UP Police Constable · Bite-size lessons
Varnamala (वर्णमाला)
About 6 min · General Hindi (सामान्य हिंदी) · English
Time worked out from the lesson's 304 words at 150 words a minute, plus a minute for each question.
The Varnamala forms the foundation of Hindi language grammar and is essential for UP Police Constable exam. Questions on this topic test your understanding of the Hindi alphabet structure, classification of letters, and their pronunciation rules.
Key ideas
- Complete Hindi Varnamala contains 52 letters: 11 vowels (स्वर), 33 standard consonants (व्यंजन), 4 combined consonants (संयुक्त व्यंजन), 2 dvigun/utkshipt consonants (ड़, ढ़), and 2 ayogvaah (अं, अः).
- Swar (स्वर) — Vowels: Independent sounds produced without obstruction in the vocal tract. Hindi has 11 vowels, further divided into Hrasva (short), Deergha (long), and Pluta (prolated).
- Vyanjan (व्यंजन) — Consonants: Sounds produced with obstruction or contact in the vocal tract. Consonants need vowels to be pronounced; the inherent vowel is 'अ'.
- Vargiiya Vyanjan (वर्गीय व्यंजन): 25 structured consonants arranged in 5 groups (वर्ग) of 5 letters each — क-वर्ग, च-वर्ग, ट-वर्ग, त-वर्ग, प-वर्ग. Each group follows a pattern: voiceless-unaspirated, voiceless-aspirated, voiced-unaspirated, voiced-aspirated, nasal.
- Avargiya Vyanjan (अवर्गीय व्यंजन): 8 consonants not part of the structured groups — 4 Antahstha (य, र, ल, व), 4 Ushma (श, ष, स, ह).
Quick reference
- 11 स्वर (vowels): अ, आ, इ, ई, उ, ऊ, ऋ, ए, ऐ, ओ, औ — independent sounds.
- 33 व्यंजन (consonants): क to ह — need vowels for pronunciation.
- 5 vargas, 5 letters each = 25 vargiiya vyanjan: क-वर्ग, च-वर्ग, ट-वर्ग, त-वर्ग, प-वर्ग.
- 8 avargiya vyanjan: य, र, ल, व (antahstha) + श, ष, स, ह (ushma).
- 4 sanyukt vyanjan: क्ष, त्र, ज्ञ, श्र — counted separately as combined forms.
Check yourself: 3 questions
1. हिंदी वर्णमाला में कुल कितने स्वर होते हैं?
2. निम्नलिखित में से कौन-सा व्यंजन 'स्पर्श व्यंजन' की श्रेणी में नहीं आता है?
3. हिंदी वर्णमाला में 'ऊष्म व्यंजन' कितने होते हैं और कौन-से हैं?
This lesson is cut from the topic's note, not rewritten. Fact-checked on 18 Oct 2026: an AI-assisted check of this note against cited sources; the errors it found were corrected that day. Some errors may remain. The questions are from Shishya's validated question bank.
Read the full noteFlashcards for this topic
Saves this lesson and its 3 questions in this browser on this phone. No sign-in; nothing about you is saved or sent. A saved copy is not updated until you save it again. Parts that load from the server when you use them (the AI tutor, adaptive practice, sign-in) still need a connection.