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Unit 5 · Tune your ear · Meet

Tune your ear

Hear the course’s important contrasts before matching sounds to writing.

About this unit

Train your ear before you meet the signs. Nepali keeps sounds apart that English treats as one.

  • plain k: no puff of air
    कमल · lotus
  • airy kh: a puff of air
    खीर · rice pudding
  • breathy gh: buzz and breath
    घर · house
  • dental d: tongue at the teeth
    दूध · milk
  • retroflex ṭ: tongue curled back
    टोपी · cap
  • nasal ā̃: air through the nose
    आँखा · eye

Hold your palm in front of your mouth for कमल and खीर: you feel the puff only on the second.

Reading practice

Listen before looking

Do the two recordings sound the same or different?

Clip 1
Clip 2

Find the different recording

Which recording is different?

Clip 1
Clip 2
Clip 3

Listen before looking

Do the two recordings sound the same or different?

Clip 1
Clip 2

Listen before looking

Do the two recordings sound the same or different?

Clip 1
Clip 2

Finish practice to save this unit.

You can read and write this

Hear the course’s important contrasts before matching sounds to writing.

Next unit
Use a Nepali keyboard

Nepali traditional and romanised layouts are optional. Course tiles enter logical order: consonant, vowel, nasal mark; halant between joined consonants.

All letters

म
i

ma (Nepali carrier)

न
i

na (Nepali carrier)

कno puff of air
i

ka (Nepali carrier)

रr, a short tap
i

ra (Nepali carrier)

ल
i

la

आ
i

ā

◌ाIn का
i

ā sign

घbuzz and breath
i

gha

दtongue at the teeththroat buzzes
i

da

इ
i

i

◌िIn कि
i

i sign

तtongue at the teethno puff of air
i

ta

ई
i

i, independent spelling

◌ीIn की
i

i sign, second spelling

पno puff of air
i

pa

उ
i

u

ऊ
i

u, second independent spelling

◌ुIn कु
i

u sign

◌ूIn कू
i

u sign, second spelling

स
i

sa

ए
i

e

ऐ
i

ai

◌ेIn के
i

e sign

◌ैIn कै
i

ai sign

ओ
i

o

औ
i

au

◌ोIn को
i

o sign

◌ौIn कौ
i

au sign

खa puff of air
i

kha

गthroat buzzes
i

ga

चno puff of air
i

ca. Often said close to ts.

छa puff of air
i

cha

जthroat buzzes
i

ja. Often said close to dz.

झbuzz and breath
i

jha

थtongue at the teetha puff of air
i

tha

धtongue at the teethbuzz and breath
i

dha

टtongue curled backno puff of air
i

ṭa

ठtongue curled backa puff of air
i

ṭha

डtongue curled backthroat buzzes
i

ḍa

ढtongue curled backbuzz and breath
i

ḍha

बthroat buzzes
i

ba

भbuzz and breath
i

bha

फa puff of air
i

pha

य
i

ya

व
i

often ba in these words. Nepali व is pronounced b in many common words.

ह
i

ha

श
i

sa, spelling श

ष
i

sa, spelling ष

णtongue curled back
i

ṇa

अ
i

a, Nepali vowel

ऋ
i

ri

◌ंnasal vowel, or n or mIn अंगुर
i

anusvara: nasal mark

◌ँthe vowel through the noseIn आँखा
i

chandrabindu: nasal vowel

◌ृIn कृ
i

ri vowel sign

◌्In नमस्ते
i

halant: no inherent vowel

◌ःIn दुःख
i

visarga

ङ
i

ṅa

ञ
i

ña