Session 1 · 10 November 2026 · about 10 minutes
Recall the script before adding much language. This session checks recognition separately from writing; familiar material can be completed quickly.
1. What do you remember?
Before opening the memory aids: answer from memory. Use ? for anything unknown; this is a starting point, not a level judgement.
Record this before opening the teaching notes. A recognition answer and a handwritten answer tell us different things.
2. Six letters and a few memory cues
अ आ क म न ल
Open the memory aids after your first recall
These are memory stories, not explanations of the letters’ historical origins. Use the printed shape as your model; replace any cue that does not help you.
| Letter | Reading | Invented memory cue |
|---|---|---|
| अ | a | A short, relaxed sound: imagine a brief “uh”. |
| आ | ā / aa | अ gains an extra right-hand stroke: give the longer shape a long ā. |
| क | ka | k for key: imagine a key hanging from क. |
| म | ma | m for mother: picture म wearing a garland. |
| न | na | n for name: attach a name tag to न. |
| ल | la | l for loop: imagine a loop hanging beneath ल. |
Say a reading, look at its letter, cover it, write it once, then compare. Repeat only the uncertain letters. Check म and न especially carefully. English sound cues are approximate; use the pronunciation reference below when needed.
3. A vowel can change its written form
A consonant such as क is normally read ka in isolation. Add the vowel sign ा to make का kā. Compare म / मा ma / mā and न / ना na / nā.
क → का म → मा न → ना
Use independent आ when the vowel begins the word, as in आम. Use the attached sign ा after a consonant, as in नाम. In today’s words, a final consonant has no extra a: नाम is nām.
4. A short reading
Read these five word labels before opening their meanings. The reading uses only today’s letters and vowel sign.
आम नाम नमक कमल माला
मामा का नाम: कमल।
Meaning of the short reading
Maternal uncle’s name: Kamal. मामा māmā means “maternal uncle”. Here का kā links him to his name. The phrase is a label rather than a full sentence.
Vocabulary support — open after a first reading
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| आम | ām | mango |
| नाम | nām | name |
| नमक | namak | salt |
| कमल | kamal | lotus |
| माला | mālā | garland / necklace |
Grammar in miniature: नाम, नमक and कमल are masculine nouns; माला is feminine. These labels need no verb. Noun gender will matter when we build sentences later.
5. Read and write from memory
B. Read first, then check. Give the reading of each word in Roman letters. You may use aa for ā. Leave unknowns blank or use ?.
C. Cover the memory aids and write from memory. Use a Hindi keyboard below, or write on paper and send a photograph in ChatGPT. Copying a model is practice; label it as copied if you needed the model.
Your answers stay in this open page and are not sent to ChatGPT. Copy the report into the practice conversation for individual correction and a targeted retry. Reloading clears the attempt. Personal answers and correction history are not published on this website.
6. One last recall
Close the page for one minute. Write अ आ क म न ल from memory, then check. Next time, start with the letters you missed. If these are already easy, report that with your answers and include one unfamiliar letter for the next session.
Handwriting: send a photo in ChatGPT if you want feedback on letter formation. A finished image shows the shapes, but not the order in which you drew the strokes.
References and optional sound support
University of Texas at Austin: The Hindi Script · Hindi letter pronunciation with audio. For a longer English and Icelandic resource: University of Iceland: Step into Hindi.