Hindi-Urdu Grammar - Phonology

Phonology

In matters of script, Hindi uses Devanagari while Urdu uses an extended form of the Persian script, typically in the Nasta`liq style. On this grammar page Hindi-Urdu is written in "standard orientalist" transcription as outlined in Masica (1991:xv). Being "primarily a system of transliteration from the Indian scripts, based in turn upon Sanskrit" (cf. IAST), these are its salient features: subscript dots for retroflex consonants; macrons for etymologically, contrastively long vowels; h denoting aspirated plosives. Tildes denote nasalized vowels.

Vowels are the following: a, ā, i, ī, u, ū, e, o, ai, au. Note that the vowels a ai au normally have the pronunciations . Consonants are outlined in the table below. Hovering the mouse cursor over them will reveal the appropriate IPA symbol, while in the rest of the article hovering the mouse cursor over underlined forms will reveal the appropriate English translation. See Hindi-Urdu phonology for further clarification.

	Bilabial		Labio- dental	Dental		Alveolar		Retroflex		Post-alv./ Palatal		Velar		Uvular	Glottal
Plosive	p ph	b bh		t th	d dh			ṭ ṭh	ḍ ḍh			k kh	g gh	q
Affricate										c ch	j jh
Nasal	m					n		ṇ		ñ		ṅ
Fricative			f			s	z	ṣ		ś		x	ġ		ḥ	h
Tap or Flap						r		ṛ ṛh
Approximant			v							y
Lateral approximant						l