Vowels and Consonants in Hindi — स्वर और व्यंजन | Complete Guide

The Hindi Varnamala (वर्णमाला — alphabet) is divided into two main categories:

1. Swar (स्वर — Vowels): Sounds that can be spoken independently without the help of any other letter. The air passes freely through the mouth without any obstruction. Example: अ, आ, इ — these can be pronounced on their own.

2. Vyanjan (व्यंजन — Consonants): Sounds that cannot be pronounced without the help of a vowel. Every consonant carries an inherent अ (a) sound. Example: क is pronounced "ka," ग is pronounced "ga" — they need the अ vowel to be spoken.

Together, the 11 swar + 33 vyanjan + 4 sanyukt vyanjan (combined consonants) form the complete Hindi alphabet.

The 11 standard Hindi vowels are:

अ (a), आ (aa), इ (i), ई (ee), उ (u), ऊ (oo), ऋ (ri), ए (e), ऐ (ai), ओ (o), औ (au)

Additionally, there are two special sounds called Ayogvaah (अयोग्वाह): • अं (Anuswaar — अनुस्वार) — a nasal humming sound, like 'n' or 'm.' Example: अंगूर (angoor — grapes) • अः (Visarg — विसर्ग) — a breathy 'h' sound at the end. Example: अतः (atah — therefore)

Note: Some textbooks count 13 vowels (11 + अं + अः), while the Government of India standard recognises 11 vowels with अं and अः classified separately as Ayogvaah.

Hindi vowels are classified based on the time taken to pronounce them:

1. Hrasva Swar (ह्रस्व स्वर — Short Vowels) These take the shortest time to pronounce. They are also called Mool Swar (मूल स्वर — root vowels). There are 4 Hrasva Swar: अ, इ, उ, ऋ

2. Dirgha Swar (दीर्घ स्वर — Long Vowels) These take twice as long to pronounce as Hrasva Swar. There are 7 Dirgha Swar: आ, ई, ऊ, ए, ऐ, ओ, औ

3. Plut Swar (प्लुत स्वर — Extended Vowels) These take three times as long to pronounce. They are rarely used in everyday Hindi — mostly in Vedic chanting or when calling someone from a distance. Example: ओ३म् (Om with extended pronunciation)

Another classification is by structure: • Mool Swar (मूल स्वर — Primary): अ, इ, उ, ऋ • Samyukt Swar (संयुक्त स्वर — Compound/Diphthongs): ए (अ+इ), ऐ (अ+ए), ओ (अ+उ), औ (अ+ओ)

The 33 standard Hindi consonants arranged by place of articulation:

क वर्ग (Gutturals — throat): क, ख, ग, घ, ङ च वर्ग (Palatals — palate): च, छ, ज, झ, ञ ट वर्ग (Cerebrals — roof of mouth): ट, ठ, ड, ढ, ण त वर्ग (Dentals — teeth): त, थ, द, ध, न प वर्ग (Labials — lips): प, फ, ब, भ, म अंतस्थ व्यंजन (Semi-consonants): य, र, ल, व ऊष्म व्यंजन (Fricatives): श, ष, स, ह

Plus 4 Sanyukt Vyanjan (संयुक्त व्यंजन — combined consonants): क्ष (क् + ष), त्र (त् + र), ज्ञ (ज् + ञ), श्र (श् + र)

Hindi consonants are classified into three main types:

1. Sparsh Vyanjan (स्पर्श व्यंजन — Touch Consonants) — 25 letters The tongue touches a specific part of the mouth. Arranged in 5 groups of 5: क वर्ग, च वर्ग, ट वर्ग, त वर्ग, प वर्ग

2. Antastha Vyanjan (अंतस्थ व्यंजन — Semi-Consonants) — 4 letters Pronounced between vowels and consonants: य, र, ल, व

3. Ushma Vyanjan (ऊष्म व्यंजन — Fricatives) — 4 letters Air passes through a narrow gap creating friction: श, ष, स, ह

Consonants are also classified by: • Alpapran (अल्पप्राण — less breath): 1st, 3rd, 5th in each Sparsh group (e.g., क, ग, ङ) • Mahapran (महाप्राण — more breath): 2nd, 4th in each Sparsh group (e.g., ख, घ) • Aghosh (अघोष — unvoiced): 1st, 2nd in each group (e.g., क, ख) • Saghosh (सघोष — voiced): 3rd, 4th, 5th in each group (e.g., ग, घ, ङ)

Here are the key differences between vowels and consonants in Hindi:

Swar (स्वर — Vowels): • Can be pronounced independently without any help • Air flows freely without obstruction • Total: 11 in standard Hindi • Types: Hrasva (short), Dirgha (long), Plut (extended) • Examples: अ, आ, इ, ई, उ, ऊ

Vyanjan (व्यंजन — Consonants): • Cannot be pronounced without the help of a vowel • Air is obstructed at some point in the mouth • Total: 33 in standard Hindi (+ 4 Sanyukt Vyanjan) • Types: Sparsh (touch), Antastha (semi), Ushma (fricative) • Examples: क, ख, ग, घ, च, छ

Key rule: Every Hindi consonant has an inherent अ (a) sound. When you see क, it is actually "ka." To remove the vowel sound, a halant (्) is used — क् becomes just the "k" sound.

The complete Hindi Varnamala at a glance:

Swar (स्वर — 11 Vowels): अ आ इ ई उ ऊ ऋ ए ऐ ओ औ

Ayogvaah (अयोग्वाह — 2 Special Sounds): अं (Anuswaar) अः (Visarg)

Vyanjan (व्यंजन — 33 Consonants): क ख ग घ ङ च छ ज झ ञ ट ठ ड ढ ण त थ द ध न प फ ब भ म य र ल व श ष स ह

Sanyukt Vyanjan (संयुक्त व्यंजन — 4 Combined): क्ष त्र ज्ञ श्र

Total letters: 11 (swar) + 33 (vyanjan) + 4 (sanyukt) = 48 (Or 52 if counting अं, अः and nuqta letters ड़, ढ़)