Page 214 - The Rough Guide Phrasebook - Hindi & Urdu

elsewhere it indicates a breathy sound
k h h as in English or can be part of ch or sh as in English;
kin
short k sound as in sk
kh k as above but with a breathy sound
k
k similar to ch as in the Scottish word loch (like k but
pronounced further back in the throat)
kh K as above but with a breathy sound
K
r similar to English r but rolled slightly
r r pronounced with the tongue back against the roof
of the mouth with a flap of the tongue
rh R as above but with a breathy sound
t t pronounced with the tongue against the teeth
t t pronounced with the tongue back against the roof
of the mouth
In the English-Hindi/Urdu section, English words used in
Hindi/Urdu, but pronounced as in English are shown in
quotes, for example ‘TV’ and ‘inch’.
HOW THE LANGUAGE WORKS
N
Abbreviations
adj adjective masc masculine
fam familiar pl plural
fem feminine pol polite
lit literally sing singular
Notes
India has fifteen main languages and around seven hundred
minor languages and dialects. Hindi is widely spoken and
understood everywhere, except in the far south. Urdu (the
official language of Pakistan) is also widely spoken in India.
Spoken Hindi and Urdu are generally very similar – the main
Pr onunciation / Abbr eviations
difference between them is that Hindi is written in Devanagri
script and Urdu is written in the Perso-Arabic script (which is
r read from right to left). Most of the words and phrases in thisead from right to left). Most of the words and phrases in this
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