Hindi · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "लड़का" in Hindi?

Q: How do you pronounce लड़का in Hindi?

लड़का is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /ləɽ.kaː/. It means “boy.” LUR-kaa with the retroflex flap ड़ — a single backward flick of the tongue, not a d and not an English r.

LUR-kaa with the retroflex flap ड़ — a single backward flick of the tongue, not a d and not an English r.

लड़का /ləɽ.kaː/

laṛkaa

The flap ends the opening syllable abruptly without adding any length to it, so the word tips firmly onto its final long vowel. That -aa is the masculine marker as well as the rhythmic anchor.

Listen: लड़का

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Sound it out

la Tongue tip on the ridge, tongue body low, and a bare schwa after it; nothing about this syllable is dark or rounded.

ṛ ड़ is made by curling the tongue tip up and back, then flicking it forward so it brushes the roof of the mouth once. It is not a stop and not an approximant.

kaa Unaspirated क with a dry release, opening into a long aa that marks masculine agreement.

Hear it in a sentence

लड़का बहुत पढ़ाई करता है।

Laṛkaa bahut paṛhaaee kartaa hai.

The boy studies a lot.

Listen: लड़का बहुत पढ़ाई करता है।

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

"Laṛkaa bahut paṛhaaee kartaa hai" contains two retroflex flaps — one in laṛkaa and one in paṛhaaee — but they are different letters: ड़ in the noun and ढ़, its breathy partner, in the verbal noun. Hearing that difference is the sentence's real lesson.

Where English speakers slip

Substituting a plain d gives "ladkaa," and substituting an English r gives something unrecognisable. Neither is close. Start from a retroflex ड with the tongue curled back, then, instead of holding the closure, flick the tongue forward in one quick brush.