अ — Vowel (a)

  • English sound anchor: up
up
  • Hindi words:
  • अनार ('anaar') — Pomegranate
  • अदरक ('adarak') — Ginger
  • अमरूद ('amrood') — Guava
  • अचार ('achaar') — Pickle
  • अजगर ('ajagar') — Python (snake)

Matra: The Inherent Vowel

अ is special — it has no separate matra sign. Every consonant in Hindi already carries an inherent 'a' vowel. When you see a consonant with no matra written, it automatically sounds like अ.

How this works:
- क alone = 'ka' (not just 'k')
- म alone = 'ma'
- ग alone = 'ga'

Words where the inherent अ is active on every consonant:
- कमल ('kamal') — Lotus
- जल ('jal') — Water
- घर ('ghar') — House
- मन ('man') — Mind
- नल ('nal') — Tap / Pipe

How to Write अ

Watch the animated stroke order below. Each stroke is drawn in sequence — follow the arrows.

Stroke order animation via Wikimedia Commons, public domain.

Stroke order animation for अ