To say the Hanuman Chalisa well from English letters, mind four things: long and short vowels (Ram is said raam), the breath in kh, gh, th, dh, ph and bh, the two kinds of t and d, and the nasal n. Below is each sound with a word from the Chalisa, the 25 words people find hardest, and an easy way to learn it.
The whole Chalisa in English letters, with a reading key, is on our English page, word for word from the Gita Press text. Every word on this page is spelled the same way.
The Sounds English Letters Hide
Hindi has sounds that English spelling does not show. These are the ones that matter in the Chalisa (see Hindustani phonology). “Say it” spells each word in syllables, with long vowels doubled.
| Short and long a | a is short, as in about; aa is long, as in father. Our letters write both as a: Ram is said raam, Nama is said naa-maa. |
| ee and oo | Long ee and oo: Kapees (ka-pees), Roop (roop). At the end of a word our letters write i and u, but they are still long: Bajarangi (baj-ran-gee), Bhanu (bhaa-noo). |
| e, ai, o, au | e and o are always long: Ke (kay), Ko (koh). ai is said as in bat, a little longer: Sajai. au as in the British “law”: Aur. |
| The breath sounds | kh, gh, chh, jh, th, dh, ph and bh are said with a puff of breath: Sukh, Raghubar, Dhama, Bhanu. ph is not f (Phal is p plus breath), and th is not the English th (Nath is t plus breath). |
| Two kinds of t and d | With the tongue on the teeth: Atulit, Dev. With the tongue curled back: Bikat, Dera. English t and d sit between the two. |
| ड़ and ढ़ | A quick flap with the tongue curled back, between d and r: Badai, Padhai, Chhudavai. |
| The nasal n | An n after a vowel (ँ or ं in Hindi) is often only a nasal sound, said through the nose: Tihun, Mohin, Kanpai, Gosain. |
| ज्ञ | Said gy by Hindi speakers: Gyan (gyaan), Agya (aag-yaa). You will also see it written jnana. |
| ऋ | Said ri: Kripa (kri-paa), Hriday (hri-day). |
| The last a | A short a at the end of a word is not said: Charan, not Charana; Ram, not Rama (see schwa deletion). After two consonants it is said lightly: Putra, Mantra. Inside a word it is often light too: Bajarangi is said baj-ran-gee. |
Old Spellings: Say Them as Printed
The Gita Press text keeps the old spellings of the Chalisa. It often writes ब where modern Hindi has व (बिक्रम, बिद्या: Bikram, Bidya), स for श (संकर, कलेस, पिसाच: Sankar, Kales, Pisach) and न for ण (गुन, चरन: Gun, Charan). Say the words as they are printed in the book you read from. Many people say Shankar for संकर; both name Lord Shiva.
One word is read differently from how it looks: Gita Press prints लषन (chaupai 8 and the last doha), an old way of writing लखन, and other editions, such as Swami Rambhadracharya’s, print लखन. It is Lakshman ji’s name: say Lakhan, as our English letters write it.
25 Words People Find Hard
Each word is shown in Hindi, in our English letters and in syllables. Tap the place to see the line and its meaning on our meaning page.
| श्रीगुरु Doha 1 | English letters: Shreeguru Say it: shree-gu-ru Sh and r together, then a long ee. |
| बरनउँ Doha 1 | English letters: Baranaun Say it: ba-ra-naun The last n is only a nasal sound, said through the nose. |
| सुमिरौं Doha 2 | English letters: Sumiraun Say it: su-mi-raun The same nasal ending. |
| ज्ञान Chaupai 1 | English letters: Gyan Say it: gyaan ज्ञ is said gy; long aa. |
| तिहुँ Chaupai 1 | English letters: Tihun Say it: ti-hun Nasal u, not a full n. |
| बजरंगी Chaupai 3 | English letters: Bajarangi Say it: baj-ran-gee The a after j is said lightly. |
| केसरीनंदन Chaupai 6 | English letters: Kesareenandan Say it: ke-sa-ree-nan-dan One long word: Kesari’s son. |
| ध्वजा Chaupai 5 | English letters: Dhvaja Say it: dhva-jaa Dh with a breath, then v. |
| मूँज Chaupai 5 | English letters: Moonj Say it: moonj Long oo with a nasal sound. |
| जनेऊ Chaupai 5 | English letters: Janeu Say it: ja-ne-oo Three syllables, the last a long oo. |
| सूक्ष्म Chaupai 9 | English letters: Sookshma Say it: sook-shma Long oo, then ksh; the final a is said. |
| सनकादिक Chaupai 14 | English letters: Sanakadik Say it: sa-na-kaa-dik Sanak and the other sages. |
| ब्रह्मादि Chaupai 14 | English letters: Brahmadi Say it: brah-maa-di H before m, with a breath: brah. |
| सहस्र Chaupai 18 | English letters: Sahasra Say it: sa-has-ra S, h, then sr together. |
| लील्यो Chaupai 18 | English letters: Leelyo Say it: leel-yo Long ee, then ly together. |
| लाँघि Chaupai 19 | English letters: Langhi Say it: laan-ghi Nasal aa, then gh with a breath. |
| आज्ञा Chaupai 21 | English letters: Agya Say it: aag-yaa ज्ञ again: gy. |
| रच्छक Chaupai 22 | English letters: Rachchhak Say it: rach-chhak Ch held, then chh with a breath. |
| सम्हारो Chaupai 23 | English letters: Samharo Say it: sam-haa-ro M and h said together. |
| छुड़ावै Chaupai 26 | English letters: Chhudavai Say it: chhu-daa-vai ड़ is a quick flap with the tongue curled back, between d and r. |
| ध्यान Chaupai 26 | English letters: Dhyan Say it: dhyaan Dh and y together, long aa. |
| गोसाईं Chaupai 37 | English letters: Gosain Say it: go-saa-een Long ee, said through the nose. |
| नाईं Chaupai 37 | English letters: Nain Say it: naa-een The same nasal ending. |
| हृदय Chaupai 40 | English letters: Hriday Say it: hri-day ऋ is said ri. |
| लषन Chaupai 8 | English letters: Lakhan Say it: la-khan Gita Press prints लषन, the old spelling of लखन (Lakshman ji); say Lakhan. |
Learn It in English Letters
1. Listen to one recording of the Chalisa all through, from our audio page.
2. Read the two opening dohas and five chaupais a day from our English page, saying each half-line after the singer.
3. Mind the long vowels and the breath sounds above; they make the biggest difference.
4. Read the meaning once, so you know what each line says.
5. Keep the one page PDF on your phone or near your mandir.
6. Once you know all the lines, read the whole Chalisa once a day with the recording, then on your own.
हनुमान चालीसा का सही उच्चारण
छोटी और बड़ी मात्रा का ध्यान रखें: राम में आ लंबा है, और सीता में ई। अनुनासिक शब्द (तिहुँ, बरनउँ, सुमिरौं) नाक से बोले जाते हैं, पूरे न की तरह नहीं।
छुड़ावै और बड़ाई जैसे शब्दों में ड़ है, ड नहीं। ज्ञान और आज्ञा में ज्ञ को ग्य की तरह बोला जाता है।
गीता प्रेस की चालीसा में पुरानी वर्तनी है: संकर, कलेस, पिसाच, गुन। जिस पुस्तक से पढ़ रहे हैं, उसी तरह पढ़ें। “लषन” को “लखन” पढ़ें। पूरा पाठ हमारे हिंदी पेज पर है।
Frequently Asked Questions
Questions people often ask about saying the Hanuman Chalisa, in English and in Hindi.
Read the whole Chalisa in English letters or in Hindi, learn its meaning, or listen on our audio page.