म Learn Marathi
Start learning

Unit 06 of the Bol Marathi curriculum

Retroflex, nasal, visarga and anusvara. Six lessons: vocabulary, bridges, speaking, grammar and culture.

6 lessons · Sound & Pronunciation

Curated by xmirtunjay for Bol Marathi ·Reviewer: pending native-speaker review ·how the curriculum works

मराठी उच्चार • Marathi Pronunciation · ध्वनि व उच्चार • Sound & Pronunciation

Unit 06

Marathi Pronunciation Guide: Sounds Hindi Speakers Must Learn

Retroflex, nasal, visarga and anusvara.

  • 6 lessons
  • 6 speaking lessons
  • 6 Hindi→Marathi bridges
  • 6 grammar notes
0% complete

What you will learn

मराठी विशिष्ट ध्वनियोंचा अभ्यास.

  • Recognize nasal retroflex sounds · नासल व रेट्रोफ्लेक्स ध्वने
  • Pronounce visarga anusvara · विसर्ग व अनुस्वार उच्चार
  • Identify nasal sounds · nasal sounds पहिचान

Speaking practice sentences

Lesson 1

नमस्कार! मी मराठी शिकतो.
0:000:00
नमस्ते! मैं मराठी सीखता हूँ।
Namaste! I learn Marathi.

Lesson 2

मी मराठी शिकत आहे.
0:000:00
मैं मराठी सीख रहा हूँ।
I am learning Marathi.

Lesson 3

पाणी प्या, कृपया.
0:000:00
पानी पियो, कृपया।
Drink water, please.

Lesson 4

ठंड आहे, स्वेटर घाला.
0:000:00
ठंड है, स्वेटर पहनो।
It's cold, wear sweater.

Lesson 5

कळतंय का? नाही, कळत नाही.
0:000:00
समझ में आया क्या? नहीं।
Understood? No.

Lesson 6

महाराष्ट्र, पुणे, नागपूर.
0:000:00
महाराष्ट्र, पुणे, नागपुर।
Maharashtra, Pune, Nagpur.

Practice

Try saying it

1 / 3

नमस्कार! मी मराठी शिकतो.

Hindi → Marathi bridges

  • ट ठ ड ढ ण → ट ठ ड ढ ण — Retroflex = curled tongue.
  • ङ ञ ण न म → ङ ञ ण न म — Nasal = air through nose.
  • ः → ः — Visarga = light ह्.
  • ं → ं — Anusvara adapts.
  • ह्रस्व दीर्घ → ह्रस्व दीर्घ — Vowel length changes meaning.
  • क्ष त्र ज्ञ श्र द्व → क्ष त्र ज्ञ श्र द्व — Halant joins consonants.

Grammar notes

Retroflex

ट ठ ड ढ ण = मूर्धन्य. जिभेचे अग मूळाकडे वाकून.

Ṭa, ṭha, ḍa, ḍha, ṇa are retroflex (mūrdhanya) sounds - curl the tongue tip back to the palate. Mind the contrast with dental ta, tha, da, dha, na.

Nasals

ङ ञ ण न म = नासिक्य. अंबा, पिंपळ, सांगणे.

The five nasals (nāsikya): ṅa, ña, ṇa, na, ma. Examples: aṃbā (mango), piṃpaḷ (sacred fig), sāṅgaṇe (to tell).

Visarga

विसर्ग (ः) = ह् ध्वनी. दुःख, पुनः.

Visarga (ḥ) is a light breath after the vowel: duḥkha (sorrow), punaḥ (again). It is written as two small dots.

Anusvara

अनुस्वार = स्वरे नासिक्यता. संकट, पंडित.

Anusvara (ṃ) nasalizes the preceding vowel: saṅkata (crisis), paṇḍita (scholar). Written as one dot above the letter.

Vowel Length

मला (to me) vs माला (garland). पण vs पाण.

Vowel length changes meaning: malā (to me) versus mālā (garland); paṇ (but) versus pāṇ (water, poetic).

Conjuncts

क्ष त्र ज्ञ श्र द्व. महाराष्ट्र, क्षण.

Conjunct consonants blend two letters into one glyph: kṣa, tra, jña, śra, dva - as in Mahārāṣṭra and kṣaṇa (moment).

Culture notes

  • Unique ळ — ळ is unique to Marathi, absent in Hindi.
  • Saint Sounds — Abhangs have beautiful pronunciation.
  • Mantra Chanting — Mantras chanted before meals.
  • Tamasha — Tamasha folk art, Lavani songs.
  • Eyelash Ra — Eyelash ra before vowel. क्रिया.
  • English Loans — English loans adapted to Marathi phonology.

How to practice this unit

Read each Marathi sentence aloud, check it against the Hindi, then cover the Marathi and recall it from the English. In the app the same unit adds listening quizzes, speaking checks, sentence building and review before you forget.

Progress saved locally — syncs across devices when you sign in.

Lesson complete.

You've covered the core concepts. Now practice what you learned.

Continue in Bol Marathi →

Continue learning