Hindi · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "कलम" in Hindi?

kuh-LUM — two bare schwas, a dry k, and a bright l. Nothing long anywhere.

कलम /kə.ləm/

kalam

With two short vowels and only one closed syllable, this word is light throughout and should pass quickly. English speakers instinctively stress the first syllable and open its vowel, which makes the word sound twice as long as it is.

Listen: कलम

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Sound it out

ka No air escapes on release, and the inherent vowel is a colourless schwa.

lam Keep the l bright with the tongue body low, follow it with a second schwa, and close on a bilabial m.

Hear it in a sentence

क्या आप मुझे एक कलम दे सकते हैं?

Kyaa aap mujhe ek kalam de sakte haiṁ?

Can you give me a pen, please?

Listen: क्या आप मुझे एक कलम दे सकते हैं?

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

"Kyaa aap mujhe ek kalam de sakte haiṁ?" uses saknaa as a helper on the bare stem de, and mujhe supplies the recipient with no extra postposition. Mujhe's breathy झ is the only aspirated sound in an otherwise plain sentence.

Where English speakers slip

Both schwas get upgraded to full vowels and the l darkens, producing "KAH-lahm." Keep both vowels neutral, keep the tongue tip forward for a bright l, and release the k with no puff at all.