"Common Hindi phrases" is searched by parents who want their children to speak to grandparents, by children about to visit India, and by adults with an Indian partner, a posting or an interest. The sixty phrases on this page are the ones a beginner actually uses in the first month, grouped by situation, each with the Devanagari, a plain pronunciation, the meaning, and the formal or informal form where it matters. The pronunciation guide covers the sounds English does not have, and the one-week plan is how to make the phrases stick: by saying them to someone. The printable sheet has all sixty on two pages.
Download the Hindi phrase sheet (PDF) (the sixty phrases with pronunciation and meaning, the aap-tum-tu guide, the sounds to watch, and the one-week plan; two pages, free).
Before you start: aap, tum and tu
Hindi has three words for "you", and the verb changes with each. Aap (आप) is formal and respectful: for elders, teachers, strangers, and in many families for parents and grandparents. Tum (तुम) is informal: friends, siblings, people younger than you. Tu (तू) is intimate: very close friends, small children, God; to anyone else it is rude. A child abroad should use aap for every adult and tum for friends; the phrases below give the aap form first, with the tum form where a child will need it.
1. Greetings and goodbyes
| Hindi | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| नमस्ते | namaste | Hello, and goodbye, at any time of day |
| आप कैसे हैं? | aap kaise hain? (to a man) / aap kaisi hain? (to a woman) | How are you? (formal) |
| तुम कैसे हो? | tum kaise ho? / tum kaisi ho? | How are you? (informal) |
| मैं ठीक हूँ | main theek hoon | I am fine |
| और आप? | aur aap? | And you? |
| शुभ प्रभात | shubh prabhaat | Good morning (formal; namaste is more common) |
| शुभ रात्रि | shubh raatri | Good night |
| फिर मिलेंगे | phir milenge | See you again |
| अलविदा | alvida | Goodbye (formal, final) |
| स्वागत है | swaagat hai | Welcome |
2. Politeness
| Hindi | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| धन्यवाद | dhanyavaad | Thank you |
| शुक्रिया | shukriya | Thank you (Urdu-origin, very common in speech) |
| कृपया | kripya | Please (formal; in speech, politeness is often carried by the verb form instead) |
| माफ़ कीजिए | maaf kijiye | Sorry; excuse me (formal) |
| माफ़ करो | maaf karo | Sorry (informal) |
| कोई बात नहीं | koi baat nahin | No problem; it doesn't matter |
| हाँ | haan | Yes |
| नहीं | nahin | No |
| जी हाँ / जी नहीं | ji haan / ji nahin | Yes / no, respectfully (ji adds respect to anything) |
| ठीक है | theek hai | OK; fine; all right |
3. Family
| Hindi | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| माँ / मम्मी | maa / mummy | Mother |
| पिताजी / पापा | pitaji / papa | Father |
| दादी, दादा | daadi, daada | Father's mother, father's father |
| नानी, नाना | naani, naana | Mother's mother, mother's father |
| भाई, बहन | bhai, behen | Brother, sister |
| चाचा, चाची | chaacha, chaachi | Father's younger brother and his wife |
| मामा, मामी | maama, maami | Mother's brother and his wife |
| बुआ, मौसी | bua, mausi | Father's sister, mother's sister |
| मेरा नाम … है | mera naam … hai | My name is … |
| यह मेरा परिवार है | yeh mera parivaar hai | This is my family |
4. At home
| Hindi | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| मुझे … चाहिए | mujhe … chaahiye | I want …; I need … |
| मुझे नहीं चाहिए | mujhe nahin chaahiye | I don't want it |
| यहाँ आओ | yahaan aao | Come here (informal) |
| बैठो / बैठिए | baitho / baithiye | Sit down (informal / formal) |
| सो जाओ | so jaao | Go to sleep |
| उठो | utho | Get up |
| मदद कीजिए | madad kijiye | Please help (formal) |
| कहाँ है? | kahaan hai? | Where is it? |
| क्या है? | kya hai? | What is it? |
| ध्यान से | dhyaan se | Carefully; be careful |
5. Food and drink
| Hindi | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| मुझे भूख लगी है | mujhe bhookh lagi hai | I am hungry |
| मुझे प्यास लगी है | mujhe pyaas lagi hai | I am thirsty |
| पानी | paani | Water |
| खाना | khaana | Food; to eat |
| दूध, चाय | doodh, chai | Milk, tea |
| बहुत स्वादिष्ट है | bahut swaadisht hai | It is delicious |
| और दीजिए | aur dijiye | Please give more |
| बस, पेट भर गया | bas, pet bhar gaya | Enough, I am full |
| थोड़ा सा | thoda sa | A little |
| मीठा, नमकीन, तीखा | meetha, namkeen, teekha | Sweet, salty, spicy |
6. School
| Hindi | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| मैं स्कूल जाता हूँ / जाती हूँ | main school jaata hoon (boy) / jaati hoon (girl) | I go to school |
| किताब, कॉपी, कलम | kitaab, copy, kalam | Book, notebook, pen |
| मुझे समझ नहीं आया | mujhe samajh nahin aaya | I didn't understand |
| फिर से कहिए | phir se kahiye | Please say it again |
| क्या आप अंग्रेज़ी बोलते हैं? | kya aap angrezi bolte hain? | Do you speak English? |
| मैं थोड़ी हिंदी बोलता हूँ / बोलती हूँ | main thodi Hindi bolta hoon / bolti hoon | I speak a little Hindi |
| इसका मतलब क्या है? | iska matlab kya hai? | What does this mean? |
| होमवर्क | homework | Homework (the English word is used) |
| पढ़ो | padho | Read; study |
| लिखो | likho | Write |
7. Feelings and needs
| Hindi | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| मुझे अच्छा लगा | mujhe achha laga | I liked it |
| मुझे पसंद है | mujhe pasand hai | I like it |
| मुझे डर लग रहा है | mujhe dar lag raha hai | I am scared |
| मैं थक गया / थक गई | main thak gaya (boy) / thak gayi (girl) | I am tired |
| मुझे नींद आ रही है | mujhe neend aa rahi hai | I am sleepy |
| मुझे दर्द हो रहा है | mujhe dard ho raha hai | It hurts |
| मैं खुश हूँ | main khush hoon | I am happy |
| चलो | chalo | Let's go; come on |
| मुझे बाथरूम जाना है | mujhe bathroom jaana hai | I need the bathroom |
| मुझे आपसे प्यार है | mujhe aapse pyaar hai | I love you (to an elder; tumse to a friend) |
8. The numbers one to ten
| Hindi | Pronunciation | Number |
|---|---|---|
| एक, दो, तीन | ek, do, teen | 1, 2, 3 |
| चार, पाँच, छह | chaar, paanch, chhah | 4, 5, 6 |
| सात, आठ, नौ | saat, aath, nau | 7, 8, 9 |
| दस | das | 10 |
| कितना? | kitna? | How much? How many? |
The sounds English does not have
- Long and short vowels change the meaning. Dil (heart) and deel are different; kam (less) and kaam (work) are different. The pronunciation column writes long vowels doubled (aa, ee, oo).
- The breathy consonants (kh, gh, chh, jh, th, dh, ph, bh) are the plain consonant with a puff of air, not the English th or gh. Hold a hand in front of your mouth: the puff should move it.
- Two kinds of t and d. The dental t and d (tongue on the back of the teeth, as in Spanish) and the retroflex t and d (tongue curled back to the roof, as in "Tom" said with an Indian accent). Theek (fine) is dental; Tamaatar (tomato) starts retroflex.
- The nasal vowels (hoon, hain, main) are said through the nose, lightly; the n is not pronounced as a full consonant.
- R is tapped, as in Spanish or Scottish English, never the American r.
One week to learn the sixty
| Day | Learn | Use |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Greetings and politeness (20) | Greet every family member with namaste; thank with dhanyavaad |
| 2 | Family (10) | Say each relative's word to the relative, on a call if needed |
| 3 | At home (10) | Ask for things with mujhe … chaahiye all day |
| 4 | Food (10) | Name everything at dinner; say bahut swaadisht hai |
| 5 | School and feelings (20) | Tell a parent one feeling in Hindi at bedtime |
| 6 | Numbers | Count stairs, spoons, cars |
| 7 | All sixty from memory | A five-minute video call with a grandparent using as many as possible |
Phrases that are only read are forgotten in a week; phrases said aloud to a person who answers are kept. The method for going from phrases to sentences and the script is in how to teach Hindi for beginners; the grammar behind the verb endings above (jaata, jaati, hoon, hain) is in is Hindi grammar hard.
Download the Hindi phrase sheet (PDF)
Where to get help
1-on-1 online Hindi classes for children growing up abroad and for beginners, with a tutor who holds a master's in Hindi: speaking from the first class, the phrases used in conversation before they are written, the script in the first month, and the formal and informal forms taught together so a child never offends a grandparent by accident. Two 30-minute classes a week for children, the recording after every class, US$10 to $13 an hour. The free 30-minute first class is a real lesson, in Hindi from the first minute.
Questions parents ask
1What are the most common Hindi phrases?
2How do you say hello and thank you in Hindi?
3What is the difference between aap, tum and tu?
4How do you pronounce Hindi words in English letters?
5How long does it take to learn these phrases?
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