Unit 18 · ट, ठ, ड and ढ · Meet

ट, ठ, ड and ढ

Hear and read the curled-tongue family.

Meet the letters

Tap a card and listen. Try saying it too.

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.

Words to read

cap

टोपी

capṭopī
tomato

टमाटर

tomatoṭamāṭar
handcart

ठेला

handcartṭhelā
branch

डाल

branchḍāl
drum

ढोल

drumḍhol
Reading tips

ट · ṭa · The tongue tip curls back.

ठ · ṭha · Curled tongue with a puff of air.

ड · ḍa · Curled tongue with a buzz.

ढ · ḍha · Curled tongue, buzz and breath.

त and द touch the teeth. ट and ड curl the tongue back, like a heavier English t and d. दाल (lentils) and डाल (branch) differ only by this tongue position.

Breath and buzz work as in त थ द ध: ट is plain, ठ has a puff of air, ड buzzes, ढ buzzes with breath. The new thing is only the curled tongue.

Reading practice

Teeth or curled tongue

Listen to the mystery sound. Which one is it?

Listen first

tongue at teeth
tongue curled back
Mystery sound

Teeth or curled tongue

Listen to the mystery sound. Which one is it?

Listen first

tongue at teeth
tongue curled back
Mystery sound

Lentils or branch?

Listen to the mystery word. Which picture is it?

Listen first

lentils
branch
Mystery sound

Lentils or branch?

Listen to the mystery word. Which picture is it?

Listen first

lentils
branch
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.

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.

टमाटर

Sound to spelling

Listen. Choose the spelling.

Spelling to sound

Read the word. Choose its sound.

डाल

Build the word

Listen and build the word in typing order.

cap

Recall the spelling

Listen and build the word without its picture.

Build the word

Listen and build the word in typing order.

tomato

Recall the spelling

Listen and build the word without its picture.

Build the word

Listen and build the word in typing order.

handcart

Recall the spelling

Listen and build the word without its picture.

Finish practice to save this unit.

You can read and write this

Hear and read the curled-tongue family.

Next unit
cap

टोपी

cap
tomato

टमाटर

tomato
handcart

ठेला

handcart
branch

डाल

branch
drum

ढोल

drum
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