How to teach Hindi varnamala and barakhadi to kids at home
Ten minutes a day is enough. Teach the sounds with picture words first, then the shapes, then the matras. Most children can read simple Hindi words within a few months this way.
The order most schools follow
- Swar (vowels), 13 letters: अ आ इ ई उ ऊ ऋ ए ऐ ओ औ अं अः.
- Vyanjan (consonants), 33 letters, in groups of five: क ख ग घ ङ, then च, ट, त and प groups, then य र ल व, श ष स ह.
- Joined letters: क्ष, त्र, ज्ञ.
- Matras and barakhadi: each consonant with every vowel sign, like क का कि की कु कू के कै को कौ कं कः.
- Two- and three-letter words without matras (जल, घर, कमल), then words with matras.
You can see all 49 letters with their picture words on the Hindi varnamala chart, and print the free A4 chart (PDF) for the wall.
Week by week
| Weeks | What to do |
|---|---|
| 1–2 | Say the swar aloud together with a picture word for each: अ से अनार, आ से आम. Point at the letter as you say it. |
| 3–4 | Ask your child to find a letter on the chart (“where is ई?”). Start tracing the shapes with a finger, then a crayon. |
| 5–10 | One consonant group a week, again with picture words: क से कबूतर, ख से खरगोश. Revise old groups for a minute every day. |
| 11–12 | Read simple words made only of letters: घर, नल, कमल, बतख. |
| 13 onwards | Barakhadi, one or two consonants a day. Read it out like a rhyme: क का कि की… |
Tips that help
- Sound before shape. Children learn the sound of a letter faster than its shape. Picture words give each sound a hook.
- Keep it short. Ten focused minutes beats an hour. Stop while your child still wants more.
- Mix the order. Once a group is known, point at letters out of order so your child reads the shape rather than reciting the sequence.
- Look-alike letters. Practise pairs that are easy to mix up side by side: ब and व, घ and ध, म and भ, ट and ठ.
- Use everyday print. Find letters on shop signs, food packets and newspapers.
- Celebrate small wins. A sticker for each new group keeps it fun.
Teaching matras and barakhadi
A matra is the sign a vowel takes when it joins a consonant. Teach them one at a time, in this order: ा (आ), ि (इ), ी (ई), ु (उ), ू (ऊ), े (ए), ै (ऐ), ो (ओ), ौ (औ), then ं and ः. Show how the same matra works on every letter: का, खा, गा. Then read a full barakhadi, like क की बारहखड़ी. The Hindi barakhadi chart has all 36 consonants with every matra and English pronunciation.
Make practice a game
Akshar is a free varnamala game: children tap the letters in order before the clock runs out, and hear each letter spoken. It has no ads or tracking, and works on any phone. For numbers, Pahada does the same for times tables.
Play Akshar, the varnamala gameFree, no ads, made for young children.