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Hindi matras made simple, a complete guide with examples
Every Hindi matra explained with Devanagari examples and transliteration, the barakhadi chart, common mix-ups like ि and ी, and a two-week practice plan.
For students. By the Qlive team. . 6 min read.
If you are learning Hindi at school, matras are where reading and spelling really begin. You might know your consonants (क, ख, ग…) and your vowels (अ, आ, इ…), but words are built by joining the two, and that joining happens through matras. Get them clear and reading becomes much easier. Mix them up and spelling mistakes creep into every answer.
This guide explains every matra with examples in Devanagari and transliteration, plus the common confusions and a practice plan.
What a matra is
Hindi has vowels (स्वर, swar) and consonants (व्यंजन, vyanjan). A vowel can be written in two ways:
- As a full letter, when it stands alone or starts a word: आम (aam, mango)
- As a matra, a sign added to a consonant: काम (kaam, work)
Every consonant already contains a hidden “a” sound. क is read as “ka”, not just “k”. Matras change that “a” into a different vowel.
A note on transliteration: this guide uses simple English spellings, with “aa” for the long a, “ee” for the long i and “oo” for the long u. Your school may use a slightly different system.
The full list of matras
| Vowel | Matra | With क | Sound | Example word | Transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| अ | (none) | क | ka | कमल | kamal | lotus |
| आ | ा | का | kaa | नाम | naam | name |
| इ | ि | कि | ki | दिन | din | day |
| ई | ी | की | kee | नदी | nadee | river |
| उ | ु | कु | ku | गुलाब | gulaab | rose |
| ऊ | ू | कू | koo | फूल | phool | flower |
| ऋ | ृ | कृ | kri | कृपा | kripaa | kindness |
| ए | े | के | ke | मेला | melaa | fair |
| ऐ | ै | कै | kai | पैसा | paisaa | money |
| ओ | ो | को | ko | मोर | mor | peacock |
| औ | ौ | कौ | kau | कौआ | kauaa | crow |
Two more signs work alongside the matras:
| Sign | Name | With क | Example word | Transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ं | anusvaar (bindu) | कं | बंदर | bandar | monkey |
| ँ | chandrabindu | काँ | चाँद | chaand | moon |
| ः | visarg | कः | दुःख | duhkh | sorrow |
Words with no matra at all, like कमल (kamal), घर (ghar, house) and नमक (namak, salt), are a good place to start reading, because every letter keeps its natural “a”.
Where each matra sits
Knowing the position helps you write them correctly.
- After the letter: ा (का), ी (की), ो (को), ौ (कौ)
- Before the letter: ि (कि), though it is pronounced after
- Below the letter: ु (कु), ू (कू), ृ (कृ)
- Above the letter: े (के), ै (कै), ं (कं), ँ (काँ)
The barakhadi
The barakhadi is the chart of a consonant with every matra in order. Reciting and writing it is the classic way to practise.
क: क का कि की कु कू के कै को कौ कं कः (ka kaa ki kee ku koo ke kai ko kau kam kah)
म: म मा मि मी मु मू मे मै मो मौ मं मः (ma maa mi mee mu moo me mai mo mau mam mah)
स: स सा सि सी सु सू से सै सो सौ सं सः (sa saa si see su soo se sai so sau sam sah)
Write one consonant’s barakhadi each day, saying each sound aloud.
Special cases
र with u and oo
With र, the u and oo matras attach to the side, not below:
- र + ु = रु (ru), as in रुपया (rupayaa, rupee)
- र + ू = रू (roo), as in रूप (roop, form)
Chandrabindu becomes a dot
When a matra already sits above the line, there is no room for the chandrabindu, so it is usually written as just a dot. For example में (mein, in) and हैं (hain, are) are both nasal vowel sounds, even though they look like a bindu.
Halant
A small slanted line below a consonant ( ् ) removes its hidden “a”. For example क् is just “k”. This is used to make joined letters, as in विद्या (vidyaa, learning).
Common mistakes and how to avoid them
| Confusion | Short | Long | Tip |
|---|---|---|---|
| ि and ी | दिन (din, day) | दीन (deen, poor) | Short i curves back to the left; long ee goes to the right |
| ु and ू | कुल (kul, total) | कूल (kool, bank of a river) | Say it slowly and listen for the length |
| े and ै | मेल (mel, meeting) | मैल (mail, dirt) | ै has two strokes above |
| ो and ौ | मोर (mor) | मौन (maun, silence) | ौ has an extra stroke |
Notice how changing one matra can change the meaning completely. That is why examiners take spelling seriously.
Read these sentences
- राम ने फल खाया। (Raam ne phal khaayaa. Ram ate a fruit.)
- मोर नाच रहा है। (Mor naach rahaa hai. The peacock is dancing.)
- मेरी किताब मेज़ पर है। (Meree kitaab mez par hai. My book is on the table.)
- आसमान में चाँद चमक रहा है। (Aasmaan mein chaand chamak rahaa hai. The moon is shining in the sky.)
- गुलाब का फूल सुंदर है। (Gulaab kaa phool sundar hai. The rose flower is beautiful.)
Read each one aloud, then underline every matra and name it.
A two-week practice plan
Spend 15 to 20 minutes a day.
| Days | Focus |
|---|---|
| Days 1 to 2 | Words with no matra; the ा matra |
| Days 3 to 4 | ि and ी, reading pairs aloud |
| Days 5 to 6 | ु, ू and ृ |
| Days 7 to 8 | े, ै, ो and ौ |
| Days 9 to 10 | ं, ँ and ः |
| Days 11 to 12 | Barakhadi for five consonants; dictation of 20 words |
| Days 13 to 14 | Read a short story aloud; copy a paragraph and check every matra |
Tips:
- Read aloud. Hearing the length of vowels helps with spelling.
- Ask someone to dictate words to you, then check.
- Make flashcards of word pairs that differ by one matra. Our guide on active recall and flashcards explains how.
- Read a little every day, from your textbook, a children’s story or signboards.
Matra checklist
- I know all the matras and their positions.
- I can write the barakhadi for any consonant.
- I can tell ि from ी and ु from ू when I hear and write them.
- I know the special forms रु and रू.
- I understand bindu, chandrabindu and visarg.
- I read aloud for a few minutes every day.
Learning Hindi with a teacher
Matras are easy to learn as a list and harder to use correctly in every word. Regular reading and dictation with someone who corrects you quickly is what makes them automatic.
Qlive teaches Hindi one to one, for school students following CBSE, ICSE and other curricula, and the Foundation programme rebuilds reading and writing step by step for students who have gaps. To find out exactly where you stand, start with the free assessment.