Pronunciation drill

Retroflex vs dental — ट/त, ड/द

Retroflex consonants (ट, ठ, ड, ढ) curl the tongue back so the tip touches the roof of the mouth. Dentals (त, थ, द, ध) push the tongue forward against the back of the upper teeth. The contrast is what separates the staple food daal (lentil, dental) from Daal (branch, retroflex).

Note: True retroflex/dental minimal pairs in Nepali are limited — six rather than ten. More pairs coming as we expand the audio library.