Meet the Hindi Alphabet
Meet the Hindi Alphabet
This lesson focuses on recognising some common Hindi letters and matching each one to simple words. Keep pronunciation light and playful for KS1.
Our learning goal
I can recognise some Hindi letters and match them to simple words.
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What do you notice about Hindi letters?
Use this as a quick prior-knowledge warm-up. Accept simple words such as shapes, lines, new, different, pretty, or sounds.
Hindi uses its own script
Hindi is written in Devanagari
The letters look different from English letters
Each letter has its own sound
Today we will learn 5 Hindi letters
Avoid overloading students with script history. The key idea is that Hindi uses a different writing system from English.
Letter 1: अ
अ says a short "a" sound, like the start of about.
Five words with अ:
अनार - pomegranate
अजगर - python
अदरक - ginger
अग्नि - fire
अमरूद - guava
Say the words slowly and point out that the letter comes at the start of each word.
Seeing अ in words
अनार starts with अ
अजगर starts with अ
अदरक starts with अ
The same letter can begin many words
Use the image only as visual support. Emphasise the repeated first letter shape.
Slide heading
Slide text
Use a stock image search such as 'pomegranate guava ginger'. While showing the image, say the words from the previous slide again and connect them back to अ.
Letter 2: आ
आ says a longer "aa" sound.
Five words with आ:
आम - mango
आलू - potato
आटा - flour
आकाश - sky
आदमी - man
Contrast अ and आ by making the short and long vowel sounds clearly.
Seeing आ in words
आ is like अ with an extra line
आम starts with आ
आकाश starts with आ
The sound is longer: aa
Point to the added stroke so children notice the visual difference between अ and आ.
Which letter says the longer "aa" sound?
इ
आ
अ
उ
Checks the key contrast taught between अ and आ.
Fill in the missing Hindi letters
We learned that अ has a short a sound. आ has a longer aa sound. Words like आम and आकाश start with आ.
All three blanks are anchored to the first two letter slides only.
Letter 3: इ
इ says a short "i" sound.
Five words with इ:
इमली - tamarind
इत्र - perfume
इंजन - engine
इनाम - prize
इशारा - sign
Some words may be less familiar; that is fine. The goal is noticing the starting letter and sound.
Seeing इ in words
इमली starts with इ
इनाम starts with इ
इंजन starts with इ
Listen for the short i sound
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Letter 4: उ
उ says a short "u" sound.
Five words with उ:
उल्लू - owl
उड़नखटोला - flying vehicle
उद्यान - garden
उपहार - gift
उबाल - boil
If needed, simplify उड़नखटोला as 'something that flies'. Keep the lesson playful rather than technical.
Seeing उ in words
उल्लू starts with उ
उपहार starts with उ
उद्यान starts with उ
उ has its own special shape
Encourage children to spot the first letter before reading the whole word.
Which word starts with इ?
उल्लू
कमल
इनाम
आम
Tests whether pupils can match the letter इ to a taught example word.
Choose the right letters
The word इनाम starts with . The word उपहार starts with . Both words begin with the letter you hear first.
Keeps focus on spotting the first letter in familiar words from the slides.
Which letter was new for you today?
इ
उ
Both
Not sure
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Letter 5: क
क is a consonant. It says "k".
Five words with क:
कमल - lotus
कबूतर - pigeon
किताब - book
कपड़ा - cloth
केला - banana
This is a good moment to note that some Hindi letters are vowels and some are consonants, but keep it brief for KS1.
Seeing क in words
कमल starts with क
किताब starts with क
कबूतर starts with क
क gives the k sound
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What we learned
We learned these 5 Hindi letters:
अ
आ
इ
उ
क
Each letter can be matched to many words.
Use this slide as a quick recap of the five target letters before the glossary.
Which letter is a consonant?
आ
उ
क
अ
Directly checks the final subtopic point that क is a consonant with a k sound.
Complete the recap
We learned five Hindi letters: अ, आ, इ, उ, and क. The letter क says k.
A recap task using only the final summary and the क slide.
What is one thing you learned today?
Expected answers may mention a specific letter, a matching word, or that Hindi uses different-looking letters.
What helped you learn the letters best?
Students may mention pictures, saying the words aloud, spotting the first letter, or comparing short and long sounds.
How do you feel about spotting Hindi letters now?
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Glossary
Hindi - a language spoken by many people in India
Devanagari - the script used to write Hindi
letter - a written sign for a sound
word - a group of letters with meaning
vowel - a speech sound like a, e, i, o, u
consonant - a letter sound that is not a vowel
sound - what we hear when we say a letter or word
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