EkGuru › Learn Hindi › Topics › Your name in Hindi
Transliteration, not translation — and why there is often more than one correct answer.
A name is transliterated, not translated. You write the same sounds using Devanagari letters. Translating would turn Rose into the Hindi word for the flower, which is not your name.
Two decisions make most of the difficulty. First, which t or d: Hindi has a dental pair (त, द) and a retroflex pair (ट, ड), and English has one sound sitting between them. The convention for English names is the retroflex — the same letters used in डॉक्टर — while names of Indian origin usually take the dental. Both are readable and the choice is genuine.
Second, vowel length. English spelling does not mark it and Hindi does, so 'Sam' could be सैम or साम depending on how you actually say it. This is where rule-based transliteration engines get it wrong most often, and why the same name is spelled two or three ways in Indian newspapers.
The final consonant matters too. If a name ends in a consonant sound, the built-in 'a' must be removed with a halant, or John reads as Johna.
There is no single official spelling for a foreign name in Hindi. What matters is that a Hindi speaker reading it aloud produces your name. If it is going on your skin, have a native speaker confirm it first.
Reading gets you the grammar. Speaking is the part that only happens with another human. EkGuru tutors are native Hindi speakers in India who teach one to one over video — no group classes, no subscription.
Find a Hindi Guru Free Hindi guides