Dutch Alphabet & Pronunciation
डच वर्णमाला और उच्चारण
Dutch is written with the same Latin letters as Hindi's romanized spelling, but a handful of vowel combinations and one throaty consonant sound need dedicated attention before anything else clicks.
Grammar Comparison
व्याकरण तुलना
ui, ij, oe, eu — vowel combinations with their own fixed sound
ui (huis), ij (mijn), oe (boek), eu (deur)
इनके लिए हिंदी में कोई सीधा बराबर स्वर नहीं है
Hindi vowels are mostly single sounds written with a single sign, so Dutch's two-letter vowel combinations take some getting used to. ui (as in huis, 'house') is close to a fast अइ said as one syllable; ij (as in mijn, 'my') sounds like ऐ; oe (as in boek, 'book') is a plain ऊ; and eu (as in deur, 'door') is a rounded sound between ओ and ए with no exact Hindi match. Each combination always makes the same sound, no matter which word it appears in — once learned, it stays reliable.
The g/ch sound — a throat sound Hindi doesn't quite have
g (goed), ch (nacht)
ख़ से मिलता-जुलता, पर गले में और पीछे से बनता है
Dutch g (in goed, 'good') and ch (in nacht, 'night') are both a harsh, scraping sound made at the very back of the throat — closer to Hindi's ख़ (used in Urdu-origin words like ख़ान) than to a plain क, but produced further back and with more friction. It takes deliberate practice, since standard Hindi doesn't use this exact sound in native vocabulary.
Vocabulary
शब्दावली
| Dutch | Pronunciation | Hindi | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| huis | hoys | घरghar | house |
| mijn | mine | मेराmerā | my |
| boek | book | किताबkitāb | book |
| deur | d'ur (rounded lips) | दरवाज़ाdarvāzā | door |
| goed | khoot (throaty g) | अच्छाacchā | good |
| nacht | nakht | रातrāt | night |
| water | VAH-ter | पानीpānī | water |
| school | s-KHOHL | स्कूलskūl | school |