Hindi · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "हमेशा" in Hindi?

Q: How do you pronounce हमेशा in Hindi?

हमेशा is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /ɦə.meː.ʃaː/. It means “always.” huh-MAY-shaa — three beats, with a voiced h, a flat long e, and a long aa at the end.

huh-MAY-shaa — three beats, with a voiced h, a flat long e, and a long aa at the end.

हमेशा /ɦə.meː.ʃaː/

hameshaa

One light syllable followed by two long ones, so the word broadens as it goes and the initial schwa should be barely audible. Two consecutive long vowels of different qualities give it a stately, unhurried feel that suits its meaning.

Listen: हमेशा

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Sound it out

ha Voiced ह with a bare schwa; the opening syllable is over almost before it starts.

me m plus a long ए held motionless, without the upward glide English adds to "may."

shaa श, essentially the English sh, opening into a long open आ.

Hear it in a sentence

आप हमेशा देर से आते हैं।

Aap hameshaa der se aate haiṁ.

You are always late.

Listen: आप हमेशा देर से आते हैं।

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

"Aap hameshaa der se aate haiṁ" pairs hameshaa with der se, "late," and the habitual aate haiṁ agrees with the polite plural aap. Der is short and quick, which throws hameshaa's two long vowels into relief.

Where English speakers slip

English speakers give the first syllable a strong voiceless h and full stress, then diphthongise the middle vowel: "HAM-ay-shuh." All three syllables need adjusting. Soften and voice the h, freeze the middle vowel, and give the final aa its full length rather than reducing it.