Hindi · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "करना" in Hindi?

Q: How do you pronounce करना in Hindi?

करना is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /kəɾ.naː/. It means “to do / to make.” KUR-naa in two beats — the schwa between र and न is deleted, and the r is a single tap.

KUR-naa in two beats — the schwa between र and न is deleted, and the r is a single tap.

करना /kəɾ.naː/

karnaa

Light then heavy: schwa syllable, then long-vowel syllable that carries the beat. The tap acts as the coda of the first syllable rather than the onset of the second, which is what keeps the word at two beats.

Listen: करना

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Sound it out

ka Unaspirated क plus a short schwa; do not let the vowel expand toward "car."

r One quick tap of the tongue tip, closing the first syllable. It must not become an r-coloured vowel.

naa Dental न and long aa, the infinitive ending shared across the verb system.

Hear it in a sentence

आप आज रात क्या कर रहे हैं?

Aap aaj raat kyaa kar rahe haiṁ?

What are you doing tonight?

Listen: आप आज रात क्या कर रहे हैं?

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"Aap aaj raat kyaa kar rahe haiṁ?" strips the infinitive down to the bare stem kar before the progressive rahe, which is why the -naa disappears. Raat and rahe start with different sounds despite looking similar in roman — a tapped r versus the same tapped r followed by a voiced h.

Where English speakers slip

American speakers produce "CAR-na" with a rhotic vowel, which erases the tap and lengthens the first syllable. Hindi wants a plain schwa, then a flick, then the ending. Keep the k unaspirated too — this verb appears in dozens of compounds, so the habit pays off repeatedly.