn डॉ
i

ɔ sign