Hindi Keyboard

How to type Hindi with this keyboard

Choose how you want to type with the tabs on the keyboard:

• Phonetic (transliteration): type Hindi in English letters and it turns into Devanagari as you type. namaste becomes नमस्ते, dhanyavaad becomes धन्यवाद, kya haal hai becomes क्या हाल है. This is the easiest way if you don't know a Hindi layout.
• InScript: the official Indian layout, key by key, as printed on Hindi keyboards. Your keys type the Devanagari character in the same position.
• Alphabet: the whole Hindi alphabet (varnamala) in its traditional order, each letter labelled with its English spelling. Click a consonant, then a vowel sign from the last row: क + ि gives कि.

The buttons above the keyboard add the halant ◌्, anusvara ◌ं, chandrabindu ◌ँ, visarga ◌ः, nukta ◌़, the danda । and ॥, the rupee sign ₹ and ॐ. Open Digits for the Devanagari numerals ० to ९.

English to Hindi typing: the phonetic rules

You don't need to know a Hindi layout to type Hindi. In Phonetic mode you type English letters the way the Hindi word sounds, and the page converts them to Devanagari as you go. This is what people usually mean by an "English to Hindi keyboard" and it works the same on a PC, a Mac or a phone.

Hindi is written in syllables: each consonant carries a short a sound unless another vowel sign or a halant replaces it. The phonetic mode follows these rules, based on the widely used ITRANS scheme with a few Hinglish-friendly changes. Letters are case-sensitive, so t is त but T is ट. At the start of a word, capitals that can't begin a Hindi word are read as lowercase, so names like Shiv, Ram and Neha work.

Hinglish spellings often leave out vowels that Hindi writes, so the page also recognizes about ninety common words spelled the usual way: bharat → भारत, hindi → हिंदी, nahi → नहीं, main → मैं, accha → अच्छा, karna → करना. For other words, write every vowel that Hindi spells: karanaa, paanii. Backspace removes the last English letter of the word you're typing, so you can fix a spelling without starting over.

Common Hindi words and how to type them

Each of these is typed in Phonetic mode exactly as shown in the first column.

Hindi alphabet chart (हिंदी वर्णमाला)

The whole Devanagari alphabet as it is taught: the vowels first, then the consonants five to a row, each row sharing a place in the mouth (क ख ग घ ङ from the throat, ट ठ ड ढ ण with the tongue curled back, and so on). Under each letter is what to type for it in Phonetic mode. Download it as a picture to print or share.

Download the Hindi alphabet chart (PNG)

Hindi vowels and matras

Every vowel has two forms: a full letter used at the start of a word or after another vowel, and a vowel sign (matra) attached to a consonant. The short a has no matra because every consonant already includes it: क is ka.

On InScript, the key without Shift types the matra and Shift types the full vowel. For example E types ◌ा and Shift+E types आ.

Hindi consonants

The consonants are arranged by where they are made in the mouth. Hindi separates sounds that English doesn't: with and without a puff of air (क k, ख kh), and with the tongue on the teeth or curled back (त t, ट T). The letters with a dot underneath (nukta) are used for sounds from Urdu, Persian and English.

Conjuncts (half letters)

When two consonants meet with no vowel between them, the first loses its built-in a. In writing, a halant (◌्) joins them and they usually merge into a conjunct: the first letter drops its vertical stroke and becomes a "half letter" (स्त, क्य), or the two combine into a new shape. र is special: before a consonant it becomes a small hook on top (र्म), and after one it becomes a slanted stroke at the bottom (प्र).

In phonetic mode you never type the halant: consonants next to each other join automatically. To keep a visible halant or type a letter combination the rules would change, put an underscore between the letters: g_y gives ग्य instead of ज्ञ.

Hindi keyboard chart: the InScript layout

InScript (Indian Script) is the standard Hindi keyboard layout, defined by the Bureau of Indian Standards and shipped with Windows as "Hindi Traditional". Vowel signs sit under the left hand and consonants under the right. The halant is on D, so a conjunct is consonant, D, consonant. The small letter on each key is the English key in the same place.

With Shift, most keys give the aspirated consonant or the full vowel:

Want the Hindi keyboard as an image? Download the layout picture to keep next to your PC or print it, and use the table below it to look up any letter.

Download the Hindi keyboard image (PNG)

InScript key chart: which key types which letter

Every Devanagari character on the layout and the English key that types it. Keys without Shift give the vowel signs and unaspirated consonants; Shift gives the full vowels and aspirated consonants.

• ॊ`
• ऒShift+`
• ऍShift+1
• ॅShift+2
• ्रShift+3
• र्Shift+4
• ज्ञShift+5
• त्रShift+6
• क्षShift+7
• श्रShift+8
• ःShift+-
• ृ=
• ऋShift+=
• ौQ
• औShift+Q
• ैW
• ऐShift+W
• ाE
• आShift+E
• ीR
• ईShift+R
• ूT
• ऊShift+T
• बY
• भShift+Y
• हU
• ङShift+U
• गI
• घShift+I
• दO
• धShift+O
• जP
• झShift+P
• ड[
• ढShift+[
• ़]
• ञShift+]
• ॉ\
• ऑShift+\
• ोA
• ओShift+A
• ेS
• एShift+S
• ्D
• अShift+D
• िF
• इShift+F
• ुG
• उShift+G
• पH
• फShift+H
• रJ
• ऱShift+J
• कK
• खShift+K
• तL
• थShift+L
• च;
• छShift+;
• ट'
• ठShift+'
• ॆZ
• ऎShift+Z
• ंX
• ँShift+X
• मC
• णShift+C
• नV
• ऩShift+V
• वB
• ऴShift+B
• लN
• ळShift+N
• सM
• शShift+M
• षShift+,
• ।Shift+.
• य/
• य़Shift+/

Hindi typing on a PC

This page is a Hindi keyboard for your PC that needs nothing installed: open it in any browser on Windows, Mac, Linux or a Chromebook, type, and copy the text into Word, WhatsApp Web, Gmail or anywhere else. A few things worth knowing when you type Hindi on a computer:

• Unicode text works everywhere. The Devanagari this page makes is standard Unicode, the same as the Hindi you see on websites and in phones, so it copies into any modern program and displays in fonts such as Mangal, Nirmala UI, Kohinoor Devanagari and Noto Sans Devanagari.
• Legacy fonts are different. Text typed with old Kruti Dev or DevLys fonts is not real Hindi text: it is English letters shown through a Hindi-shaped font, so it turns into gibberish anywhere that font is missing. If you are asked for Hindi text for a form, an email or a website, Unicode from this page is what works.
• Physical Hindi keyboards sold in India are printed with the InScript layout shown above. If you have one, the InScript tab on this page matches it key for key. If you have a plain English keyboard, use the Phonetic tab or the chart above to find each letter.
• Typing tests and government exams (SSC, CPCT, Hindi typist posts) usually use InScript, Remington GAIL or Kruti Dev layouts. InScript is the one used for Unicode typing and the one you can practise here.

Hindi numerals and punctuation

Hindi normally uses the international digits 0 to 9, but the Devanagari digits are still used in traditional and religious texts. Open Digits above the keyboard to type them. The full stop in Hindi is the danda ।, typed with | in Phonetic mode and Shift+. on InScript.

How to add a Hindi keyboard to your device

Frequently asked questions