Matras (मात्राएँ) — Vowel Signs on Consonants
Quick Answer: When a vowel follows a consonant, it's written as a matra (dependent vowel mark) attached to the consonant, not as a separate letter.
How vowels attach to consonants in written Hindi
Category: Devanagari Script
The Rule
When a vowel follows a consonant, it's written as a matra (dependent vowel mark) attached to the consonant, not as a separate letter. Each vowel has a unique matra position: some go above, below, before, or after the consonant.
Why This Matters
English always writes vowels as separate letters. Hindi merges vowel onto consonant: क + ई = की. The matra for इ (short i) goes BEFORE the consonant visually (कि) even though it's pronounced after — this trips up every English speaker learning to read Hindi.
Examples
• का (kaa) — ा matra goes to the right — "क + आ = का" [आ matra is a vertical stroke to the right of the consonant] • कि (ki) — ि matra goes to the LEFT — "क + इ = कि" [Visually appears before the consonant but pronounced after!] • कु (ku) — ु matra goes below — "क + उ = कु" [Small hook underneath the consonant] • के (ke) — े matra goes above — "क + ए = के" [Diagonal stroke above the head line]
Common Mistakes
❌ Writing इ matra after the consonant ✅ Write ि before the consonant: कि not क'ि → The ि matra VISUALLY precedes the consonant even though phonetically the vowel comes after. This is a script convention. ❌ Confusing ु (u) and ू (uu) matras ✅ ु is a small hook, ू has an extended tail → कु (short u) vs कू (long u) — the extra curve in ू indicates the longer vowel
Quick Tip
Matra positions: ा(right), ि(left!), ी(right), ु(below), ू(below), े(above), ै(above), ो(right+above), ौ(right+above). The ि exception is the most common source of writing errors.
Matra positions: ा(right), ि(left!), ी(right), ु(below), ू(below), े(above), ै(above), ो(right+above), ौ(right+above). The ि exception is the most common source of writing errors.
Examples
Common Mistakes
Incorrect: Writing इ matra after the consonant → Correct: Write ि before the consonant: कि not क'ि. The ि matra VISUALLY precedes the consonant even though phonetically the vowel comes after. This is a script convention.
Incorrect: Confusing ु (u) and ू (uu) matras → Correct: ु is a small hook, ू has an extended tail. कु (short u) vs कू (long u) — the extra curve in ू indicates the longer vowel
Quiz
Which matra appears BEFORE (to the left of) the consonant?