If you are interested in a Hindi course, you will need to think about how to learn Hindi in its written form. The Hindi language is written in the Devanagari alphabet. The alphabet is distinguished by a bar that runs horizontally across the top of each letter. It is also called the “nagari,” or urban or urbane, script. That is, it was the alphabet of the cultured elite. “Devanagari,” or devine urbane script, has been used to write sacred Sanskrit texts since about the 19th century. It is now used to write Hindi, Marathi, Nepali and a host of other languages. You will need to know how to learn Hindi and its alphabet if you are beginning a Hindi course.
I admit that the first time I ever saw written Hindi, I was baffled. I had no idea how to learn a foreign alphabet. The Devanagari alphabet is so beautiful that I loved to look at it, yet I couldn’t imagine myself recognizing the letters and understanding words.
Relax. You can learn the Hindi alphabet, just like you learned the Roman alphabet. Start the way you did as a kid learning to read, and take it step by step. Here are some tips for how to learn Hindi in its written form. You can apply the same tips to learning any foreign alphabet.
- Write the letters over and over. Practice writing the letters one by one. Write lines and lines of them. Say the sound that each letter makes to yourself — or aloud if you dare — as you write it. Practice each letter until you feel quite familiar with it before you move on.
- Beware of similar shapes. When you were little, did you confuse “b” with “d”? Or “n” with “h”? Lots of alphabets have letters that look like other letters in that alphabet. Keep an eye out for them. When you find a pair of similarly shaped letters, look for differences. Then practice them side by side to reinforce the differences.
- Turn English into Hindi. Take an English-language text and transliterate it into Hindi. That simply means to use the letters of the Hindi alphabet to rewrite the English sentences.
- Read aloud. Take a Hindi-language text and read it aloud. You probably have a textbook from your Hindi course. Use some sentences from some of the more advanced lessons. Sound everything out, letter by letter and word by word. Hindi is written as it sounds, so you should be able to do that without too much trouble. Do not worry about understanding the meaning. That will come, too. But first get used to the sounds each letter makes. After some struggle, you should be able to read faster. Keep practicing.
It’s never easy to learn a foreign alphabet. But it can be done, so take the steps to do it. Practice hard and soon you, too, will be able to read Devanagari script, or any foreign alphabet. You remember how you learned to read English, don’t you? Then you should start your Hindi course with confidence, because you already know how to learn Hindi in its written form.
