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How to Write Hindi Vowels (Svar)

Written by: authorship not independently recorded. Maintained by Prakash. Reviewed by: not recorded. Updated: 2026-10-03. Editorial policy and corrections.

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A free guide from EkGuru · updated 2026-09-14

अ आ इ

Hindi vowels — स्वर (svar) — are thirteen letters that can each stand alone as a full syllable. You met them as sounds in the alphabet guide; here you learn to write them. Every letter below draws itself on a loop — trace it with your finger on the screen first, then copy it onto paper. Finger first, pen second: that order matters.

The one rule: the headline goes last

Every Devanagari word wears a horizontal bar on top called the शिरोरेखा (shirorekha, headline). Beginners always draw it first. Do the opposite:

1. Body first — write the curves and sticks of the letter.
2. Headline last — one smooth stroke, left to right, joining the letters of the word.
3. Hang, don't sit — letters hang from the headline like washing on a line.
4. Say it as you write — अ while your pen moves. Hand and mouth learn together.

Three letters a day, twenty minutes, beats thirty letters on one frustrated Sunday.

अ and आ — start here

अ (a, as in about) is the commonest vowel and the trickiest shape — it has a loop, a curve and a stick. Don't rush it; half of all Hindi words contain this letter. आ (aa, as in father) is simply अ with the ा stroke added on the right. Learn them as a pair: master अ, and आ is one stroke away.

इ and ई — the pair everyone mixes up

इ (i, as in sit) and ई (ee, as in see) differ by a single curve at the top. Trace them slowly, one after the other, until your hand feels the difference. Short इ, long ई — length changes meaning in Hindi, so this pair earns an extra day.

उ and ऊ — same opening, different ending

उ (u, as in put) and ऊ (oo, as in food) open with the same shape; ऊ continues into a longer tail. Write them side by side in your notebook so the difference lives in your muscles, not just your eyes.

ऋ, ए, ऐ, ओ, औ — the rest of the family

ऋ (ri) is rare in modern words — learn to recognise and write it, but don't drill it first. ए (e, as in gate) and ऐ (ai, as in cat) are a pair; ओ (o, as in go) and औ (au, as in ought) are a pair. Inside each pair the second letter is the first letter wearing one extra mark.

अं and अः — अ with dots

अं (an) is अ with a बिंदु (bindu, dot) above — it nasalises the vowel, like the n in French bon. अः (ah) is अ with a विसर्ग (visarga, two dots) — a soft breath after the vowel, rare outside Sanskrit words. Write अ first, then add the dots.

Your practice order

1. Days 1–2: अ आ इ — the three you will write most.
2. Days 3–4: ई उ ऊ — the long partners.
3. Days 5–6: ए ऐ ओ औ — the two pairs.
4. Day 7: ऋ अं अः — recognition plus a few careful copies.

Then move to the consonants — vowels alone can't make words, and words are the point.