Matras: how vowels attach to consonants
In words, vowels rarely appear as full letters. They become small marks called matras that wrap around consonants. Here is how to read them.
Once you know the vowels and a few consonants, you will notice something odd when you look at real Hindi words: the full vowel letters like आ and इ rarely appear in the middle of them. Instead, vowels after a consonant are written as small marks called matras (मात्रा).
Every consonant already has an "a"
A consonant on its own carries a built-in short "a" sound. क is not just "k", it is ka. To give it a different vowel, you add a matra. To remove the vowel entirely, you add a small slash underneath called a halant: क् is just "k".
The matras on क
| Vowel | Matra on क | Sound | Where the mark goes |
|---|---|---|---|
| आ | का | kā | Vertical stroke after |
| इ | कि | ki | Loop written before |
| ई | की | kī | Loop written after |
| उ | कु | ku | Hook below |
| ऊ | कू | kū | Larger hook below |
| ए | के | ke | One stroke above |
| ऐ | कै | kai | Two strokes above |
| ओ | को | ko | Stroke after, one above |
| औ | कौ | kau | Stroke after, two above |
The one that is written backwards
The short i matra (ि) is written before the consonant but pronounced after it. कि is read "ki", not "ik". Its long partner ी sits after the consonant as you would expect. This catches nearly everyone at first, so it is worth drilling on its own.
The silent final "a"
In everyday Hindi the built-in "a" at the end of a word is usually dropped. कमल is pronounced kamal, not kamala, and नमक is namak. Learn the letters with their full "a" first, then let your ear relax it in real words.
Practising matras
The Matra group on the Practice page shows each vowel sign on क. Drill it once you are comfortable with the vowels: recognising the marks on one familiar consonant makes them easy to spot on all the others.