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100 Essential Bengali Words for Beginners

Start with what you would say on an ordinary day: হ্যালো (hello), ধন্যবাদ (thank you), জল (water) and খাওয়া (to eat). Below are 100 beginner words in 9 groups — greetings & basics, people & family, everyday verbs, describing words, colors, numbers, time, food & drink and home — each with its English meaning.

Key takeaways

  • Bengali is written in the Bengali script. For example, হ্যালো means “hello”.
  • You can already count to three: এক (one), দুই (two) and তিন (three).
  • The longest word here is প্রয়োজন হওয়া (to need).

Greetings & basics

16 words
EnglishBengaliType
helloহ্যালোinterjection
goodbyeবিদায়interjection
yesহ্যাঁinterjection
noনাinterjection
pleaseদয়া করেinterjection
thank youধন্যবাদinterjection
sorryদুঃখিতinterjection
andএবংconjunction
butকিন্তুconjunction
orবাconjunction
becauseকারণconjunction
hereএখানেadverb
thereসেখানেadverb
alwaysসবসময়adverb
neverকখনইadverb
togetherএকসাথেadverb

People & family

14 words
EnglishBengaliType
manপুরুষnoun
womanমহিলাnoun
boyছেলেnoun
girlমেয়েnoun
friendবন্ধুnoun
motherমাnoun
fatherবাবাnoun
brotherভাইnoun
sisterবোনnoun
sonপুত্রnoun
daughterকন্যাnoun
childসন্তানnoun
husbandস্বামীnoun
wifeস্ত্রীnoun

Everyday verbs

16 words
EnglishBengaliType
to beহতেverb
to haveআছেverb
to doকরতেverb
to goযেতেverb
to comeআসতেverb
to eatখাওয়াverb
to drinkপান করাverb
to wantচাওয়াverb
to needপ্রয়োজন হওয়াverb
to knowজানাverb
to speakকথা বলাverb
to readপড়াverb
to writeলেখাverb
to listenশোনাverb
to workকাজ করাverb
to buyকেনাverb

Describing words

10 words
EnglishBengaliType
goodভালোadjective
badখারাপadjective
newনতুনadjective
oldবৃদ্ধadjective
youngতরুণadjective
tallলম্বাadjective
shortবেঁটেadjective
niceঅমায়িকadjective
kindদয়ালুadjective
shyলাজুকadjective

Colors

8 words
EnglishBengaliType
redলালadjective
blueনীলadjective
greenসবুজadjective
yellowহলুদadjective
blackকালোadjective
whiteসাদাadjective
orangeকমলাadjective
purpleবেগুনিadjective

Numbers

12 words
EnglishBengaliType
oneএকnumber
twoদুইnumber
threeতিনnumber
fourচারnumber
fiveপাঁচnumber
sixছয়number
sevenসাতnumber
eightআটnumber
nineনয়number
tenদশnumber
zeroশূন্যnumber
twentyবিশnumber

Time

10 words
EnglishBengaliType
todayআজadverb
tomorrowআগামীকালadverb
yesterdayগতকালadverb
morningসকালnoun
afternoonবিকেলnoun
eveningসন্ধ্যাnoun
nightরাতnoun
dayদিনnoun
weekসপ্তাহnoun
monthমাসnoun

Food & drink

10 words
EnglishBengaliType
waterজলnoun
coffeeকফিnoun
teaচাnoun
milkদুধnoun
breadরুটিnoun
cheeseপনিরnoun
fruitফলnoun
appleআপেলnoun
eggডিমnoun
riceচালnoun

Home

4 words
EnglishBengaliType
houseবাড়িnoun
doorদরজাnoun
windowজানলাnoun
bedবিছানাnoun

Emoji: Twemoji, CC-BY 4.0

Learn these Bengali words for good

Watch Your LanguageVocabulary widgets for iPhone & Apple Watch

A list is where learning starts, not where it ends. Watch Your Language puts Bengali words like these on your iPhone Lock Screen and on your Apple Watch face, so you see a few every time you check the time, and it schedules the repeats so the words you keep forgetting come back more often.

You can add your own words too, from a photo, a page of notes or a spreadsheet.

Download on the App Store

Keep going with Bengali

Bengali vocabulary testFind your level How long does Bengali take to learn?A realistic plan

Bengali for beginners questions

What are the first Bengali words to learn?

Start with the words you use every day: greetings, numbers, the days and times, food, family and a handful of verbs. For Bengali that means words like হ্যালো (hello), ধন্যবাদ (thank you), জল (water) and খাওয়া (to eat). The list above groups 100 of them by topic.

How is Bengali written?

Bengali is written in the Bengali script, so it is worth learning the letters early: signs, menus and messages all use it. Each word above has its English meaning beside it.

Is 100 words enough to speak Bengali?

No. This is a starting set: enough to greet people, count, talk about time, name food and family, and say what you want or need. Conversation needs more words, and above all hearing and using them. Treat the list as the first step, then add words from topics you care about.

How do I remember these Bengali words?

Read a few at a time, say them out loud, and come back to them on a schedule rather than once. Watch Your Language puts words like these in a widget on your iPhone Lock Screen and on your Apple Watch face, and brings back the ones you keep forgetting more often.

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