Learn Hindi Alphabates
An overview & definition
Varnamala: The word "वर्णमाला" (Varnamala) comes from two Sanskrit terms—"वर्ण" (Varna), meaning sound or letter, and "माला" (Mala), meaning garland. Together, they signify the collection of sounds, or the “garland of sounds,” that make up the Hindi alphabet.
This organized set of letters is essential for building words and sentences in Hindi. Mastering these foundational elements enables learners to read, write, and pronounce Hindi accurately.
About Devanagari Script
Hindi is primarily written in the Devanagari script, which is a syllabic alphabet used for several languages in India, including Hindi, Sanskrit, Marathi, Nepali, Konkani, and some dialects of Hindi. It is written from left to right and includes various diacritics that modify the sounds of the letters.
Devanagari evolved from the Brahmi script, which dates back to the 3rd century BCE. It has undergone several transformations to become the script used today.
Components of Hindi Varnamala
1. Vowels (स्वर Swar):
Fundamental sounds that can be pronounced independently and form the core of a syllable. They are essential for pronunciation and are often used to start words. Vowels are like fundamental building blocks in Hindi. There are total 13 vowels, each with a unique sound. These 13 vowels are - अ (a), आ (aa), इ (i), ई (ii), उ (u), ऊ (uu), ऋ (ri), ए (e), ऐ (ai), ओ (o), औ (au), अं (an), अः (ah).
Last two vowels representing nasal sounds - अं (an) and अः (ah) are taken from Sanskrit language. They modify pronunciation in a away.
अं (an) is called Anuswaar (अनुस्वार) and अः (ah) is called Visarga (विसर्ग) or Aayogvaah (आयोगवाह - are neither completely classified as vowels nor as consonants. They are used in both vowel and consonant forms.).
2. Consonants (व्यंजन Vyanjan):
Sounds that require a vowel to complete a syllable. Consonants provide structure to words and help convey meaning clearly and precisely.
These consonants are - क (ka), ख (kha), ग (ga), घ (gha), ङ (nga), च (cha), छ (chha), ज (ja), झ (jha), ञ (nya), ट (ṭa), ठ (ṭha), ड (ḍa), ढ (ḍha), ण (ṇa), त (ta), थ (tha), द (da), ध (dha), न (na), प (pa), फ (pha), ब (ba), भ (bha), म (ma), य (ya), र (ra), ल (la), व (va), श (sha), ष (ṣha), स (sa), ह (ha), क्ष (kṣa), त्र (tra) and ज्ञ (jña).
Last three consonants - क्ष (kṣa), त्र (tra) and ज्ञ (jña) are called Sanyukta Vyanjan (संयुक्त व्यंजन). These are conjunct consonants because they are combinations of two or more consonants.
Have a look at them - क्ष (kṣa) = क् (k) + ष (ṣ) | त्र (tra) = त् (t) + र (r) | ज्ञ (jña) = ज् (j) + ञ (ñ).
There is one more additional Sanyukta Vyanjan श्र (śra) which is combination of श् (ś) and र (r).
Hindi Numerals
Hindi numbers are represented in the Devanagari script and have a unique counting system. The Hindi counting system utilizes 10 digits: 0 through 9, known as Arabic numerals, which were originally developed in India and later adopted by Arabic countries and the West.
The numerals used in ancient India were called Brahmi numerals. They were some of the earliest written representations of numbers in India and are considered the ancestors of the Hindu-Arabic numeral system. In Europe, they became known as "Arabic numerals" because Arab merchants introduced them to the West.
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