Equivalent letter for H in Russian?

Question

I want to pronounce and write the word 'Hindustan'. What is the Russian equivalent for the English letter 'H'?

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FYI: I am just taking my first steps in learning Russian.

Answer 1

Russian has no special letter for the Latin letter H; in other words, it's rendered differently. You have to consult a dictionary every time a proper name has an H in it. The most common ways to transcribe it are:

• Г: Гималаи "the Himalayas", Генри "Henry";
• Х: хинди, хиндустани "Hindi, Hindustani (languages)", Хайдарабад "Hyderabad";
• no letter at all: Индостан "Hindustan (subcontinent)".