Hindi · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "चलना" in Hindi?

Q: How do you pronounce चलना in Hindi?

चलना is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /tʃəl.naː/. It means “to walk / to move / to go.” CHUL-naa in two beats — an unaspirated ch, a bare schwa, and a bright l.

CHUL-naa in two beats — an unaspirated ch, a bare schwa, and a bright l.

चलना /tʃəl.naː/

chalnaa

The first beat should feel almost weightless, since its vowel is a genuine schwa rather than the fuller vowel of English "chull." All the duration belongs to the long aa at the end.

Listen: चलना

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Sound it out

cha च with no puff, made slightly further forward than English ch, plus a colourless schwa.

l A clear front l closing the syllable, with the tongue body low. English velarises l in this position.

naa The schwa written after ल does not survive, so the nasal follows the l directly and the long ending vowel takes over.

Hear it in a sentence

चलिए, अंदर चलते हैं।

Chaliye, andar chalte haiṁ.

Come on, let us go inside.

Listen: चलिए, अंदर चलते हैं।

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"Chaliye, andar chalte haiṁ" uses the verb twice with different endings — the polite imperative chaliye and the first-person-plural chalte haiṁ, which functions as a suggestion. Andar between them is all schwas, so the sentence has very few long vowels until haiṁ.

Where English speakers slip

English ch is aspirated enough to nudge च toward छ, and the l darkens automatically before a consonant. Beyond that, learners often open the schwa into a full "ah" under the influence of the roman spelling. Keep it neutral, keep the l bright, and keep the affricate dry.