Basic Hindi Vocabulary – Days, Months, Colours & More
Essential Hindi words every beginner needs, written in Devanagari with English meaning and simple pronunciation.
Days of the week in Hindi
| English | Hindi | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | सोमवार | somvaar |
| Tuesday | मंगलवार | mangalvaar |
| Wednesday | बुधवार | budhvaar |
| Thursday | गुरुवार / बृहस्पतिवार | guruvaar / brihaspativaar |
| Friday | शुक्रवार | shukravaar |
| Saturday | शनिवार | shanivaar |
| Sunday | रविवार / इतवार | ravivaar / itvaar |
Months of the year in Hindi
| English | Hindi | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| January | जनवरी | janvari |
| February | फ़रवरी | farvari |
| March | मार्च | maarch |
| April | अप्रैल | aprail |
| May | मई | mai |
| June | जून | joon |
| July | जुलाई | julaai |
| August | अगस्त | agast |
| September | सितंबर | sitambar |
| October | अक्टूबर | aktoobar |
| November | नवंबर | navambar |
| December | दिसंबर | disambar |
Colours in Hindi
| English | Hindi | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Red | लाल | laal |
| Blue | नीला | neela |
| Green | हरा | hara |
| Yellow | पीला | peela |
| Black | काला | kaala |
| White | सफ़ेद | safed |
| Orange | नारंगी | naarangi |
| Pink | गुलाबी | gulaabi |
| Purple | बैंगनी | baingani |
| Brown | भूरा | bhoora |
| Grey | स्लेटी | sleti |
| Golden | सुनहरा | sunehra |
Family members in Hindi
| English | Hindi | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Mother | माँ / माता | maa / maata |
| Father | पिता / पापा | pita / papa |
| Brother | भाई | bhaai |
| Sister | बहन | behan |
| Son | बेटा | beta |
| Daughter | बेटी | beti |
| Husband | पति | pati |
| Wife | पत्नी | patni |
| Grandfather (father's father) | दादा | daada |
| Grandmother (father's mother) | दादी | daadi |
| Grandfather (mother's father) | नाना | naana |
| Grandmother (mother's mother) | नानी | naani |
| Uncle (father's younger brother) | चाचा | chaacha |
| Uncle (mother's brother) | मामा | maama |
| Aunt (father's sister) | बुआ | bua |
| Aunt (mother's sister) | मौसी | mausi |
| Friend | दोस्त / मित्र | dost / mitra |
Body parts in Hindi
| English | Hindi | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Head | सिर | sir |
| Hair | बाल | baal |
| Eye | आँख | aankh |
| Ear | कान | kaan |
| Nose | नाक | naak |
| Mouth | मुँह | munh |
| Teeth | दाँत | daant |
| Hand | हाथ | haath |
| Foot / Leg | पैर | pair |
| Stomach | पेट | pet |
| Heart | दिल | dil |
Food and drink in Hindi
| English | Hindi | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Water | पानी | paani |
| Tea | चाय | chaay |
| Milk | दूध | doodh |
| Rice | चावल | chaaval |
| Flatbread | रोटी | roti |
| Lentils | दाल | daal |
| Vegetable | सब्ज़ी | sabzi |
| Fruit | फल | phal |
| Egg | अंडा | anda |
| Sugar | चीनी | cheeni |
| Salt | नमक | namak |
Time words in Hindi
| English | Hindi | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Today | आज | aaj |
| Tomorrow / Yesterday | कल | kal |
| Day after tomorrow / Day before yesterday | परसों | parson |
| Morning | सुबह | subah |
| Afternoon | दोपहर | dopahar |
| Evening | शाम | shaam |
| Night | रात | raat |
| Week | हफ़्ता / सप्ताह | hafta / saptaah |
| Month | महीना | maheena |
| Year | साल / वर्ष | saal / varsh |
Hindu calendar months
Alongside the Gregorian months above, Hindi speakers use the traditional lunisolar calendar for festivals. Approximate equivalents:
| Hindi | Name | Approx. Gregorian period |
|---|---|---|
| चैत्र | Chaitra | March–April |
| वैशाख | Vaishakh | April–May |
| ज्येष्ठ | Jyeshtha | May–June |
| आषाढ़ | Ashadh | June–July |
| श्रावण / सावन | Shravan / Saavan | July–August |
| भाद्रपद / भादों | Bhadrapad | August–September |
| आश्विन | Ashwin | September–October |
| कार्तिक | Kartik | October–November |
| मार्गशीर्ष / अगहन | Margashirsha | November–December |
| पौष | Paush | December–January |
| माघ | Magh | January–February |
| फाल्गुन | Phalgun | February–March |
Frequently asked questions
Why does “kal” mean both yesterday and tomorrow?
कल (kal) refers to the day next to today in either direction. The verb tense makes it clear: कल आया (came yesterday) vs कल आएगा (will come tomorrow).
Do Hindi colours change with gender?
Colours ending in -आ (aa) change to -ई (ee) for feminine nouns and -ए (e) for plurals: नीला घर (blue house), नीली कार (blue car), नीले कपड़े (blue clothes). Colours like लाल (red) and गुलाबी (pink) don't change.
What are the Hindu calendar months?
The traditional Hindu (Vikram Samvat) calendar has 12 lunar months, from Chaitra to Phalgun. They are used for festivals and religious dates and don't align exactly with the Gregorian months.