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Teaching Children Hindi Vowels

Are you struggling to find supplemental resources to help your child learn the Hindi alphabet? Want to help your child learn and practice Hindi vowels? Look no further!
Many classrooms begin language instruction with a curriculum designed to teach letter recognition, letter tracing, and letter pronunciation. As the backbone of language, letters have unique characteristics and rules associated with them and it is important to understand those with your child as you help them build literacy skills.
Hindi vowels are often taught first when learning the alphabet. Read on for more information and resources to help your child start learning today.

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How many Hindi vowels are there?

Officially, the standard Hindi alphabet has 11 vowels and 35 consonants. Traditionally though, the alphabet has 13 vowels and 33 consonants so you may find some conflicting information online, depending on where you look. For teaching purposes, it’s best to stay with the officially recognized 11 Hindi vowels.
These 11 are made up of 2 different types of vowels, depending on the letters around them:
Independent and Dependent.


independent Hindi vowels downloadable worksheet
dependent Hindi vowels downloadable worksheet

Check out the chart below to learn more! * a अ is an inherent sound in every consonant and that is the reason we can use half consonants in Hindi script.
** अं (an) or a bindi is used for nasalisation of vowels and also for various nasal consonants.
***अ:  (ah) is a visarg ( : ) Visarh can be silent or pronounced as h.

hindi-vowel-chart downloadable printable

An interactive app for children to learn Hindi!

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Our family pricing plans provide access to Shoonya Kids for language learning at home.

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For Educators

Our curriculum is designed for students from TK to 2nd grade, providing age-appropriate language learning content that aligns with educational standards.

How to Pronounce Each of the Hindi Vowels Correctly

Let’s take a look at each of the 11 vowels used in Hindi
Below, you can see what each one looks like, along with a short clip so you can hear it being used. Make sure you repeat each one and for more practice in letter recognition and tracing, read on to find our Hindi vowel printables.

1_a.
a / anar

Pronunciation is similar to how the letter “A” is pronounced in the words Above, About, and America.

Examples:
Anaar (pomegranate)
Adarak (ginger)
Akharot (walnut)

2_aa
aa / aam

Pronunciation is similar to how the letter “A” is pronounced in the words Star, Father, and Garden.

Examples:
Aam (mango)
Aaloo (potato)
Aag (fire)

3_i
i / imli

Pronunciation is similar to how the letter “I” is pronounced in the words Pin, Chin, and In.

Examples:
Imalee (tamarind)
Istree (iron)
Illee (caterpillar)

ii
ii / eekh

Pronunciation is similar to how the letters “EA” are pronounced in the words Eat, Meat, and Treat.

Examples:
Eekh (sugar cane)
Eent (brick)
Eendhan (fuel)

u
u / ullu

Pronunciation is similar to how the letters “U” is pronounced in the words Pull, Full, and Bull.

Examples:
Ulluu (owl)
Upahaar (gift)
Ungali (finger)

uu
uu / onth

Pronunciation is similar to how the letters “OO” are pronounced in the words Moon, Spoon, and Cool.

Examples:
Oonth (camel)
Oon (wool)
Oodabilaav (otter)

r
r / rishi

Pronunciation is similar to how the letters “I” is pronounced in the words Grip, Trip, and Rip.

Examples:
Rishi (sage)
Ritu (season)
Rigved (Rig-Veda)

e
e / ektara

Pronunciation is similar to how the letters “A” are pronounced in Plate, Late, and Ray.

Examples:
Ektara (ekataaraa) - musical instrument
Eree (heel)

ai
ai / ainak

Pronunciation is similar to how the letters “I” kis pronounced in the words Ice, Rice, and Fine.

Examples:
Ainak (glasses)
Aidi (ankle)

o
o / okhalee

Pronunciation is similar to how the letter “O” is pronounced in the words Over, More, and Door.

Examples:
Okhalee (mortar)
Os (dew)
Ole (hail)

au
au / aurat

Pronunciation is similar to how the letters “OU” are pronounced in Trouser, House, and Mouse.

Examples:
Aurat (woman)
Aujar (tool)
Aushadhi (medicine)

am
am / anda

Pronunciation is similar to how the letters “UN” are pronounced in Hunger, Hunter, and Fungus.

Examples:
Anda (egg)
Angoor (grapes)
Angoothaa (thumb)

Immersion makes for fast language learning

Research has shown that immersive language acquisition has a positive impact on cognitive development in children and can bring about faster learning outcomes.

Many people who want to learn a second language through immersion may travel to a country where the language is natively spoken by locals. Although hopping on a plane to visit or live in India may make for the most immersive experience, we know that it is not an option for most families. So how do you create this kind of immersive environment in your own home?

The key is using immersive learning tools while reinforcing vocabulary through conversation and practice in the home. Use our free printable downloads below to begin practicing!

hindi-consonant-printables-for-kids

Full Hindi Language Immersion

  • Theme-based interactive lessons that teach children their first 500 words in Hindi. 

  • Avatars and clothing that children can play with as they learn about Indian culture as well as cultures from around the world!

  • Carefully designed activities to learn the Hindi alphabet.

More Hindi Language Practice

What People Are Saying About Shoonya

Parents and educators alike are loving Shoonya Kids!

“The bright colors, beautiful graphics, and funny animations really make this app stand out! You can tell there was a lot of thought put into every element and we especially loved the peacock and building characters in the rewards center! Super glad to have found this in time for summer.”

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Parent

“As the director of multilingual education, I know the research is clear about the many additional benefits to the exposure of a bilingual education in early childhood. These include increased problem-solving abilities, better working memory and improved capacity for abstract thinking, among other benefits. Having the opportunity to experience the multilingual Shoonya app will contribute to the benefits and will also expand our students’ multicultural awareness and stimulate their curiosity about other parts of the world. We are excited to get started with Shoonya!”

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Marisol Guillen

Senior Director, Multilingual Education Hueneme Elementary School District

“I love Shoonya Kids because it is so dynamic, it is game-based, it provides social interaction, kids can see themselves in it, its equitable, and it’s fun!

The kids are interacting with the game based platform and they can move from language to language - and that’s awesome!”

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Dr. Barbara Flores

Former President, CABE

Frequently Asked Questions About Hindi Learning for kids

To make sure you have all the information you need to help your child learn Hindi, we’ve covered all of the most frequently asked questions we get on the topic.

Still have questions? Get in touch with our friendly team today, we’d love to help!

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  • How do I change my password?
    Log in to the teacher portal via the website using your school email address and current password. Click “Settings” in the top right corner. Click “change your password” and make changes. If you have signed in using Clever or Google SSO, manage your password through those accounts. See how.
  • How do I get an account for the Shoonya Kids app?
    To set up a new account, visit our website and click on "Sign Up”. Follow the prompts to enter your information and set up your account with your school code.
  • How do I contact technical support?
    To contact shoonya support, simply email support@shoonyadigital.com
  • What are the technical requirements for Shoonya Kids?
    Shoonya Kids is an iOS app that requires iOS 16 or higher, internet connection to install, a compatible iOS device (iPad, iPhone), and the latest version of the Shoonya Kids app.
  • What languages are available?
    Shoonya Kids currently offers Hindi, Telugu, Marathi, Spanish, and English. We are continuously working to add more languages to our app, so stay tuned for updates!
  • Is Shoonya Kids free?
    Shoonya Kids offers a free version of the app with limited access to features. However, to unlock the full potential of the app and gain access to all languages and activities, you can choose from our affordable subscription plans.
  • What resources do you offer to help me support my child at home?
    We offer a variety of resources to support at home learning including instructional videos for using the Shoonya App at home and printable practice sheets. Subscribe to our newsletter to recieve printables in five languages straight to your inbox.
  • How do I cancel iTunes billing?
    To cancel iTunes billing, go to your iTunes account settings, find the subscription for Shoonya Kids, and select "Cancel Subscription."
  • How do I renew my membership billed through iTunes?
    Go to your iTunes account settings, find the subscription for Shoonya Kids, and select "Renew Subscription." Follow the prompts to complete the renewal process.

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