Learn Sindhi: Sindhi alphabet chart and letters
Sindhi came to India with the families who moved from Sindh in 1947. They settled across the country, most of all in Gujarat (Kutch, Ahmedabad, Gandhidham), Maharashtra (Ulhasnagar, Mumbai, Pune) and Rajasthan. In India it is written in Devanagari or in the Perso-Arabic script.
Sindhi vowels
| Sindhi | Written in English | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| अ | a | 'a' as in 'about' |
| आ | ā (aa) | 'a' as in 'father' |
| इ | i | 'i' as in 'sit' |
| ई | ī (ee) | 'ee' as in 'feet' |
| उ | u | 'u' as in 'put' |
| ऊ | ū (oo) | 'oo' as in 'pool' |
| ए | e | 'e' as in 'they' |
| ऐ | ai | 'ai' as in 'aisle' |
| ओ | o | 'o' as in 'go' |
| औ | au | 'ou' as in 'out' |
| अं | am / an | a nasal sound, as in 'hung' (anusvara) |
Sindhi consonants
- कka
- खkha
- गga
- घgha
- ङṅa
- चcha
- छchha
- जja
- झjha
- ञña
- टṭa
- ठṭha
- डḍa
- ढḍha
- णṇa
- तta
- थtha
- दda
- धdha
- नna
- पpa
- फpha
- बba
- भbha
- मma
- यya
- रra
- लla
- वva
- शsha
- षṣha
- सsa
- हha
The dotted letters are said with the tongue curled back (ṭa, ḍa, ṇa). Sindhi in India is written in Devanagari or in the Perso-Arabic script; this page uses Devanagari.
Letters only Sindhi uses: the implosives, said while drawing air in
- ॻga (implosive)
- ॼja (implosive)
- ॾḍa (implosive)
- ॿba (implosive)
Vowel signs
After a consonant, each vowel is written as a sign joined to it. Here they are with क:
- कka
- काkā
- किki
- कीkī
- कुku
- कूkū
- केke
- कैkai
- कोko
- कौkau
- कंkam
Everyday Sindhi phrases
- सलामsalāmHello
- कीअं आहियो?kīaṁ āhiyo?How are you?
- मां ठीक आहियां, मेहरबानी।māṁ ṭhīk āhiyāṁ, meharbānī.I am fine, thank you.
- रेलवे स्टेशन किथे आहे?relve sṭeshan kithe āhe?Where is the railway station?
- ही केतरे जो आहे?hī ketre jo āhe?How much is this?
- हा / नhā / naYes / no
About Sindhi
Sindhi is one of the 22 languages in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution of India; it is not the official language of any one state. The 2011 Census counted 27.7 lakh people in India whose mother tongue it is. It is written in Devanagari and in the Perso-Arabic script. It was added to the Eighth Schedule in 1967.
Links
To go further: Bharatavani, the portal of India's languages run by the Central Institute of Indian Languages, has dictionaries, primers and books in Sindhi.
- National Council for Promotion of Sindhi Language: Ministry of Education: Sindhi courses, books and dictionaries
- Sahitya Akademi: India's national academy of letters (Ministry of Culture): books, translations and the yearly awards in Sindhi and the other languages of India
Sources: Census of India 2011, Language (Paper 1 of 2018), speakers of the scheduled languages; the Constitution of India, Eighth Schedule.