Hindi · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "ठंडा" in Hindi?

Q: How do you pronounce ठंडा in Hindi?

ठंडा is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /ʈʰəɳ.ɖaː/. It means “cold.” ṬHUN-ḍaa — every consonant here is retroflex, with the tongue tip curled back to the roof of the mouth.

ṬHUN-ḍaa — every consonant here is retroflex, with the tongue tip curled back to the roof of the mouth.

ठंडा /ʈʰəɳ.ɖaː/

ṭhaṇḍaa

Because the tongue stays curled back for three consecutive consonants, this word feels slow and dark even though it has only two beats. The articulatory work is packed into the opening while the long vowel waits at the end.

Listen: ठंडा

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Sound it out

ṭh ठ combines retroflexion with aspiration: curl the tongue tip up and back, make a full closure, then release with a strong puff.

ṇ ण is a retroflex nasal — the same curled tongue position, but with air going through the nose. English has no such sound.

ḍaa ड is the voiced retroflex stop, again with the tongue tip curled back, released into a long aa with no aspiration.

Hear it in a sentence

पानी ठंडा है।

Paanee ṭhaṇḍaa hai.

The water is cold.

Listen: पानी ठंडा है।

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

"Paanee ṭhaṇḍaa hai" is a minimal setup: paanee is entirely dental and front, ṭhaṇḍaa is entirely retroflex and back. Saying them in sequence is one of the best available drills for the contrast that defines Hindi consonants.

Where English speakers slip

Four substitutions creep into this two-syllable word: alveolar consonants where all three should be retroflex, and no aspiration on the first. Start by exaggerating the curl until the tongue tip touches well behind the ridge, hold that position for all three, and add the puff only to ठ.