Hindi · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "आराम" in Hindi?

aa-RAAM with two long open vowels and a single tap between them.

आराम /aː.ɾaːm/

aaraam

The tap between the two vowels is so brief that it barely separates them, so the rhythmic task is hearing two distinct beats rather than one very long vowel. Both aa vowels need identical length.

Listen: आराम

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Sound it out

aa A word-initial long आ; begin the voicing gently instead of with a glottal stop.

raam One flick of the tongue tip, a second long aa, and a bilabial m to close.

Hear it in a sentence

मैंने थोड़ा आराम किया।

Maiṁne thoṛaa aaraam kiyaa.

I took a short rest.

Listen: मैंने थोड़ा आराम किया।

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"Maiṁne thoṛaa aaraam kiyaa" turns aaraam into the object of kiyaa, so the noun is doing verb duty through a light verb — the same pattern as kaam karnaa. Thoṛaa contains ड़, the retroflex flap, right before the two open vowels of aaraam.

Where English speakers slip

An American r between the two aa vowels colours both of them and makes the word sound like one continuous rhotic hum. It must be a single quick contact, with clean vowels on either side. Starting the word with a glottal catch is the other English reflex to lose.