Hindi typing practice

Learn to touch type in Hindi, free in your browser: lessons built from real Hindi words, classic Hindi stories to type, and every Devanagari letter on Inscript, the layout built into Windows, macOS and Linux.

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What you can practise

Smart Lessons in Hindi

Real Hindi words in Devanagari script, built around your slowest key. You start on six keys and add a letter at a time as the others come up to speed.

The Hindi alphabet

Every letter in order against the clock, with how to type each Hindi letter on your keyboard.

Typing games in Hindi

Pilot and Spaceship: steer through the gaps or shoot down enemy ships by typing Hindi words.

6 Hindi books

Classic Hindi books, out of copyright, typed a passage at a time.

पंच परमेश्वर प्रेमचंद · 1916
नमक का दारोगा प्रेमचंद · 1917
आकाश-दीप जयशंकर प्रसाद · 1929
भारतवर्ष की उन्नति कैसे हो सकती है भारतेन्दु हरिश्चन्द्र · 1884
हिंदी साहित्य का इतिहास रामचंद्र शुक्ल · 1929
रघुवंश महावीर प्रसाद द्विवेदी · 1912

Hindi letters

Hindi is written in Devanagari, so the tables have a row for every letter: the vowels and consonants, the vowel signs (matras) that join a consonant, and the marks ं, ँ, ः, ् and ़. A vowel has two forms: अ, आ, इ on their own, and ा, ि, ी after a consonant, so का is क then ा. The sign ि is written before its consonant but typed after it: कि is क then ि. Conjuncts are typed key by key: क्ष is क, ् (the halant), ष.

Inscript is the same on Windows, macOS and Linux. It puts the vowel signs and the halant under the left hand and the commonest consonants under the right: क on K, र on J, त on L. Shift gives the full vowel on a sign's key (ा on E, आ on Shift+E) and the aspirated consonant (क on K, ख on Shift+K). A phonetic layout puts letters on the English keys that sound alike instead, क on K and म on M. macOS and Linux each have one, and they differ; Windows has none, as its Hindi Phonetic keyboard turns whole words typed in English letters into Hindi, so there is no key to show.

On an Inscript keyboard

Windows: Devanagari - INSCRIPT · macOS: Devanagari · Linux: Indian

Add it in Windows under Settings > Time & language > Language & region, in macOS under System Settings > Keyboard > Input Sources, in Linux under Settings > Keyboard > Input Sources.

Letter	Windows	macOS	Linux
़	`़]`	`़]`	`़]`
ं	`ंX`	`ंX`	`ंX`
ँ	`Shift` `ँX`	`Shift` `ँX`	`Shift` `ँX`
ः	`Shift` `ः-`	`Shift` `ः-`	`Shift` `ः-`
अ	`Shift` `अD`	`Shift` `अD`	`Shift` `अD`
आ	`Shift` `आE`	`Shift` `आE`	`Shift` `आE`
इ	`Shift` `इF`	`Shift` `इF`	`Shift` `इF`
ई	`Shift` `ईR`	`Shift` `ईR`	`Shift` `ईR`
उ	`Shift` `उG`	`Shift` `उG`	`Shift` `उG`
ऊ	`Shift` `ऊT`	`Shift` `ऊT`	`Shift` `ऊT`
ऋ	`Shift` `ऋ=`	`Shift` `ऋ=`	`Shift` `ऋ=`
ए	`Shift` `एS`	`Shift` `एS`	`Shift` `एS`
ऐ	`Shift` `ऐW`	`Shift` `ऐW`	`Shift` `ऐW`
ओ	`Shift` `ओA`	`Shift` `ओA`	`Shift` `ओA`
औ	`Shift` `औQ`	`Shift` `औQ`	`Shift` `औQ`
क	`कK`	`कK`	`कK`
ख	`Shift` `खK`	`Shift` `खK`	`Shift` `खK`
ग	`गI`	`गI`	`गI`
घ	`Shift` `घI`	`Shift` `घI`	`Shift` `घI`
च	`च;`	`च;`	`च;`
छ	`Shift` `छ;`	`Shift` `छ;`	`Shift` `छ;`
ज	`जP`	`जP`	`जP`
झ	`Shift` `झP`	`Shift` `झP`	`Shift` `झP`
ञ	`Shift` `ञ]`	`Shift` `ञ]`	`Shift` `ञ]`
ट	`ट'`	`ट'`	`ट'`
ठ	`Shift` `ठ'`	`Shift` `ठ'`	`Shift` `ठ'`
ड	`ड[`	`ड[`	`ड[`
ढ	`Shift` `ढ[`	`Shift` `ढ[`	`Shift` `ढ[`
ण	`Shift` `णC`	`Shift` `णC`	`Shift` `णC`
त	`तL`	`तL`	`तL`
थ	`Shift` `थL`	`Shift` `थL`	`Shift` `थL`
द	`दO`	`दO`	`दO`
ध	`Shift` `धO`	`Shift` `धO`	`Shift` `धO`
न	`नV`	`नV`	`नV`
प	`पH`	`पH`	`पH`
फ	`Shift` `फH`	`Shift` `फH`	`Shift` `फH`
ब	`बY`	`बY`	`बY`
भ	`Shift` `भY`	`Shift` `भY`	`Shift` `भY`
म	`मC`	`मC`	`मC`
य	`य/`	`य/`	`य/`
र	`रJ`	`रJ`	`रJ`
ल	`लN`	`लN`	`लN`
व	`वB`	`वB`	`वB`
श	`Shift` `शM`	`Shift` `शM`	`Shift` `शM`
ष	`Shift` `ष,`	`Shift` `ष,`	`Shift` `ष,`
स	`सM`	`सM`	`सM`
ह	`हU`	`हU`	`हU`
ा	`ाE`	`ाE`	`ाE`
ि	`िF`	`िF`	`िF`
ी	`ीR`	`ीR`	`ीR`
ु	`ुG`	`ुG`	`ुG`
ू	`ूT`	`ूT`	`ूT`
ृ	`ृ=`	`ृ=`	`ृ=`
े	`ेS`	`ेS`	`ेS`
ै	`ैW`	`ैW`	`ैW`
ो	`ोA`	`ोA`	`ोA`
ौ	`ौQ`	`ौQ`	`ौQ`
्	`्D`	`्D`	`्D`

On a US or UK keyboard

Windows: none (Hindi Phonetic converts whole words) · macOS: Devanagari – QWERTY · Linux: Hindi (KaGaPa, phonetic)

Add it the same way. Letters sit on the English keys that sound alike, but macOS and Linux differ on several (ट, ड, ञ and most vowels), so check your system's column.

Letter	Windows	macOS	Linux
़	Not on this layout	`Shift` `़F`	`Shift` `़X`
ं	Not on this layout	`Shift` `ंM`	`Shift` `ंM`
ँ	Not on this layout	`Shift` `ँZ`	`Shift` `AltGr` `ँ8`
ः	Not on this layout	`Shift` `ःH`	`Shift` `ःH`
अ	Not on this layout	`अW`	`AltGr` `अA`
आ	Not on this layout	`Shift` `आW`	`Shift` `आA`
इ	Not on this layout	`Option` `इI`	`AltGr` `इI`
ई	Not on this layout	`Shift` `Option` `ईI`	`Shift` `AltGr` `ईI`
उ	Not on this layout	`Option` `उU`	`AltGr` `उU`
ऊ	Not on this layout	`Shift` `Option` `ऊU`	`Shift` `AltGr` `ऊU`
ऋ	Not on this layout	`Option` `ऋR`	`AltGr` `ऋR`
ए	Not on this layout	`Option` `एE`	`Shift` `AltGr` `एE`
ऐ	Not on this layout	`Shift` `Option` `ऐE`	`AltGr` `ऐY`
ओ	Not on this layout	`Option` `ओO`	`Shift` `AltGr` `ओO`
औ	Not on this layout	`Shift` `Option` `औO`	`AltGr` `औV`
क	Not on this layout	`कK`	`कK`
ख	Not on this layout	`Shift` `खK`	`Shift` `खK`
ग	Not on this layout	`गG`	`गG`
घ	Not on this layout	`Shift` `घG`	`Shift` `घG`
च	Not on this layout	`चC`	`चC`
छ	Not on this layout	`Shift` `छC`	`Shift` `छC`
ज	Not on this layout	`जJ`	`जJ`
झ	Not on this layout	`Shift` `झJ`	`Shift` `झJ`
ञ	Not on this layout	`Option` `ञN`	`ञZ`
ट	Not on this layout	`Option` `टT`	`टQ`
ठ	Not on this layout	`Shift` `Option` `ठT`	`Shift` `ठQ`
ड	Not on this layout	`Option` `डD`	`डW`
ढ	Not on this layout	`Shift` `Option` `ढD`	`Shift` `ढW`
ण	Not on this layout	`Shift` `णN`	`Shift` `णN`
त	Not on this layout	`तT`	`तT`
थ	Not on this layout	`Shift` `थT`	`Shift` `थT`
द	Not on this layout	`दD`	`दD`
ध	Not on this layout	`Shift` `धD`	`Shift` `धD`
न	Not on this layout	`नN`	`नN`
प	Not on this layout	`पP`	`पP`
फ	Not on this layout	`Shift` `फP`	`Shift` `फP`
ब	Not on this layout	`बB`	`बB`
भ	Not on this layout	`Shift` `भB`	`Shift` `भB`
म	Not on this layout	`मM`	`मM`
य	Not on this layout	`यY`	`यY`
र	Not on this layout	`रR`	`रR`
ल	Not on this layout	`लL`	`लL`
व	Not on this layout	`वV`	`वV`
श	Not on this layout	`Shift` `शS`	`Shift` `शS`
ष	Not on this layout	`षX`	`षX`
स	Not on this layout	`सS`	`सS`
ह	Not on this layout	`हH`	`हH`
ा	Not on this layout	`ाA`	`ाA`
ि	Not on this layout	`िI`	`िI`
ी	Not on this layout	`Shift` `ीI`	`Shift` `ीI`
ु	Not on this layout	`ुU`	`ुU`
ू	Not on this layout	`Shift` `ूU`	`Shift` `ूU`
ृ	Not on this layout	`Shift` `ृR`	`Shift` `ृR`
े	Not on this layout	`ेE`	`Shift` `ेE`
ै	Not on this layout	`Shift` `ैE`	`Shift` `ैY`
ो	Not on this layout	`ोO`	`Shift` `ोO`
ौ	Not on this layout	`Shift` `ौO`	`Shift` `ौV`
्	Not on this layout	`्F`	`्F`

Tips for typing Hindi

Start from the home row

On Inscript the left home keys A, S, D and F type ो, े, ् and ि, and the right ones J, K, L and ; type र, क, त and च. Words such as "रेत" and "तेरे" need nothing else.

The matra comes after its consonant

Type a consonant, then its sign, whatever order the eye sees: ि sits before क in कि, but you type क, then ि on F. Practise "किताब" and "दिन" until it is automatic.

The halant joins consonants

The halant, ् on D, joins two consonants: स, ्, त makes स्त, as in "नमस्ते". Inscript also has keys for क्ष (Shift+7), त्र (Shift+6) and ज्ञ (Shift+5) on Windows, but typing them key by key gives the same letters.

Type the nukta where the text has it

Letters such as ज़ and फ़ add a dot below, the nukta: type ज, then ़ on the ] key. Many texts leave the dot out; where the text has it, the lesson counts it.

Typing practice in other languages