Hindi · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "भालू" in Hindi?

Q: How do you pronounce भालू in Hindi?

भालू is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /bʱaː.luː/. It means “bear.” BHAA-loo — a breathy-voiced b, a long open aa, a bright l, and a long oo.

BHAA-loo — a breathy-voiced b, a long open aa, a bright l, and a long oo.

भालू /bʱaː.luː/

bhaaloo

The breathy onset stretches the opening syllable, and the l between the two long vowels must not darken — a velarised l would retract the aa in front of it and blur the two together.

Listen: भालू

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Sound it out

bh भ closes the lips with the voice already buzzing and releases with a warm sigh — voicing and aspiration in one segment.

aa A long open आ carrying that breathiness into its first moments.

loo A clear l with the tongue tip on the ridge and the tongue body low, then a long ऊ.

Hear it in a sentence

भालू पूरी सर्दी सोता है।

Bhaaloo pooree sardee sotaa hai.

The bear sleeps all winter.

Listen: भालू पूरी सर्दी सोता है।

Free browser voice. Hear it read by a real native speaker inside the LingoDrop app.

"Bhaaloo pooree sardee sotaa hai" makes pooree feminine to agree with sardee while sotaa is masculine to agree with bhaaloo — two different genders in one clause. The time expression and the subject each pull their own agreement.

Where English speakers slip

The plain-b substitution gives "baaloo," losing the feature entirely, and the l darkens before the back vowel. Sigh audibly while voicing the b, then keep the tongue tip firmly on the ridge so the l stays bright between two long vowels.