Unit 21 · श, ष, ण, ऋ and ◌ृ · Meet

श, ष, ण, ऋ and ◌ृ

Read sh, the retroflex n and the Sanskrit vowel ṛ.

Meet the letters

Tap a card and listen. Try saying it too.

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

Build the reading unit

Enter parts in logical order; the font places and joins them.

क + ृ → कृ

Words to read

lion

शेर

lionśer
arrow

बाण

arrowbāṇ
honey

शहद

honeyśahad

भाषा

languagebhāṣā

ऋतु

seasonṛtu / ritu

कृपया

pleasekṛpayā / kripayā
Reading tips

श · śa / sha

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

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

ऋ · ṛ / ri

ृ · ri sign

श and ष sound alike in everyday Hindi: sh. ऋ and ृ are read ri. They come from Sanskrit and appear in common words such as कृपया, please.

Reading practice

Letters in words

Match each sign to the same sign in its example.

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 meanings.

Read without a sound cue

Match the words to their pictures.

Read without a sound cue

Match the words to their meanings.

Sound to spelling

Listen. Choose the spelling.

Spelling to sound

Read the word. Choose its sound.

बाण

Sound to spelling

Listen. Choose the spelling.

Spelling to sound

Read the word. Choose its sound.

ऋतु

Build the word

Listen and build the word in typing order.

lion

Recall the spelling

Listen and build the word without its picture.

Build the word

Listen and build the word in typing order.

arrow

Recall the spelling

Listen and build the word without its picture.

Build the word

Listen and build the word in typing order.

honey

Recall the spelling

Listen and build the word without its picture.

Finish practice to save this unit.

You can read and write this

Read sh, the retroflex n and the Sanskrit vowel ṛ.

Next unit
lion

शेर

lion
arrow

बाण

arrow
honey

शहद

honey

भाषा

language

ऋतु

season

कृपया

please
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