All letters you studied so far end in an 'a' sound. If you want to write any other sound (like 'i' or 'u'), you need to add lines to the letters (called Matras). Below are the most important Matras (applied to 'क'). You should study them the same as the letters. Take these 10 signs and copy them on paper. Try to write them all by heart.
का (kaa)car
कि (ki)kid
की (kii)key
कु (ku)could
कू (kuu)cool
के (ke)basket
कै (kai)care
को (ko)
कौ (kau)cough
कृ (kr)
Notes
को - There is no good English equivalent. It is similar to the "o" in "note"
कृ - This matra adds an र sound. There is no English equivalent.
Those were all the most important Matras. Before moving on, write these Matras on another letter. Here they are with प:
पा (paa)path
पि (pi)pit
पी (pii)peer
पु (pu)put
पू (puu)poodle
पे (pe)pet
पै (pai)pair
पो (po)
पौ (pau)pot
पृ (pr)
The next Matras are more rare, but you should still know them:
कं (kan)can
कँ (ka)
क़ (ka)
कॉ (kau)cough
Notes
कं - A dot like this adds an “n” sound after the syllable. It can be combined with other matras, so का + अं = कां (kaan)
कँ - This makes the sound nasal. There is no equivalent in English. Instead listen to the audio by clicking the letter.
क़ - A dot below the letter does not change the pronunciation and is only used in loan words.
कॉ - This is pronounced the same as कौ and is only used in loan words
There are a few more Matras in Devanagri, that are practically never used in modern Hindi, so we will not go over them. Congratulations, you have memorized the whole of Devanagri. Finish up with our guide on how to combine letters to words. There are just a few rules you need to remember.
