100 common Hindi phrases
A genuinely useful set of everyday Hindi — greetings, manners, getting around, clarifying, feelings and asking for help — each with Devanagari, romanized pronunciation and English, organised so you can find what you need fast.
If you only ever memorise one page of Hindi, make it this one. The phrases below are the workhorses of daily life: the words that get you a meal, a ride, directions and a friendly reply. They are grouped by situation rather than dumped in one long list, so you can drill the set you need before a trip to the market, a taxi ride, or a first conversation.
Two quick pointers. First, register matters: आप (aap) is the polite “you” you should default to with strangers and elders, while तुम (tum) is for friends. Most of the requests below use the polite -इए verb ending (kijiye, boliye), which is the courteous way to ask for anything. Second, Hindi often shows politeness through the verb itself rather than a separate word for “please”, so a well-formed request already sounds respectful.
The absolute basics
The first words to learn — yes, no, hello, and the building blocks of any reply.
| English | Hindi | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Hello / goodbye | नमस्ते | namaste |
| Yes | हाँ | haan |
| No | नहीं | nahin |
| OK / fine | ठीक है | theek hai |
| Maybe | शायद | shaayad |
| My name is… | मेरा नाम … है | mera naam … hai |
| What is your name? (formal) | आपका नाम क्या है? | aapka naam kya hai? |
| Nice to meet you | आपसे मिलकर खुशी हुई | aapse milkar khushi hui |
| I am from England | मैं इंग्लैंड से हूँ | main England se hoon |
| Do you speak English? | क्या आप अंग्रेज़ी बोलते हैं? | kya aap angrezi bolte hain? |
Politeness & small talk
The phrases that make you sound courteous and warm rather than abrupt.
| English | Hindi | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Thank you | धन्यवाद | dhanyavaad |
| Thanks (casual) | शुक्रिया | shukriya |
| Please | कृपया | kripaya |
| You're welcome | कोई बात नहीं | koi baat nahin |
| Excuse me / sorry | माफ़ कीजिए | maaf kijiye |
| Sorry (casual) | माफ़ करना | maaf karna |
| No problem | कोई समस्या नहीं | koi samasya nahin |
| Please come in | अंदर आइए | andar aaiye |
| Please sit | बैठिए | baithiye |
| Congratulations | बधाई हो | badhaai ho |
Getting around
For shops, streets and rides — asking where, how much, and how far.
| English | Hindi | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Where is…? | … कहाँ है? | … kahaan hai? |
| How much is this? | यह कितने का है? | yah kitne ka hai? |
| How far is it? | कितनी दूर है? | kitni door hai? |
| Let's go | चलिए | chaliye |
| Stop here | यहाँ रुकिए | yahaan rukiye |
| Left | बाएँ | baayen |
| Right | दाएँ | daayen |
| Straight ahead | सीधे | seedhe |
| Wait a moment | एक मिनट रुकिए | ek minute rukiye |
| What time is it? | कितने बजे हैं? | kitne baje hain? |
Understanding & clarifying
When you're lost in the conversation — the most valuable phrases a learner can have.
| English | Hindi | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| I don't understand | मुझे समझ नहीं आया | mujhe samajh nahin aaya |
| I understand | मैं समझ गया | main samajh gaya |
| Please speak slowly | धीरे बोलिए | dheere boliye |
| Please say it again | फिर से कहिए | phir se kahiye |
| What does this mean? | इसका क्या मतलब है? | iska kya matlab hai? |
| How do you say … in Hindi? | … को हिंदी में क्या कहते हैं? | … ko hindi mein kya kehte hain? |
| I speak a little Hindi | मैं थोड़ी हिंदी बोलता हूँ | main thodi hindi bolta hoon |
| What did you say? | आपने क्या कहा? | aapne kya kaha? |
| I don't know | मुझे नहीं पता | mujhe nahin pata |
| Write it down, please | लिख दीजिए | likh dijiye |
Feelings & needs
Saying how you feel and what you want — hunger, tiredness, liking and wanting.
| English | Hindi | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| I'm hungry | मुझे भूख लगी है | mujhe bhookh lagi hai |
| I'm thirsty | मुझे प्यास लगी है | mujhe pyaas lagi hai |
| I'm tired | मैं थक गया हूँ | main thak gaya hoon |
| I like it | मुझे यह पसंद है | mujhe yah pasand hai |
| I want… | मुझे … चाहिए | mujhe … chahiye |
| I'm happy | मैं खुश हूँ | main khush hoon |
| It's very good | बहुत अच्छा है | bahut achchha hai |
| No, thank you | नहीं, धन्यवाद | nahin, dhanyavaad |
| I'm not feeling well | मेरी तबियत ठीक नहीं है | meri tabiyat theek nahin hai |
| Beautiful! | बहुत सुंदर! | bahut sundar! |
Asking for help
When you need a hand, a bathroom, or assistance in a hurry.
| English | Hindi | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Please help me | मेरी मदद कीजिए | meri madad kijiye |
| Help! / Save me! | बचाओ! | bachao! |
| Where is the toilet? | शौचालय कहाँ है? | shauchaalay kahaan hai? |
| Call a doctor | डॉक्टर को बुलाइए | doctor ko bulaaiye |
| I'm lost | मैं रास्ता भूल गया हूँ | main raasta bhool gaya hoon |
| Can you help me? | क्या आप मेरी मदद कर सकते हैं? | kya aap meri madad kar sakte hain? |
| One moment, please | एक पल, कृपया | ek pal, kripaya |
| I need water | मुझे पानी चाहिए | mujhe paani chahiye |
A note on courtesy. Indians are generally forgiving of imperfect Hindi and delighted that you tried, so do not wait until your grammar is perfect. A warm नमस्ते, a sincere धन्यवाद, and a willingness to say मुझे समझ नहीं आया will carry you further than memorising a hundred phrases you're afraid to use. Keep the polite आप form as your default and you can never go wrong.
Translate your own phrase
Need a sentence that isn't on this list? Type any English phrase below and see it in Hindi with Devanagari.