Hindi · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "पत्थर" in Hindi?

Q: How do you pronounce पत्थर in Hindi?

पत्थर is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /pət̪.t̪ʰəɾ/. It means “stone / rock.” PUT-thur — hold the dental closure long, then release it with a puff of air. Geminate and aspirated at once.

PUT-thur — hold the dental closure long, then release it with a puff of air. Geminate and aspirated at once.

पत्थर /pət̪.t̪ʰəɾ/

patthar

All the word's substance is in the middle consonant — extended closure plus a puff — since neither vowel is long. Compare it with pattaa, where the same geminate has no aspiration; the difference is entirely in the release.

Listen: पत्थर

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Sound it out

pa An unaspirated p with a bare schwa, released silently.

tth A geminate dental stop whose release is aspirated: hold the tongue tip on the upper teeth for an extended closure, then let a strong breath out. Both length and aspiration must be present.

ar A second bare schwa closed by one quick contact of the tongue tip.

Hear it in a sentence

मुझे नदी के पास एक पत्थर मिला।

Mujhe nadee ke paas ek patthar milaa.

I found a stone near the river.

Listen: मुझे नदी के पास एक पत्थर मिला।

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"Mujhe nadee ke paas ek patthar milaa" uses ke paas for proximity and the perfective milaa, agreeing masculine with patthar. Mujhe's breathy झ at the front means the sentence opens and peaks with two very different kinds of breath.

Where English speakers slip

Learners produce a single alveolar t with no puff, which collapses the word toward patar. Three things need adding: teeth contact, extended closure, and an audible release of air. Practise it against pattaa, which has the length but not the breath.