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Hindi · Pronunciation Guide
How do you pronounce "कम" in Hindi?
kum — a dry unaspirated k and a bare schwa, closed by m. One very quick syllable.
kam
A short vowel in a closed syllable: heavy by position, minimal in real duration. Because it is a quantifier it usually attaches closely to the noun it modifies, so it should not stand out rhythmically at all.
Listen: कम
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Sound it out
Hear it in a sentence
चाय में चीनी कम डालिए।
Chaay meṁ cheenee kam ḍaaliye.
Put less sugar in the tea.
Listen: चाय में चीनी कम डालिए।
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"Chaay meṁ cheenee kam ḍaaliye" puts kam before the verb ḍaaliye, whose retroflex ड needs the tongue curled back. Cheenee just before it is entirely front and dental, so the sentence swings from the front of the mouth to the roof in two words.
Where English speakers slip
The aspiration on k is the main leak, and the vowel tends to open into the English word "calm" or "cam." Hindi's version has a neutral schwa and a completely dry release — think of the k in "scum" and drop the s.