Directions & places in Hindi
Find your way and ask for it — the Hindi for north and south, left and right, near and far, the places you're heading to, and the all-important question ...कहाँ है? (where is...?).
Whether you're navigating a city, giving an address, or following a stranger's pointed finger and rapid Hindi, direction words are pure survival vocabulary. The good news is that the system is compact: a few cardinal directions, a handful of relational words like "left" and "straight", the names of common places, and one question pattern that works every time.
That pattern is simply place + कहाँ है? (kahaan hai?, "where is?"). Put the name of what you're looking for in front and you can ask the way to almost anything — a station, a bank, a toilet. If you'll be travelling, pair this page with our travel phrases for the wider toolkit.
Cardinal directions
| English | Hindi | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| North | उत्तर | uttar |
| South | दक्षिण | dakshin |
| East | पूर्व | poorv |
| West | पश्चिम | pashchim |
| Direction | दिशा | disha |
Relational directions
| English | Hindi | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Right | दाएँ | daayen |
| Left | बाएँ | baayen |
| Straight ahead | सीधे | seedhe |
| Up / above | ऊपर | oopar |
| Down / below | नीचे | neeche |
| Near | पास | paas |
| Far | दूर | door |
| In front of | सामने | saamne |
| Behind | पीछे | peeche |
| Here / there | यहाँ / वहाँ | yahaan / vahaan |
Common places
| English | Hindi | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Station | स्टेशन | station |
| Hospital | अस्पताल | aspataal |
| Market / bazaar | बाज़ार | baazaar |
| Bank | बैंक | bank |
| School | स्कूल | school |
| Road / street | सड़क | sadak |
| Shop | दुकान | dukaan |
| Toilet | शौचालय | shauchaalay |
| Temple | मंदिर | mandir |
Usage notes & common mistakes
दाएँ / बाएँ as "to the right/left". These already carry the sense of motion or location, so "on the right" is simply दाईं तरफ़ (daayeen taraf, "on the right side") or just दाएँ. The word तरफ़ (taraf, "side/direction") is handy to know.
पास for "near" and "with". पास means "near", but मेरे पास (mere paas) also means "I have" (literally "near me"). Don't be thrown when you hear it in that second sense.
Polite commands. When giving or receiving directions, the polite -iye form is standard with strangers: जाइए (go), मुड़िए (turn), रुकिए (stop). This matches the respectful आप register you'll want with people you don't know.
One mix-up to avoid: उत्तर means both "north" and "answer" — context decides. And note that English place words like स्टेशन and बैंक are fully naturalised, so don't reach for a more "Hindi" synonym.
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