Essential Hindi Vocabulary and Phrases for Absolute Beginners

Essential Hindi Vocabulary and Phrases for Beginners

Hindi is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world, and learning some basic words and phrases can help you communicate in everyday situations, travel more confidently, and connect with Hindi speakers. This guide focuses on practical, high‑frequency vocabulary that beginners can start using immediately.

Note: Hindi is written in the Devanagari script. In this guide, you will see:

Hindi (Devanagari) – the original script
Transliteration – how it sounds in Latin letters
English meaning

1. Basic Greetings and Polite Expressions

1.1 Common Greetings

नमस्ते – namaste – Hello / Hi (also used for Goodbye)
नमस्कार – namaskār – Formal hello (a bit more respectful)
शुभ प्रभात – śubh prabhāt – Good morning
शुभ रात्रि – śubh rātri – Good night

Example:

नमस्ते, आप कैसे हैं? – namaste, āp kaise hain? – Hello, how are you?

1.2 Polite Words

कृपया – kṛpayā – Please (more formal / polite)
प्लीज़ – plīz – Please (informal, borrowed from English)
धन्यवाद – dhan’yavād – Thank you
बहुत धन्यवाद – bahut dhan’yavād – Thank you very much
माफ़ कीजिए – māf kījie – Excuse me / I’m sorry (formal)
सॉरी – sori – Sorry (informal, borrowed from English)

Example:

माफ़ कीजिए, मुझे देरी हो गई। – māf kījie, mujhe derī ho gaī. – Sorry, I got late.

2. Introducing Yourself

2.1 Names and Identity

मेरा नाम … है – merā nām … hai – My name is …
आपका नाम क्या है? – āpkā nām kyā hai? – What is your name? (formal / polite)
तुम्हारा नाम क्या है? – tumhārā nām kyā hai? – What is your name? (informal)
मैं … से हूँ – main … se hū̃ – I am from …
मैं एक छात्र हूँ – main ek chātr hū̃ – I am a student (male)
मैं एक छात्रा हूँ – main ek chātrā hū̃ – I am a student (female)

Examples:

मेरा नाम अलेक्स है। – merā nām Alex hai. – My name is Alex.
मैं इंग्लैंड से हूँ। – main England se hū̃. – I am from England.

2.2 Nice to Meet You

आप से मिलकर खुशी हुई – āp se milkar khushī huī – Nice to meet you (formal)
तुमसे मिलकर अच्छा लगा – tumse milkar acchā lagā – Nice to meet you (informal)

Example conversation:

A: नमस्ते, मेरा नाम अलेक्स है। – Namaste, my name is Alex.
B: नमस्ते अलेक्स, आप से मिलकर खुशी हुई। – Hello Alex, nice to meet you.

3. Useful Pronouns and Basic Verbs

3.1 Personal Pronouns

मैं – main – I
तुम – tum – you (informal, friendly)
आप – āp – you (formal / respectful)
वह – vah – he / she / that (context decides)
हम – ham – we
वे – ve – they / those

3.2 Very Common Verbs

The most important verb for beginners is to be:

हूँ – hū̃ – am
है – hai – is / are (singular)
हैं – hain – are (plural or respectful)

Examples:

मैं ठीक हूँ। – main ṭhīk hū̃. – I am fine.
आप कैसे हैं? – āp kaise hain? – How are you? (to a man or in general)
आप कैसी हैं? – āp kaisī hain? – How are you? (to a woman)

Other high‑frequency verbs:

करना – karnā – to do
जाना – jānā – to go
आना – ānā – to come
खाना – khānā – to eat / food (noun)
पीना – pīnā – to drink

Examples:

मैं जा रहा हूँ। – main jā rahā hū̃. – I am going. (speaker male)
मैं जा रही हूँ। – main jā rahī hū̃. – I am going. (speaker female)

4. Numbers, Time, and Days

4.1 Numbers 1–10

एक – ek – 1
दो – do – 2
तीन – tīn – 3
चार – cār – 4
पाँच – pā̃c – 5
छह – chah – 6
सात – sāt – 7
आठ – āṭh – 8
नौ – nau – 9
दस – das – 10

Example:

मुझे दो कॉफ़ी चाहिए। – mujhe do kɔfī chāhiye. – I want two coffees.

4.2 Days of the Week

सोमवार – somvār – Monday
मंगलवार – mangalvār – Tuesday
बुधवार – budhvār – Wednesday
गुरुवार – guruvār – Thursday
शुक्रवार – śukravār – Friday
शनिवार – śanivār – Saturday
रविवार – ravivār – Sunday

Example:

मैं सोमवार को दिल्ली जा रहा हूँ। – main somvār ko Dilli jā rahā hū̃. – I am going to Delhi on Monday. (male speaker)

5. Everyday Survival Phrases

5.1 Asking for Help and Directions

मदद – madad – help (noun)
मदद कीजिए – madad kījie – Please help (formal)
कहाँ – kahā̃ – where
यह कहाँ है? – yah kahā̃ hai? – Where is this?
बाएँ – bāẽ – left
दाएँ – dāẽ – right
सीधे – sīdhe – straight

Example questions:

बाथरूम कहाँ है? – bāthrūm kahā̃ hai? – Where is the bathroom?
रेलवे स्टेशन कैसे जाना है? – relve sṭeśan kaise jānā hai? – How to go to the railway station?

5.2 Shopping and Money

कितना – kitnā – how much (for quantity / price)
कीमत – kīmat – price
महँगा – mahãgā – expensive
सस्ता – sastā – cheap / inexpensive
रुपया – rupyā – rupee (currency)

Example phrases:

यह कितना है? – yah kitnā hai? – How much is this?
थोड़ा सस्ता कीजिए। – thodā sastā kījie. – Please make it a bit cheaper.

6. Food, Drink, and Restaurants

6.1 Key Food Words

पानी – pānī – water
चाय – cāy – tea
कॉफ़ी – kɔfī – coffee
नाश्ता – nāśtā – breakfast / snack
दोपहर का खाना – dophar kā khānā – lunch
रात का खाना – rāt kā khānā – dinner
शाकाहारी – śākāhārī – vegetarian
मांसाहारी – mānsāhārī – non‑vegetarian

6.2 At a Restaurant

मेनू दीजिए – menū dījie – Please give (me) the menu.
मुझे पानी चाहिए – mujhe pānī chāhiye – I want water.
बिल दीजिए – bil dījie – Please give (me) the bill.

Example sentences:

मैं शाकाहारी हूँ। – main śākāhārī hū̃. – I am vegetarian.
कृपया कम तीखा बनाइए। – kṛpayā kam tīkhā banāie. – Please make it less spicy.

7. Everyday Conversation Building Blocks

7.1 Yes, No, and Basic Responses

हाँ – hā̃ – yes
नहीं – nahī̃ – no / not
ठीक – ṭhīk – fine / okay
ठीक है – ṭhīk hai – okay / all right
मुझे नहीं पता – mujhe nahī̃ patā – I don’t know

Example mini‑dialogue:

A: आप हिंदी बोलते हैं? – Do you speak Hindi? (to a man)
B: थोड़ी हिंदी, लेकिन अच्छी नहीं। – A little Hindi, but not good.

7.2 Talking About Language

हिंदी – hindī – Hindi
अंग्रेज़ी – angrezī – English
मैं हिंदी सीख रहा हूँ – main hindī sīkh rahā hū̃ – I am learning Hindi (male speaker)
मैं हिंदी सीख रही हूँ – main hindī sīkh rahī hū̃ – I am learning Hindi (female speaker)

Useful phrases:

धीरे बोलिए, कृपया। – dhīre bolie, kṛpayā. – Please speak slowly.
इसका क्या मतलब है? – iskā kyā matlb hai? – What does this mean?

8. Tips for Learning and Using These Words

To make these essential Hindi words and phrases part of your active vocabulary:

Create small dialogues using the phrases, for example, greeting someone, ordering food, or asking the price.
Practice aloud every day: repeat sentences like मैं ठीक हूँ (I am fine) or मुझे पानी चाहिए (I want water).
Focus on situations you actually face: travel, work, or speaking with friends.
Listen to native speakers through movies, songs, or podcasts to hear these words in real context.

With these core Hindi vocabulary items and phrases, you can start simple conversations, show politeness, and handle everyday needs. As you become more comfortable, you can expand this foundation with more verbs, adjectives, and sentence patterns.