Use Hindi in Your Alexa Skill
Alexa speaks Hindi and English interchangeably using the same voice. When you use Hindi in your skill, adhere to the following conventions for writing sample utterances and prompts. For information about creating the interaction model for your skill, including sample utterances and prompts, see Create the Interaction Model for Your Skill.
General guidelines
Do the following:
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Use Devanagari script to write Hindi words, for example ‘हिंदी jokes open करो’ or ‘आज का मेरा horoscope क्या है’.
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Use Latin characters (A-Z) to write English words and anglicized words.
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When in doubt, use Latin script. Speech recognition might succeed when you use Latin characters to write an Indic word. However, speech recognition fails when you use Devanagari script to write an English word. For example, speech recognition fails on a joke written in Devanagari (जोक्स), and might succeed if you enter ‘Taj Mahal’ for ‘ताज महल’.
Purn-viram (full stop)
Alexa uses the dot symbol (.) for a full stop (period) and does not use other symbols. Do not include a space prior to the full stop, and after the full stop insert a single space before the next sentence starts.
| Correct | Incorrect |
|---|---|
| हरियाणा उत्तर भारत का एक राज्य है, जिसकी राजधानी चण्डीगढ़ है. इसकी स्थापना 1 नवम्बर 1966 को हुई. | हरियाणा उत्तर भारत का एक राज्य है, जिसकी राजधानी चण्डीगढ़ है। इसकी स्थापना 1 नवम्बर 1966 को हुई। |
Acronyms
Acronyms are not common in Hindi. In text, when you use an English acronym, use English characters and do not transliterate the acronym.
| Correct | Incorrect |
|---|---|
| R. B. I. | र बी आई |
| G. D. P. | जी डी पी |
| A. N. I. | ए एन आई |
| D. D. L. J. | डी डी एल जे |
| S. B. I. | एस बी आई |
| B. C. C. I. | बी सी सी आई |
| B. J. P. | बी जे पी/ भा ज पा |
| R. J. D. | आर जे डी |
Spelling conventions for brands, titles, names, and business entities
Transcribe Indic words and names of Indic entities in Devanagari. Transcribe other words using the official Latin spelling.
| Type | Example | Transcription |
|---|---|---|
| Indic proper name and English word | Preethi Industries Radio Mirchi |
प्रीति industries radio मिर्ची |
| Brand name that is not an Indic proper name | Xiaomi Voltas C hu C hu tv |
xiaomi voltas chuchu t. v. |
| Indic proper name and foreign brand name | Maruti Suzuki | मारुती suzuki |
| Indic proper name and acronym that represents English words | Tata AIG | टाटा a. i. g . |
| English word and Indic word | The Hindu | the हिंदू |
| English | The Times of India | the times of india |
| Non-Indian entities or artists that have Indic words or names and non-Hindi content | Nirvana (US band; English songs) D J Khaled (US artist) Avatar (English movie) |
Follow common conventions
|
| Non-Indian entities or artists that have Indic words or names and Hindi or Urdu content | Jal (Pakistani band) Atif Aslam (Pakistani singer) Avatar (Hindi movie) |
Write in Devanagari |
Use correct Hindi spellings
To pronounce Hindi, Alexa uses Devanagari for text to speech. Use correct Hindi spellings including nukta (नुक़्ता), anusvara (अनुस्वार/बिंदु), and ardhchandra (अर्धचंद्र).
| Correct | Incorrect |
|---|---|
| ग़ुलाम अली अपनी ग़ज़लों के लिए जाने जाते हैं | गुलाम अली अपनी गजलो के लिए जाने जाते है |
| कॉफ़ी के फ़ायदे | काफी के फायदे |
Verify pronunciation by listening to Alexa
Test your skill and listen to Alexa speak the prompts. Pronunciation can differ depending on the spelling that you use.
| Correct | Incorrect |
|---|---|
| अंतरराष्ट्रीय | अंतरराशथरिया समाचार |
Formatting conventions
Alexa uses the standard Devanagari script for text responses and inputs and follows the standard Hindi grammar for punctuation.
Anusvara and chandrabindu
In standard Hindi, anusvara (◌ं) and chandrabindu (◌ँ) differ. However, people often use the two interchangeably and more widely use the anusvara. The following table shows the recommended format for Alexa.
| Recommended | Not recommended |
|---|---|
| यहां | यहाँ |
| पांच | पाँच |
| हां | हाँ |
Currency
Use रुपया (singular), रुपये (plural), पैसा (paisa), and पैसे (paise). For example, use अस्सी रुपये और पचास पैसे (eighty rupees and fifty paise). Use the Indian Rupee symbol (₹), for example ₹68.07.
Language conventions
Keep in mind the following language conventions for Hindi.
Gender agreement
Hindi requires gender agreement between nouns and verbs. In a given prompt, Alexa might be one of the subjects, or any other noun might be the subject. Use the following guidelines to handle gender agreement in Hindi:
- When Alexa is the subject of the conversation, earlier recommendations suggested writing the prompts with a feminine grammatical voice. For example, मैं समझ नहीं पाई. Current guidelines recommend making Alexa gender-neutral in responses. For example, the previous example should be changed to मुझे समझ नहीं आया.
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When a different noun is the subject, assign the appropriate gender to English words to make the words grammatically correct within the sentence. For example, treat English nouns as feminine if they sound like marked Hindi feminine nouns. For example:
- “It’s an expensive battery” translates to यह एक महंगी बैटरी है
- “It’s an expensive charger” translates to यह एक मंहगा चार्जर है
The following table shows correct and incorrect examples of gender agreement.
| English | Correct Hindi | Incorrect | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
|
I didn't understand that |
मुझे समझ नहीं आया |
मैं वह समझ नहीं पाई |
Must use gender-neutral grammar construct when Alexa is the subject of the prompt |
|
I can’t do that |
मेरे द्वारा यह नहीं किया जा सकता |
मैं यह नहीं कर सकती | |
|
Here's your list |
यह रही आपकी लिस्ट |
यह रहा आपका लिस्ट |
The grammatical gender of the noun and the verb are not in agreement with each other |
|
Your order is on the way |
आपका ऑडर भेज दिया गया है |
आपकी ऑडर भेज दिया गया है |
Formality and honorifics
In the second person, there are two levels of formality in Hindi, including singular ‘you’ (तू) and plural ‘you’ (तुम, आप). The level of formality affects grammar rules and also dictates the relationship among speakers.
तू is very informal, तुम indicates familiarity, and आप indicates politeness. Alexa uses आप and its other forms like आपका, आपका (apki, aapka), and does not use तू, तुम, तरेा, तुम्हारा(tu, tum, tera, tumhara). Using आप also affects the verbs in a sentence, so Alexa uses verbs that denote respect with plural Hindi nouns. The following examples show how to use आप with Hindi verbs:
| English | Correct | Incorrect |
|---|---|---|
| Here's your playlist | यह रही आपकी प्लेलिस् | यह रहा तुम्हारा प्लेलिस्ट |
| There are five items in your to-do list | आपके to-do लिस्ट में पांच आइटम्स हैं. | तेरे / तुम्हारे to-do लिस्ट में पांच आइटम्स हैं. |
| Choose one of these: | इन म से कोई एक चुने / चुनिए : | इन म से कोई एक चुन : |
Expressions of politeness
The most commonly used Hindi words for ‘thanks’ and ‘please’ are धन्यवाद and कृपया. Using the English words is also common. Alexa uses all four words interchangeably based on context and what is natural. While using English words, use the English text. The following table shows examples.
| English | Correct | Incorrect |
|---|---|---|
| Thanks for letting me know | मुझे बताने के लिए धन्यवाद | मुझे बताने के लिए thanks |
| Thanks. I've added the tip | Thanks. टिप add कर दी गयी है | थैंक्स. टिप add कर दी गयी है |
| Thanks. | Thanks. | थैंक्स |
| Please try again | कृपया फिर से कोशिश करे | Please, फिर से कोशिश कर |
Apologies
Use fewer apologies whenever possible. When apologizing, use Hindi words or English words like ‘sorry’ depending on context.
| English | Correct | Incorrect |
|---|---|---|
| Sorry, but Audible is not supported right now. | Sorry, मगर इस समय Audible supported नहीं हैं | सारी, मगर इस समय ऑडिबल सपॉर्टेड नहीं हैं |
| Sorry, I didn't get that. Please try again | मैं वह समझ नहीं पाई. कृपया फिर से बताए | सॉरी, मैं वह समझ नहीं पाई. फिर से बताए |
| Sorry, but the volume is at the maximum setting | क्षमा करे, यह अधीकतम Volume है | यह अधीकतम Volume है |
Display best practices
While users speak Hindi in a mixed language, they expect to read Hindi in Devanagari script. Your skill can display text to users in multiple ways:
- On Alexa-enabled devices with screens using Alexa Presentation Language or display templates.
- In the Alexa app with cards.
For a seamless Hindi experience, write all display content in Devanagari script. For example, this image shows Hindi content on a device with a screen, such as an Echo Show:
Last updated: Mar 05, 2024