Letter 17 of 35
Ta-Row (retroflex) · Voiceless Aspiratedਠ — Thatha
Retroflex 'hard t' with a puff of breath — aspirated.
Why it matters: ਠ is ਟ with a puff — curled tongue PLUS breath escaping.
Example Word
ਠਾਣਾ
Thaana
Police Station
ਠ with each vowel mark
ਠ
mukta
"ttha"
ਠਾ
kanna
"tthaa"
ਠਿ
sihari
"tthi"
ਠੀ
bihari
"tthee"
ਠੁ
aunkar
"tthu"
ਠੂ
dulainkar
"tthoo"
ਠੇ
lanv
"tthay"
ਠੈ
dulanvan
"tthai"
ਠੋ
horha
"ttho"
ਠੌ
kanaurha
"tthau"
Each vowel mark changes how ਠ sounds. The mark stays the same across every consonant.
Other letters in the Ta-Row (retroflex)
Trace ਠ
Free Printable Tracing Worksheet
Practise writing ਠ (Thatha) with this free printable. Large reference letter at the top, dotted rows below — print at home on US Letter or A4.
ਠ (Thatha) is the seventeenth letter of the Gurmukhi alphabet — the aspirated version of ਟ. Tongue curls back, then a strong puff of air.
How to teach a 4-year-old
Walk like a police officer to a ਠਾਣਾ (Thaana — police station) and say “ਠ … ਠਾਣਾ”. The Th here isn’t like English “the” — it’s a sharp, breathy T sound. Other ਠ words: ਠੰਡਾ (thanda — cold), ਠੀਕ (theek — OK / correct).
Practice ਠ (Thatha)
📖 Read about Thatha in context
See ਠ alongside the rest of the Ta-Row (retroflex) in the free alphabet teaching guide. Open the guide →
Practise Thatha on the go
Six interactive Gurmukhi games — tracing, recognition, memory match — free, offline, no ads.