Teaching Hindi Letters at Home: Starting with the Swar

By the Print and Learn team · 4 min read

Many families want their children to read and write Hindi, but find that English takes over once school starts. A few minutes a day with the Hindi alphabet (varnamala) keeps the connection strong.

Start with the vowels (swar)

Hindi has a very regular sound system: each letter usually makes one sound. Starting with the vowels, अ आ इ ई उ ऊ ए ऐ ओ औ, gives children the sounds they will later combine with consonants.

Sound first, then shape

• Say the sound clearly and connect it to a familiar word: अ for अनार, आ for आम.
• Point out the sound in daily words. "आम starts with आ. What else starts with आ?"
• Then show the letter. Trace it in the air, in sand or with a finger on the table before using a pencil.

Watch for the top line (shirorekha)

Most Hindi letters hang from a line across the top. Teach children to draw the letter first and add the top line at the end, which is how most schools teach it.

Keep it short and positive

Two or three letters a week is plenty for a preschooler. Review old letters often; recognizing a letter in a storybook or on a sign is a lovely moment for a child.

Worksheets that follow this order

• Tracing: Trace अ to उ and Trace ऊ to औ
• Letter and picture: अ से अजगर, आ से आम, इ से इमारत
• Practice: पहला अक्षर and अक्षर पहचानो
• Next step: Consonants क to च