Common Hindi Phrases with English Meaning
Over 70 everyday Hindi phrases written in Devanagari with simple English pronunciation — perfect for travel, conversation and beginners.
How to use this list
The pronunciation column uses plain English letters: aa as in “father”, ee as in “see”, oo as in “food”, and n at the end of a syllable (main, hain) is a soft nasal sound. Where Hindi changes with gender, the masculine form comes first, then the feminine. Want to translate your own sentence? Use the English to Hindi translator.
Greetings and basics
| English | Hindi | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Hello / Goodbye (respectful) | नमस्ते | namaste |
| Good morning | सुप्रभात | suprabhaat |
| Good night | शुभ रात्रि | shubh raatri |
| How are you? | आप कैसे हैं? | aap kaise hain? |
| I am fine | मैं ठीक हूँ | main theek hoon |
| Thank you | धन्यवाद / शुक्रिया | dhanyavaad / shukriya |
| You're welcome / No problem | कोई बात नहीं | koi baat nahin |
| Please | कृपया | kripya |
| Sorry / Excuse me | माफ़ कीजिए | maaf kijiye |
| Yes | हाँ / जी हाँ | haan / ji haan |
| No | नहीं / जी नहीं | nahin / ji nahin |
| Okay | ठीक है | theek hai |
| Welcome | स्वागत है | swaagat hai |
| See you later | फिर मिलेंगे | phir milenge |
| Take care | अपना ख़याल रखना | apna khayaal rakhna |
Getting to know someone
| English | Hindi | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| What is your name? | आपका नाम क्या है? | aapka naam kya hai? |
| My name is … | मेरा नाम … है | mera naam … hai |
| Nice to meet you | आपसे मिलकर ख़ुशी हुई | aapse milkar khushi hui |
| Where are you from? | आप कहाँ से हैं? | aap kahaan se hain? |
| I am from … | मैं … से हूँ | main … se hoon |
| How old are you? | आपकी उम्र क्या है? | aapki umr kya hai? |
| What do you do? | आप क्या करते हैं? | aap kya karte hain? |
| I am a student (m / f) | मैं छात्र / छात्रा हूँ | main chhaatr / chhaatra hoon |
Language help
| English | Hindi | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Do you speak English? | क्या आप अंग्रेज़ी बोलते हैं? | kya aap angrezi bolte hain? |
| I speak a little Hindi | मैं थोड़ी हिंदी बोलता / बोलती हूँ | main thodi hindi bolta / bolti hoon |
| I don't understand | मुझे समझ नहीं आया | mujhe samajh nahin aaya |
| Please speak slowly | कृपया धीरे बोलिए | kripya dheere boliye |
| Please say that again | फिर से बोलिए | phir se boliye |
| What is this called in Hindi? | इसे हिंदी में क्या कहते हैं? | ise hindi mein kya kehte hain? |
| What does … mean? | … का मतलब क्या है? | … ka matlab kya hai? |
Travel and directions
| English | Hindi | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Where is …? | … कहाँ है? | … kahaan hai? |
| Where is the railway station? | रेलवे स्टेशन कहाँ है? | railway station kahaan hai? |
| Where is the toilet? | शौचालय कहाँ है? | shauchaalay kahaan hai? |
| How far is it? | कितनी दूर है? | kitni door hai? |
| Go straight | सीधे जाइए | seedhe jaaiye |
| Turn left | बाएँ मुड़िए | baayen mudiye |
| Turn right | दाएँ मुड़िए | daayen mudiye |
| Stop here | यहाँ रुकिए | yahaan rukiye |
| I am lost | मैं रास्ता भूल गया / गई हूँ | main raasta bhool gaya / gayi hoon |
Shopping and food
| English | Hindi | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| How much is this? | यह कितने का है? | yah kitne ka hai? |
| It's too expensive | यह बहुत महँगा है | yah bahut mahanga hai |
| Please reduce the price a little | थोड़ा कम कीजिए | thoda kam kijiye |
| I want this | मुझे यह चाहिए | mujhe yah chaahiye |
| I am hungry | मुझे भूख लगी है | mujhe bhookh lagi hai |
| I am thirsty | मुझे प्यास लगी है | mujhe pyaas lagi hai |
| Water, please | पानी दीजिए | paani dijiye |
| Not too spicy, please | कम मिर्च वाला दीजिए | kam mirch vaala dijiye |
| I am vegetarian | मैं शाकाहारी हूँ | main shaakaahaari hoon |
| The food is delicious | खाना बहुत स्वादिष्ट है | khaana bahut swaadisht hai |
| The bill, please | बिल दीजिए | bill dijiye |
Emergencies
| English | Hindi | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Help! | बचाओ! | bachaao! |
| Please help me | मेरी मदद कीजिए | meri madad kijiye |
| I need a doctor | मुझे डॉक्टर की ज़रूरत है | mujhe doctor ki zaroorat hai |
| Call the police | पुलिस को बुलाइए | police ko bulaaiye |
| Where is the hospital? | अस्पताल कहाँ है? | aspataal kahaan hai? |
| I am not feeling well | मेरी तबीयत ठीक नहीं है | meri tabiyat theek nahin hai |
Wishes and feelings
| English | Hindi | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Happy birthday | जन्मदिन मुबारक हो | janmadin mubaarak ho |
| Congratulations | बधाई हो | badhaai ho |
| Happy Diwali | दीपावली की शुभकामनाएँ | deepaavali ki shubhkaamnaayen |
| Happy Holi | होली की शुभकामनाएँ | holi ki shubhkaamnaayen |
| Best wishes | शुभकामनाएँ | shubhkaamnaayen |
| I love you (said by a man / woman) | मैं तुमसे प्यार करता / करती हूँ | main tumse pyaar karta / karti hoon |
| I miss you | मुझे तुम्हारी याद आती है | mujhe tumhaari yaad aati hai |
| Very good! | बहुत अच्छा! | bahut achchha! |
Frequently asked questions
How do you say hello in Hindi?
The most common greeting is नमस्ते (namaste), said with palms pressed together. It works for both hello and goodbye. Among friends, “hi” and “hello” are also widely used.
How do you say thank you in Hindi?
धन्यवाद (dhanyavaad) is the formal word and शुक्रिया (shukriya) is common in everyday speech. Among close friends and family, thanks are often expressed less formally or not at all.
Why do some phrases have two forms?
Hindi verbs agree with the speaker's gender. A man says करता हूँ (karta hoon) and a woman says करती हूँ (karti hoon). Where it matters, both forms are shown as masculine / feminine.
What does “ji” mean in Hindi?
जी (ji) is a respectful particle added after names, titles or yes/no — for example “Sharma ji” or “ji haan” (yes, politely). It's a simple way to sound polite.