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Stroke order, the top line, and why typing is not the same as writing.
Devanagari is written from left to right, and each letter hangs from a horizontal line along the top called the shirorekha. In handwriting the letter is usually formed first and the top line added afterwards, often as one continuous stroke across a whole word — which is why handwritten Hindi looks joined even though the letters are separate.
Stroke order matters less in Devanagari than in Chinese or Japanese, but consistency still produces legible writing much faster. The practical advice is simple: write each new letter five times when you learn it. Physically forming it does more for recognition than looking at it does, and the motor memory transfers to reading.
Typing is a different skill and it is worth being honest about the trade. Transliteration typing — you type 'namaste', the software offers नमस्ते — is how most Hindi is typed, including by native speakers, and it is genuinely useful. It is also a crutch: learners who rely on it often cannot read what they just produced, because they never had to choose the letters. If your goal includes literacy, learn the script first and use transliteration afterwards as a convenience.
Set up a real keyboard rather than a web page if you will type Hindi often. Both Android and iOS include a Hindi transliteration keyboard in their language settings.
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.
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