How many letters are there in the Hindi alphabet?

The Hindi alphabet has 52 letters in total. This includes 11 vowels (Swar), 2 Ayogvah markers, 33 core consonants (Vyanjan), 2 additional flap consonants (ड़, ढ़), and 4 combined consonants (Sanyukt Vyanjan).

What is the difference between Swar and Vyanjan in Hindi?

Swar (vowels) can be spoken independently without any other letter sound. Vyanjan (consonants) require the support of a vowel sound to be pronounced completely.

What is Barakhadi in Hindi?

Barakhadi is the chart formed by adding the 12 vowel sounds (matras) to a Hindi consonant. For example, adding vowel signs to 'क' produces 'क, का, कि, की, कु, कू, के, कै, को, कौ, कं, कः'.

Which script is used to write the Hindi language?

Hindi is written in the Devanagari script, which is written from left to right with a horizontal line called the Shirorekha drawn across the top of words.

What are Sanyukt Vyanjan in Hindi?

Sanyukt Vyanjan are compound consonants formed by joining two different consonants together. The four standard compound consonants in Hindi are क्ष (Ksha), त्र (Tra), ज्ञ (Gya), and श्र (Shra).

Hindi Alphabet Chart: Swar, Vyanjan, and Barakhadi in English

The Hindi alphabet, known as the Hindi Varnamala, consists of 52 letters written in the Devanagari script. It is broadly divided into two main categories: vowels (Swar) and consonants (Vyanjan). Unlike English, Hindi is a phonetic language. Every letter represents a single distinct sound, which means words are pronounced exactly as they are written. Students across CBSE, ICSE, and state boards learn these letters to build a strong base for reading and writing.

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Hindi Vowels (Swar - स्वर)

Vowels in Hindi are sounds that can be spoken independently without the help of any other letter. There are 11 traditional vowels along with 2 additional vowel markers (Am and Aha) known as Ayogvah.

Swar can stand alone as complete words or attach to consonants as vowel signs called Matras.
Short vowels take less time to pronounce, while long vowels take twice the time.

Hindi Letter	English Letter	Pronunciation Guide	Example Word
अ	A	Short 'u' sound as in 'Cup	अनार (Anar - Pomegranate)
आ	Aa	Long 'aa' sound as in 'Father	आम (Aam - Mango)
इ	I	Short 'i' sound as in 'Sit	इमली (Imli - Tamarind)
ई	Ee	Long 'ee' sound as in 'Feet	ईख (Eekh - Sugarcane)
उ	U	Short 'u' sound as in 'Put	उल्लू (Ullu - Owl)
ऊ	Oo	Long 'oo' sound as in 'Boot	ऊन (Oon - Wool)
ऋ	Ri	Soft 'ri' sound as in 'Rigid	ऋषि (Rishi - Sage)
ए	E	Sound like 'e' in 'Play' or 'Bed	एक (Ek - One)
ऐ	Ai	Sound like 'ai' in 'Air' or 'Apple	ऐनक (Ainak - Spectacles)
ओ	O	Round 'o' sound as in 'Go	ओखली (Okhli - Mortar)
औ	Au	Open 'au' sound as in 'Sauce	औरत (Aurat - Woman)
अं	Am / An	Nasal dot sound (Anusvara) as in 'Umbrella	अंगूर (Angoor - Grapes)
अः	Aha	Soft breath sound (Visarga)	अतः (Atah - Therefore)

Hindi Consonants (Vyanjan - व्यंजन)

Consonants in Hindi need the help of a vowel (by default, the short vowel 'A') to be pronounced fully. The 33 core consonants are grouped into five structured sound families (Vargas) based on where the tongue touches the mouth, followed by semi-vowels and sibilants.

Kavarg: Throat sounds (Guttural)
Chavarg: Palate sounds (Palatal)
Tavarg (Retroflex): Tongue curled back touching the roof of the mouth
Tavarg (Dental): Tongue touching the upper teeth
Pavarg: Lip sounds (Labial)

Hindi Letter	English Transliteration	Sound Group	Example Word
क	Ka	Kavarg	कमल (Kamal - Lotus)
ख	Kha	Kavarg	खरगोश (Khargosh - Rabbit)
ग	Ga	Kavarg	गमला (Gamla - Flowerpot)
घ	Gha	Kavarg	घर (Ghar - House)
ङ	Nga	Kavarg	Nasal sound
च	Cha	Chavarg	चम्मच (Chammach - Spoon)
छ	Chha	Chavarg	छतरी (Chhatri - Umbrella)
ज	Ja	Chavarg	जग (Jag - Jug)
झ	Jha	Chavarg	झंडा (Jhanda - Flag)
ञ	Nya	Chavarg	Nasal sound
ट	Ta (Hard)	Tavarg (Retroflex)	टमाटर (Tamatar - Tomato)
ठ	Tha (Hard)	Tavarg (Retroflex)	ठठेरा (Thathera - Tinker)
ड	Da (Hard)	Tavarg (Retroflex)	डमरू (Damru - Small Drum)
ढ	Dha (Hard)	Tavarg (Retroflex)	ढक्कन (Dhakkan - Lid)
ण	Na (Retroflex)	Tavarg (Retroflex)	बाण (Baan - Arrow)
त	Ta (Soft)	Tavarg (Dental)	तरबूज (Tarbooj - Watermelon)
थ	Tha (Soft)	Tavarg (Dental)	थर्मस (Thermos)
द	Da (Soft)	Tavarg (Dental)	दवात (Dawat - Inkpot)
ध	Dha (Soft)	Tavarg (Dental)	धनुष (Dhanush - Bow)
न	Na	Tavarg (Dental)	नल (Nal - Tap)
प	Pa	Pavarg	पतंग (Patang - Kite)
फ	Pha / Fa	Pavarg	फल (Phal - Fruit)
ब	Ba	Pavarg	बतख (Batakh - Duck)
भ	Bha	Pavarg	भालू (Bhalu - Bear)
म	Ma	Pavarg	मछली (Machhli - Fish)
य	Ya	Antastha (Semi-vowel)	यज्ञ (Yagya - Ritual)
र	Ra	Antastha (Semi-vowel)	रथ (Rath - Chariot)
ल	La	Antastha (Semi-vowel)	लट्टू (Lattu - Spinning Top)
व	Va / Wa	Antastha (Semi-vowel)	वक (Vak - Crane)
श	Sha (Soft)	Ushma (Sibilant)	शलजम (Shaljam - Turnip)
ष	Sha (Hard)	Ushma (Sibilant)	षट्कोण (Shatkon - Hexagon)
स	Sa	Ushma (Sibilant)	सपेरा (Sapera - Snake Charmer)
ह	Ha	Ushma (Sibilant)	हाथी (Haathi - Elephant)

Joint Letters and Special Sounds (Sanyukt and Dwigun Vyanjan)

In addition to the 33 primary consonants, the Hindi alphabet contains 4 combined consonants (Sanyukt Vyanjan) formed by joining two consonants together, and 2 additional flap consonants (Dwigun Vyanjan).

Sanyukt Vyanjan combine two consonant sounds into one written letter shape.
Dwigun Vyanjan (ड़ and ढ़) are modified forms of ड and ढ that create a rolling sound inside words.

Letter	English Sound	Letter Formation	Example Word
क्ष	Ksha	क् + ष	क्षत्रिय (Kshatriya - Warrior)
त्र	Tra	त् + र	त्रिशूल (Trishul - Trident)
ज्ञ	Gya	ज् + ञ	ज्ञानी (Gyani - Wise Person)
श्र	Shra	श् + र	श्रमिक (Shramik - Worker)
ड़	Rda	Flap 'r' sound	पेड़ (Ped - Tree)
ढ़	Rdha	Aspirated flap 'rh' sound	पढ़ना (Padhna - To Read)

Hindi Matras (Vowel Signs)

When a vowel is combined with a consonant, it takes the form of a symbol called a Matra. The first vowel 'अ' has no visible matra sign because it is already built into every standalone consonant letter.

Matras can sit on the right, left, top, or bottom of a consonant.
A consonant without any vowel has a small stroke underneath called a Halant (हलंत).

Vowel	Matra Symbol	With Letter 'क	English Pronunciation
अ	No sign	क	Ka
आ	ा	का	Kaa
इ	ि	कि	Ki
ई	ी	की	Kee
उ	ु	कु	Ku
ऊ	ू	कू	Koo
ऋ	ृ	कृ	Kri
ए	े	के	Ke
ऐ	ै	कै	Kai
ओ	ो	को	Ko
औ	ौ	कौ	Kau
अं	ं	कं	Kam
अः	ः	कः	Kah

Understanding Barakhadi (बारहखड़ी)

Barakhadi refers to the series of 12 distinct sounds created when all vowel signs are attached one by one to a single consonant. Practicing Barakhadi helps learners read Hindi words fluently.

The word Barakhadi comes from 'Barah' meaning twelve.
Learning Barakhadi for one consonant allows you to apply the same pattern to all other consonants.

Consonant	Full Barakhadi Sequence in Hindi	English Transliteration
क	क, का, कि, की, कु, कू, के, कै, को, कौ, कं, कः	Ka, Kaa, Ki, Kee, Ku, Koo, Ke, Kai, Ko, Kau, Kam, Kah
ख	ख, खा, खि, खी, खु, खू, खे, खै, खो, खौ, खं, खः	Kha, Khaa, Khi, Khee, Khu, Khoo, Khe, Khai, Kho, Khau, Kham, Khah
ग	ग, गा, गि, गी, गु, गू, गे, गै, गो, गौ, गं, गः	Ga, Gaa, Gi, Gee, Gu, Goo, Ge, Gai, Go, Gau, Gam, Gah
घ	घ, घा, घि, घी, घु, घू, घे, घै, घो, घौ, घं, घः	Gha, Ghaa, Ghi, Ghee, Ghu, Ghoo, Ghe, Ghai, Gho, Ghau, Gham, Ghah
च	च, चा, चि, ची, चु, चू, चे, चै, चो, चौ, चं, चः	Cha, Chaa, Chi, Chee, Chu, Choo, Che, Chai, Cho, Chau, Cham, Chah

Common questions

How many letters are there in the Hindi alphabet?: The Hindi alphabet has 52 letters in total. This includes 11 vowels (Swar), 2 Ayogvah markers, 33 core consonants (Vyanjan), 2 additional flap consonants (ड़, ढ़), and 4 combined consonants (Sanyukt Vyanjan).
What is the difference between Swar and Vyanjan in Hindi?: Swar (vowels) can be spoken independently without any other letter sound. Vyanjan (consonants) require the support of a vowel sound to be pronounced completely.
What is Barakhadi in Hindi?: Barakhadi is the chart formed by adding the 12 vowel sounds (matras) to a Hindi consonant. For example, adding vowel signs to 'क' produces 'क, का, कि, की, कु, कू, के, कै, को, कौ, कं, कः'.
Which script is used to write the Hindi language?: Hindi is written in the Devanagari script, which is written from left to right with a horizontal line called the Shirorekha drawn across the top of words.
What are Sanyukt Vyanjan in Hindi?: Sanyukt Vyanjan are compound consonants formed by joining two different consonants together. The four standard compound consonants in Hindi are क्ष (Ksha), त्र (Tra), ज्ञ (Gya), and श्र (Shra).