1.4 Nasal Sounds in Hindi
Nasal Sounds Video
Instructor Video: Nasal Sounds
Bindu/Anusvaar (ं)
In Hindi script, nasalization is marked by a superscript “bindu/anusvaar” (ं). “Bindu/anusvaar” represents the nasal sounds for all the consonant categories (velar, palatal, retroflex, dental, and labial). To identify the correct category of the nasal sound marked by a “bindu/anusvaar,” one has to look at the next letter. The “bindu/anusvaar” belongs to the category of the next consonant letter.
Table 8 (below). List of nasal sounds with examples in Hindi words.
| Bindu/Anusvaar (ं) represents | Examples | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Velar Nasal ङ | अंक | गंगा | कंगन |
| Palatal Nasal ञ | पंजाब | अंचल | पंचायत |
| Retroflex Nasal ण | अंडा | कंठ | पंडित |
| Dental Nasal न | अंत | हिंदी | अंधा |
| Labial Nasal म | कंबल | चंपा | लंबा |
| Bindu/Anusvaar (ं) before य and व represents preceding vowel nasalization. | संयम | संवाद | संवरण |
| Bindu/Anusvaar (ं) before र, ल, and स represents dental nasal | संसार | संरक्षण | |
| Bindu/Anusvaar (ं) before श represents palatal nasal | अंश | दंश | मंशा |
| Bindu/Anusvaar (ं) before ह represents velar nasal | सिंह | ||
Chandrabindu (ँ)
Chandrabindu (ँ) is used to indicate the vowel nasalization.
For example: अँधा, हूँ, बाँध |
Sometimes, when a vowel markings in a word does not allow the space because of the superscript then instead of chandrabindu (ँ), bindu (ं) is used.
For example: मैं, सिंचाई, में
In typing, it is very common to see the use of bindu (ं) instead of chandrabindu (ँ) in modern Hindi script.
Test yourself
Reading/Writing Task
Worksheet 6 (below). Reading and Writing: Please read these words and try to write them in Roman script and then check your answer using video (below).
| कंघी | कंगाल | कंचन | बंधन | जंगल |
| टंकण | चंदन | छंद | बूँद | आँख |
| चंदा | आँसू | अँग्रेज़ी | कंधा | धंधा |
Instructor Video: Feedback on Worksheet 6
धन्यवाद !
