Letters · 9 min read
Hindi letters in Tamil: all 13 vowels and 33 consonants
இந்தி எழுத்துக்கள் தமிழில் — உச்சரிப்பு, சொற்கள், படங்களுடன்
By the Karu AI team · Updated
Quick answer
Hindi is written in the Devanagari script. School charts teach 46 basic letters: 13 vowels (स्वर, உயிர் எழுத்துகள்) and 33 consonants (व्यंजन, மெய் எழுத்துகள்).
Many have a direct Tamil twin — अ = அ, क = க, म = ம. The others are sounds Tamil writes with one letter: क ख ग घ all come close to க.
Below is every letter with its Tamil twin, its sound in English letters, an example word with a picture, and a 🔊 button to hear it. Print it or save it as a PDF to keep beside your books.
The 13 Hindi vowels (swar) in Tamil
Hindi vowels match Tamil vowels almost one to one. If you can read அ ஆ இ ஈ உ ஊ, you already know how अ आ इ ई उ ऊ sound.
| Hindi | Tamil | Sound | Example word | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| अ | அ | a |  अनारமாதுளை · pomegranate | |
| आ | ஆ | aa |  आमமாம்பழம் · mango | |
| इ | இ | i |  इमलीபுளி · tamarind | |
| ई | ஈ | ee |  ईखகரும்பு · sugarcane | |
| उ | உ | u |  उल्लूஆந்தை · owl | |
| ऊ | ஊ | oo |  ऊनகம்பளி · wool | |
| ऋ | ரு | ri |  ऋषिமுனிவர் · sage | |
| ए | ஏ | e |  एकஒன்று · one | |
| ऐ | ஐ | ai |  ऐनकகண்ணாடி · spectacles | |
| ओ | ஓ | o |  ओखलीஉரல் · mortar | |
| औ | ஔ | au |  औरतபெண் · woman | |
| अं | அம் | am |  अंगूरதிராட்சை · grapes | |
| अः | அஹ | ah |  दुःखதுக்கம் · sorrow |
- ऋ is said “ri” in Hindi — ऋषि is “rishi”. Tamil writes it ரு or ரி.
- अं adds a nasal sound, like ம் or ங்: अंगूर is “angoor”.
- अः adds a soft breath, like a short “ha”. You will mostly see it inside words such as दुःख.
- Hindi has no short எ or ஒ. ए is always the long ஏ and ओ the long ஓ.
The 33 Hindi consonants (vyanjan) in Tamil
The secret: Tamil already has the same chart
The first 25 Hindi consonants sit in a 5 × 5 grid. Each row is one place in the mouth, and the five columns are always the same kind of sound. Here is the part most books never tell Tamil students: the Tamil alphabet follows the same grid. Tamil kept the first and the last column of every row — க ங ச ஞ ட ண த ந ப ம, in exactly that order.
| Row | 1 · plain | 2 · + breath | 3 · voiced | 4 · voiced + breath | 5 · nasal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| back of the throat | क = க | ख | ग | घ | ङ = ங |
| middle of the tongue | च = ச | छ | ज | झ | ञ = ஞ |
| tongue curled back | ट = ட | ठ | ड | ढ | ण = ண |
| tongue on the teeth | त = த | थ | द | ध | न = ந |
| lips | प = ப | फ | ब | भ | म = ம |
So you already know 10 of the 25. The new work is columns 2, 3 and 4 — and they follow one rule across every row:
- Column 2 adds a puff of breath: क → ख (kha), प → फ (pha).
- Column 3 is the voiced sound — the soft “g”, “j”, “d”, “b” you already say in the middle of Tamil words like மகன் (magan).
- Column 4 is voiced + breath: घ (gha), भ (bha).
Learn the rule once and you can say all 15 new letters. Our guide to saying क ख ग घ has two quick tests and word pairs to train your ear.
The क row — back of the throat
| Hindi | Tamil | Sound | Example word | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| क | க | ka |  कमलதாமரை · lotus | |
| ख | க்ஹ | kha |  खरगोशமுயல் · rabbit | |
| ग | க (ga) | ga |  गमलाபூந்தொட்டி · flower pot | |
| घ | க்ஹ (gha) | gha |  घरவீடு · house | |
| ङ | ங | nga |  गंगाகங்கை · the Ganga |
The च row — middle of the tongue
| Hindi | Tamil | Sound | Example word | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| च | ச | cha |  चम्मचகரண்டி · spoon | |
| छ | ச்ஹ | chha |  छतகூரை · roof | |
| ज | ஜ | ja |  जहाजகப்பல் · ship | |
| झ | ஜ்ஹ | jha |  झरनाநீர்வீழ்ச்சி · waterfall | |
| ञ | ஞ | nya |  ज्ञानஞானம் · knowledge |
The ट row — tongue curled back
| Hindi | Tamil | Sound | Example word | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ट | ட | Ta |  टमाटरதக்காளி · tomato | |
| ठ | ட்ஹ | Tha |  ठहरोநில் · wait | |
| ड | ட (da) | Da |  डमरूஉடுக்கை · small drum | |
| ढ | ட்ஹ (dda) | Dha |  ढक्कनமூடி · lid | |
| ण | ண | Na |  बाणஅம்பு · arrow |
The त row — tongue on the teeth
| Hindi | Tamil | Sound | Example word | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| त | த | ta |  तरबूजதர்பூசணி · watermelon | |
| थ | த்ஹ | tha |  थकानசோர்வு · tiredness | |
| द | த (dha) | da |  दसபத்து · ten | |
| ध | த்ஹ (dhha) | dha |  धनुषவில் · bow | |
| न | ந | na |  नलகுழாய் · tap |
The प row — lips
| Hindi | Tamil | Sound | Example word | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| प | ப | pa |  पतंगபட்டம் · kite | |
| फ | ஃப | pha |  फलபழம் · fruit | |
| ब | ப (ba) | ba |  बकरीஆடு · goat | |
| भ | ப்ஹ (bha) | bha |  भवनகட்டிடம் · building | |
| म | ம | ma |  मछलीமீன் · fish |
The last eight: य र ल व and श ष स ह
After the grid, Tamil and Hindi line up again: Tamil goes ப ம ய ர ல வ, and Hindi goes प म य र ल व. The hissing sounds श ष स ह are the letters Tamil writes as ஷ ஸ ஹ.
| Hindi | Tamil | Sound | Example word | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| य | ய | ya |  यज्ञயாகம் · fire ritual | |
| र | ர | ra |  रथதேர் · chariot | |
| ल | ல | la |  लहरஅலை · wave | |
| व | வ | va |  वनகாடு · forest | |
| श | ஷ | sha |  शहरநகரம் · city | |
| ष | ஷ (soft) | Sha |  षट्कोणஅறுகோணம் · hexagon | |
| स | ஸ | sa |  समयநேரம் · time | |
| ह | ஹ | ha |  हलகலப்பை · plough |
In everyday Hindi, श and ष sound the same (“sh”). You still need to know which one a word uses when you write it.
Letters Tamil speakers mix up
Joined letters and dotted letters
Many charts end with four joined letters — क्ष, त्र, ज्ञ and श्र. Each is two consonants written as one shape. They are easy once you know half letters; see Hindi half letters explained.
You will also meet letters with a dot below. ड़ and ढ़ are quick flapped sounds, as in सड़क (road) and पढ़ना (to read). ज़ (z) and फ़ (f) are used in words from Urdu and English, like ज़रूर and फ़ोन.
How to learn the Hindi letters faster
- Learn by rows, not one by one. The grid above turns 25 letters into five rows and one rule.
- Use the Tamil twin as a hook, then fix the sound: ख starts from க and adds breath.
- Say every letter aloud. Hearing yourself is how your ear learns the new sounds.
- Write each new letter once in a notebook, starting with the top line (the शिरोरेखा).
- Ten minutes a day. Our 30-day plan shows what to do each day.
Questions learners ask
How many letters are there in the Hindi alphabet?
Most school charts teach 13 vowels (swar) and 33 consonants (vyanjan) — 46 letters. Some books count 11 vowels because they treat अं and अः separately, and some count 52 by adding the joined letters क्ष, त्र, ज्ञ, श्र and the dotted letters ड़ and ढ़. The letters are the same; only the way of counting changes.
Which Hindi letters are hardest for Tamil speakers?
The ones Tamil writes with a single letter: क ख ग घ (all close to க), च छ ज झ, ट ठ ड ढ, त थ द ध and प फ ब भ. Tamil has one letter for each of these groups, so the ear needs practice to hear the 'h' breath and the voiced sound.
Is the Hindi alphabet the same as Sanskrit?
Hindi and Sanskrit are both written in the Devanagari script and use almost the same letters. Hindi rarely uses a few of them (like ङ and ञ on their own) and adds dotted letters like ड़ and ढ़.
How long does it take to learn Hindi letters?
With about 10 minutes a day, most learners can recognise and say all 46 letters in two to three weeks. Reading words with matras usually takes another two weeks.
Written by the Karu AI team
Karu AI is a Hindi basics app made in Tamil Nadu. Designed by a Hindi teacher with 14+ years of experience who has taught thousands of students. The letters, words and meanings here are the same ones learners practise in the app. Last updated . Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
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