Nasalization
Hindi has several nasal consonants which affect the vowel placed before them in a similar way to the “n” in French (e.g. “bon”) or the Portuguese “m” (e.g. “bem”). These nasal sounds are: ṃ, ñ and ṅ but even the consonants m, n and ṇ can cause light nasalization when positioned in front of another consonant, e.g. Mumbaī (Mumbai)
The consonants are:
| Hindi letter | Approximate English equivalent | |
| ब | b | box, “light” |
| भ | bh | box, “breathed” |
| च | c | champion |
| छ | ch | church, “breathed” |
| द | d | dog, “light” |
| ध | dh | dog, “breathed” |
| ड | ḍ | like d, “flapped”—in the middle of a word often like a “flapped” r |
| ढ | ḍh | like ḍ, “breathed” |
| फ़ | f | fat |
| ग | g | give, “light” |
Note: In Arabic and Persian loanwords the g sound is sometimes produced further back against the epiglottis, and is in those cases underlined: g. However not all speakers of Hindi use this sound and g may thus be rendered as g at all times. The difference in sound is minute and can only be detected by advanced speakers. The g sounds a tiny bit “scratchy”.
| घ | gh | give, “breathed” |
| ह | h | hat |
| ज | j | jet, “light” |
| झ | jh | jet, “breathed” |
| क/क़ | k | kick, “light” |
Note: As with g, in Arabic and Persian loanwords the k sound is sometimes produced against the epiglottis, and in those cases is underlined: k.
| ख/ख़ | kh | kick, “breathed” |
Note: In Arabic and Persian loanwords kh is sometimes pronounced as the ch in Scottish loch—in this case we underline it: kh—however not all speakers of Hindi use this sound and kh may thus be rendered as kh at all times.
| ल | l | let |
| म | m | mat |
| ṃ | like m, “lightly nasalized” | |
| न | n | need |
| ण | ṇ | like n, “flapped” |
| ñ | like n, “nasalized” | |
| n. | ink | |
| प | p | pet, “light” |
| फ | ph | pet, “breathed” |
| र | r | rat, but rolled as in Scottish English or Italian |
| ṛ | “flapped” r as in the American butter | |
| स | s | sit |
| श | sh | shine |
| ष | ṣ | like s, “flapped”—but most often pronounced like sh |
| त | t | ten, “light” |
| थ | th | ten, “breathed” |
| ट | ṭ | like t, “flapped” |
| ठ | ṭh | like ṭ, “breathed” |
| व | v | way |
| ज़ | z | zebra, “light” |
English loan words
Note that there are numerous English loan words in Hindi and they are generously used in casual conversation. These loan words get the Great Indian Masala Treatment, craftily adjusting them to local tongues and ears. The result may at first be unintelligible to native English speakers. It will take time (or ṭāim, as Hindi speakers would say) to get used to the Indianized pronunciation.
The consonants t and d are usually pronounced like the retroflex consonants ṭ and ḍ (see ṭāim), and o sometimes becomes a slightly nasalized a or ā (as in prāblam = problem, affis = office, lāṭ = lord, the latter being hardly recognizable from the original).
Synonyms
The Hindi vocabulary is augmented by many words from non-Indian languages (mostly Persian and Arabic), and consequently, there are often several synonyms for any one word in English. As we will see, there are five synonyms for the humble word “but”; some are derived from Sanskrit, others from foreign sources. There are also five Hindi words for “blood” (khūn, rakt, rudhir, lahū, lohu). It is advisable to memorize all the synonyms that will crop up in the course of our little book: Regionally and individually a different synonym may be preferred—and you wouldn’t want to get stuck because of that silly fifth word for “but”, would you?
Hindi loan words in English
Languages don’t just travel on one-way streets: During the time of the British Raj, the British colonial period in India, the foreign rulers imported many words from Indian languages. Some were corrupted beyond recognition, but “something is better than nothing”, as the Indians say. Here are a few of the most common words taken from Hindi:
• Bandanna (from bāndhnā, to bind)
• Bungalow (from baṅglā, a one-storeyed house)
• Cha (from cāy, tea; the basis of the quaint old Briticism “Fancy a cuppa cha, my dear?”)
• Curry (from kaṛhī, a spicy sauce or soup)
• Dacoit (from ḍākū, robber)
• Juggernaut (from Jagannāth, another name for God Vishnu)
• Jungle (from jaṅgal, a thick forest or wasteland)
• Maharaja (from mahārājā, great king)
• Mahout (from mahāvaṭ, a keeper or driver of elephants)
• Pyjamas (from pājāmā, a kind of loose cotton pants)
• Punch (the drink), from pāñc (five), since the original beverage was concocted from five ingredients
• Shampoo (from campī, a head massage, and cāmpnā, to massage)
• Thug (from ṭhag, deceiver; also the word for a member of a murderous cult called ṭhagī, whose adherents roamed the Indian countryside and robbed and killed travelers in the name of Goddess Kali.)
• To loot (from lūṭnā, to rob, plunder)
• Verandah (from baraṇḍā)
Pronunciation, the pitfalls
As we have seen, there are different kinds of consonants in Hindi (“regular” and retroflex, aspirated and unaspirated), as well as different kinds of vowels (long and short). To the untrained ear, the difference may appear minor, but employing the wrong type of consonant or wrong length of vowel can fatally alter the meaning of a word. For example:
ḍāl = a lentil dish; dal = group, team, (political) party.
nāṭā = small in stature; nātā = relationship.
Pronunciation, some encouragement
Initially, pronouncing a new language might get your tongue in a proverbial twist, but practice makes perfect—so don’t be shy at speaking, even at the risk of making mistakes or gaffes. There are only a few non-Indian Hindi speakers, and the locals will be absolutely delighted to find a foreigner making the effort to learn their mother tongue. They will gladly help you improve your skills. Simply go for it!
The Hindi alphabet
| Hindi letter | Roman equivalent |
| अ | a |
| आ | ā |
| इ | i |
| ई |
ī
|