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Hindi · Pronunciation Guide
How do you pronounce "बड़ा" in Hindi?
buh-RAA with the retroflex flap ड़ — a single backward flick of the tongue, not a d and not an English r.
baṛaa
All the duration lives in the second syllable, and the flap gives it an abrupt onset that makes the vowel feel even more prominent. The result is a distinctly back-loaded word whose first syllable is barely more than a consonant and a breath.
Listen: बड़ा
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Sound it out
Hear it in a sentence
वे एक बड़े घर में रहते हैं।
Ve ek baṛe ghar meṁ rehte haiṁ.
They live in a big house.
Listen: वे एक बड़े घर में रहते हैं।
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"Ve ek baṛe ghar meṁ rehte haiṁ" shifts the adjective to baṛe, the oblique masculine form, because ghar is followed by the postposition meṁ. That oblique -e is easy to miss but obligatory, and it keeps the flap unchanged.
Where English speakers slip
Substituting a plain d gives badaa, which is a different word, and substituting an English r gives something no Hindi speaker recognises. The flap is genuinely distinct: start from a retroflex ड position with the tongue curled back, then instead of holding the closure, flick forward. Practise it slowly until the single brush is reliable.