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This lesson covers the remaining 18 consonants in Devanagari: the dentals (तवर्ग), labials (पवर्ग), semivowels (अंतःस्थ), sibilants (ऊष्म), and the aspirate ह.
Dental sounds are produced with the tongue touching the back of the upper teeth. These are softer than the retroflex sounds from the previous lesson.
| Character | Romanisation | IPA | Aspirated? | Example Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| त | ta | /t̪ə/ | No | तारा (taaraa) | star |
| थ | tha | /t̪ʰə/ | Yes | थाली (thaalee) | plate |
| द | da | /d̪ə/ | No | दरवाज़ा (darvaazaa) | door |
| ध | dha | /d̪ʱə/ | Yes | धन (dhan) | wealth |
| न | na | /nə/ | Nasal | नमक (namak) | salt |
Tip: English "t" and "d" are actually pronounced with the tongue on the alveolar ridge (behind the teeth), not on the teeth themselves. Hindi dentals require you to place your tongue directly on the upper teeth. This is one of the most important pronunciation differences for English speakers.
Labial sounds are produced by bringing both lips together.
| Character | Romanisation | IPA | Aspirated? | Example Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| प | pa | /pə/ | No | पानी (paanee) | water |
| फ | pha | /pʰə/ | Yes | फल (phal) | fruit |
| ब | ba | /bə/ | No | बच्चा (bachchaa) | child |
| भ | bha | /bʱə/ | Yes | भारत (bhaarat) | India |
| म | ma | /mə/ | Nasal | माता (maataa) | mother |
Important: The consonant फ (pha) is NOT pronounced like the English "f". It is an aspirated "p" — a "p" with a puff of air. However, in modern Hindi, the borrowed sound "f" (as in "file") is written as फ़ with a dot (nuqta) beneath.
Now that you know all five groups, here is the complete consonant grid:
| Unaspirated | Aspirated | Voiced | Voiced Aspirated | Nasal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Velar | क (ka) | ख (kha) | ग (ga) | घ (gha) | ङ (ṅa) |
| Palatal | च (cha) | छ (chha) | ज (ja) | झ (jha) | ञ (ña) |
| Retroflex | ट (ṭa) | ठ (ṭha) | ड (ḍa) | ढ (ḍha) | ण (ṇa) |
| Dental | त (ta) | थ (tha) | द (da) | ध (dha) | न (na) |
| Labial | प (pa) | फ (pha) | ब (ba) | भ (bha) | म (ma) |
Tip: This 5x5 grid is the backbone of the Devanagari consonant system. If you can recite it from memory (क, ख, ग, घ, ङ ... प, फ, ब, भ, म), you have mastered the core structure.
Semivowels are sounds that fall between vowels and consonants. They are produced with less obstruction of airflow.
| Character | Romanisation | IPA | Example Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| य | ya | /jə/ | याद (yaad) | memory |
| र | ra | /ɾə/ | राजा (raajaa) | king |
| ल | la | /lə/ | लड़का (laṛkaa) | boy |
| व | va / wa | /ʋə/ | वन (van) | forest |
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