Hindi Language Blog
Menu
Search

Nasalized Vowels in Hindi Posted by on Sep 25, 2014 in Hindi Language

Nasalized vowels are very important in Hindi but these can also confuse many of the beginner in Hindi. Sure, the nasalized vowels are can be tricky but once you understood the concept behind them, you can understand and use them without any difficulty. Beside nouns, nasalized words are used extensively in the plural forms of Hindi word so keep that in mind as a hint. There is two important nasalized marks in Hindi. Let me show you the nasalized vowels with some examples.

1. ं – न – N
This represent nasalized vowel “न” in Hindi or its equivalent “n” in English. In Hindi, it is called अनुस्वार (Anusvar). You can visualize the word combination as अ + ं = अं. The same mark is placed on the vowels to make other nasalized vowels. Remember that the nasalized marks comes on preceding vowel or consonant.

Some examples of such nasalized vowels are:

अंत – Ant – End
पंख – Pankh – Feather
सुंदर – Sundar – Beautiful
पांच – Paanch – Five
हिंदी – Hindi – Hindi
मैं – Main – I
आदमियों – Aadmiaon – Men
महिलाओं – Mahilaon – Women


2. ँ – न – AN

This represent nasalized vowel “म” in Hindi or its equivalent “an” in English. In Hindi, it is called चन्द्रबिन्दु (Chandrabindu, from Chandra means moon and bindu means dot) because it looks like a dot on the moon. You can visualize the word combination as अ + ँ = अँ. In some Hindi words, the dot may also be used for to replace any nasal sounds such as ङ, ञ, ण, न, म when they are found as the first letter of a conjunct. Remember that the nasalized marks comes on preceding vowel or consonant.

Some examples of such nasalized vowels are:

हँसना – Hamsna – to laugh
हाँ – Haan – Yes
घड़ियाँ – Ghadiyaan – Watches
चाँद – Chand – Moon
कहाँ – Kahan – Where
पाँव – Paanv – Feet
थाईलैंड – Thailend – Thailand
भाषाएँ – Bhashayean – Languages

Nasalized sound for ङ, ञ, ण, न, म
अण्डा or अंडा – Anda – Egg
लम्बा or लंबा – Lamba – long, tall

Tags: , , ,
Keep learning Hindi with us!

Build vocabulary, practice pronunciation, and more with Transparent Language Online. Available anytime, anywhere, on any device.

Try it Free Find it at your Library
Share this:
Pin it

About the Author: Nitin Kumar

Nitin Kumar is a native Hindi speaker from New Delhi, India. His education qualification include Masters in Robotics and Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering. Currently, he is working in the Research and Development in Robotics in Germany. He is avid language learner with varied level of proficiency in English, German, Spanish, and Japanese. He wish to learn French one day. His passion for languages motivated him to share his mother tongue, Hindi, and culture and traditions associated with its speakers. He has been working with Transparent Language since 2010 and has written over 430 blogs on various topics on Hindi language and India, its culture and traditions. He is also the Administrator for Hindi Facebook page which has a community of over 330,000 members.