Unit 28 · The silent a · Meet

The silent a

Read whole words when a written a is not spoken.

Read the examples

Tap a card and listen. Try saying it too.

Words to read

room

कमरा

roomkamrā
goat

बकरी

goatbakrī
lotus

कमल

lotuskamal
salt

नमक

saltnamak
Reading tips

Hindi drops the written a at the end of a word and sometimes in the middle: कमरा is kam-rā, बकरी is bak-rī. It is not a rule to drop every other a, so check with the whole-word recording. Keep the normal spelling.

Reading practice

Read with support

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.

बकरी

Sound to spelling

Listen. Choose the spelling.

Spelling to sound

Read the word. Choose its sound.

नमक

Read and decide

How many spoken syllables are in this word?

कमरा

Read and decide

Which written a is silent in this word?

बकरी

Build the word

Listen and build the word in typing order.

room

Recall the spelling

Listen and build the word without its picture.

Build the word

Listen and build the word in typing order.

goat

Recall the spelling

Listen and build the word without its picture.

Build the word

Listen and build the word in typing order.

lotus

Recall the spelling

Listen and build the word without its picture.

Finish practice to save this unit.

You can read and write this

Read whole words when a written a is not spoken.

Next unit
room

कमरा

room
goat

बकरी

goat
lotus

कमल

lotus
salt

नमक

salt
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