Varn Vichar: Vowels, Consonants and Varn-Vichchhed (Phonemic Breakdown) — Patwari Notes
Varn Vichar is the foundation of Hindi grammar — vowels, consonants, their places of articulation, and the rules of varn-vichchhed all start here. Exams frequently draw questions on varn-vichchhed and dictionary order from this topic.
- Class 6-8 depth level
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Varn, Swar and Vyanjan (sounds, vowels and consonants)
The smallest, indivisible sound produced by the mouth is called a varn (phoneme). In the Devanagari script, varns are divided into two main classes — swar (vowels) and vyanjan (consonants).
Swar (vowels) are sounds produced independently from the throat, without the help of any other sound. Hindi has 11 vowels — अ, आ, इ, ई, उ, ऊ, ऋ, ए, ऐ, ओ, औ. Based on how long they take to pronounce, they fall into three groups: hrasva (short) vowels (अ, इ, उ, ऋ — one matra/unit of time), deergh (long) vowels (आ, ई, ऊ, ए, ऐ, ओ, औ — two matras of time), and pluta vowels (more than two matras, as when calling out to someone from a distance — 'राऽऽऽम'). By formation, अ, आ, इ, ई, उ, ऊ, ऋ are called mool (basic) vowels, and ए, ऐ, ओ, औ are called sanyukt (compound) vowels, formed by combining two basic vowels. अं (anusvar) and अः (visarg) are called ayogvah — sounds that always occur attached to a vowel.
Vyanjan (consonants) are sounds that need a vowel's help to be pronounced — every consonant is understood to carry the vowel 'अ' inherently (so 'क' is really क् + अ). Hindi recognises 33 basic consonants (क to ह), 2 dviguna (derived) consonants (ड़, ढ़), and 4 sanyukt (compound) consonants (क्ष, त्र, ज्ञ, श्र — each formed by combining two consonants).
Anusvar (अं) and anunasik are very commonly confused: anusvar is a pure nasal sound, shown after a vowel with a bindi (ं) — as in 'गंगा' — while anunasik is what happens when a vowel itself is pronounced through the nose, marked with a chandrabindu (ँ) — as in 'चाँद', 'हँसी'. Both involve the nose in pronunciation, but anusvar behaves like a consonant while anunasik behaves like a pure vowel — this distinction is useful in exam questions that test correct spelling.
Classification of consonants by place of articulation
| Place of articulation | Consonants | Example word |
|---|---|---|
| कंठ्य — Kanthya (velar, from the throat) | क, ख, ग, घ, ङ | कमल |
| तालव्य — Taalavya (palatal, from the palate) | च, छ, ज, झ, ञ | चरण |
| मूर्धन्य — Murdhanya (retroflex) | ट, ठ, ड, ढ, ण | टमाटर |
| दंत्य — Dantya (dental) | त, थ, द, ध, न | तालाब |
| ओष्ठ्य — Oshthya (labial) | प, फ, ब, भ, म | पानी |
| अंतःस्थ — Antahstha (semi-vowel) | य, र, ल, व | यमुना |
| ऊष्म — Ushma (fricative/sibilant) | श, ष, स, ह | शरद |
Sparsh (plosive/stop) consonants fall into 5 groups (from the क-group to the प-group); य-र-ल-व are called antahstha (semi-vowels) and श-ष-स-ह are called ushma (fricatives).
Rules of Varn-Vichchhed (phonemic breakdown)
Breaking a word down into its basic sounds (vowels + consonants) is called varn-vichchhed. The rule: convert the matra (vowel-sign) attached to each consonant into its full vowel form (so 'कि' = क् + इ, 'पू' = प् + ऊ). A consonant with no matra gets the vowel 'अ' added. A sanyuktakshar (conjunct letter, such as क्ष, त्र, ज्ञ, श्र) is broken into both of its component consonants plus whatever vowel follows — so 'क्षमा' = क् + ष् + अ + म् + आ.
The most common mistake involves 'ऋ' — it is an independent vowel, and breaking it down as 'र् + इ' is wrong. For example, the correct breakdown of 'वृक्ष' is व् + ऋ + क् + ष् + अ (not व् + र् + इ + क् + ष् + अ), and in 'मनोवृत्ति', 'वृ' must be written as व् + ऋ, never व् + र्.
How dictionary (alphabetical) order is decided
- Basic rule
- Words are compared left to right, letter by letter; the first letter at which they differ decides the order.
- Matra order
- Words follow the order: no matra (अ) → आ → इ → ई → उ → ऊ → ऋ → ए → ऐ → ओ → औ.
- Position of conjunct letters
- A conjunct like 'प्र' (प् + र) comes after that letter's own ordinary matra forms (प, पा, पि, पी...).
- Example
- पश्चिम (प) → पृथ्वी (पृ) → प्रकृति (प्रक) → प्रयोजन (प्रय) — this exact ordering is frequently asked in exams.
Memory trick / exam tip
Whenever you see the matra for 'ऋ' (ृ) in a varn-vichchhed question, always write it as the independent vowel 'ऋ', never as 'र्' — this is the most common trap in the exam, and almost every time, one option is built on exactly this mistake.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many vowels and consonants are there in Hindi in total?+
Hindi has 11 vowels and 33 basic consonants. Besides these, 2 dviguna consonants (ड़, ढ़) and 4 sanyukt (compound) consonants (क्ष, त्र, ज्ञ, श्र) are also part of the alphabet.
How should 'ऋ' be written in varn-vichchhed?+
'ऋ' is an independent vowel; always write it as 'ऋ' itself — breaking it down as 'र् + इ' is considered wrong.
What is the difference between sparsh, antahstha, and ushma consonants?+
For sparsh (plosive) consonants (the क-group through the प-group), the tongue makes full contact with another part of the mouth during pronunciation; for antahstha (य, र, ल, व), the contact is only partial; for ushma (श, ष, स, ह), air is released with friction.
What is the difference between anusvar and anunasik?+
Anusvar (ं) is a nasal consonant sound (as in गंगा), while anunasik (ँ) is the nasal sound of a pure vowel (as in चाँद, हँसी). The two are distinguished in spelling by the bindi versus the chandrabindu.