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100 Essential Hindi Words for Beginners

The first Hindi words to learn are the ones you use every day: नमस्ते (hello), धन्यवाद (thank you), पानी (water) and खाना (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 and its pronunciation in Latin letters.

Key takeaways

  • Hindi is written in the Devanagari script, so every word below has its pronunciation beside it in Latin letters. For example, नमस्ते is read “namaste”.
  • Verbs follow a pattern: 14 of the 16 verbs here end in -ना, such as होना, रखना, करना.
  • You can already count to three: एक (one), दो (two) and तीन (three).
The Taj Mahal in Agra, India

Greetings & basics

16 words
EnglishHindiPronunciationType
helloनमस्तेnamasteinterjection
goodbyeअलविदाalvidainterjection
yesहाँhaaninterjection
noनहींnahininterjection
pleaseकृपयाkripayainterjection
thank youधन्यवादdhanyavaadinterjection
sorryमाफ़ करेंmaaf kareninterjection
andऔरaurconjunction
butलेकिनlekinconjunction
orयाyaconjunction
becauseक्योंकिkyonkiconjunction
hereयहाँyahaanadverb
thereवहाँvahaanadverb
alwaysहमेशाhameshaadverb
neverकभी नहींkabhi nahinadverb
togetherएक साथek saathadverb

People & family

14 words
EnglishHindiPronunciationType
manआदमीaadminoun
womanमहिलाmahilanoun
boyलड़काladkanoun
girlलड़कीladkinoun
friendदोस्तdostnoun
motherमाँmaannoun
fatherपिताpitanoun
brotherभाईbhaainoun
sisterबहनbahannoun
sonबेटाbetanoun
daughterबेटीbetinoun
childबच्चाbachchanoun
husbandपतिpatinoun
wifeपत्नीpatninoun

Everyday verbs

16 words
EnglishHindiPronunciationType
to beहोनाhonaverb
to haveरखनाrakhnaverb
to doकरनाkarnaverb
to goजानाjaanaverb
to comeआनाaanaverb
to eatखानाkhaanaverb
to drinkपीनाpeenaverb
to wantचाहनाchaahnaverb
to needज़रूरत होनाzaroorat honaverb
to knowजाननाjaannaverb
to speakबोलनाbolnaverb
to readपढ़नाpadhnaverb
to writeलिखनाlikhnaverb
to listenसुननाsunnaverb
to workकाम करनाkaam karnaverb
to buyखरीदनाkhareednaverb

Describing words

10 words
EnglishHindiPronunciationType
goodअच्छाachhaadjective
badबुराburaadjective
newनयाnayaadjective
oldबूढ़ाboodhaadjective
youngयुवाyuvaadjective
tallलंबाlambaadjective
shortनाटाnaataadjective
niceभलाbhalaadjective
kindदयालुdayaaluadjective
shyशर्मीलाsharmeelaadjective

Colors

8 words
EnglishHindiPronunciationType
redलालlaaladjective
blueनीलाneelaadjective
greenहराharaadjective
yellowपीलाpeelaadjective
blackकालाkaalaadjective
whiteसफ़ेदsafedadjective
orangeनारंगीnaarangiadjective
purpleबैंगनीbainganiadjective

Numbers

12 words
EnglishHindiPronunciationType
oneएकeknumber
twoदोdonumber
threeतीनteennumber
fourचारchaarnumber
fiveपाँचpaanchnumber
sixछहchhahnumber
sevenसातsaatnumber
eightआठaathnumber
nineनौnaunumber
tenदसdasnumber
zeroशून्यshoonyanumber
twentyबीसbeesnumber

Time

10 words
EnglishHindiPronunciationType
todayआजaajadverb
tomorrowकलkaladverb
yesterdayबीता कलbeeta kaladverb
morningसुबहsubahnoun
afternoonदोपहरdopaharnoun
eveningशामshaamnoun
nightरातraatnoun
dayदिनdinnoun
weekसप्ताहsaptaahnoun
monthमहीनाmaheenanoun

Food & drink

10 words
EnglishHindiPronunciationType
waterपानीpaaninoun
coffeeकॉफ़ीkofinoun
teaचायchaaynoun
milkदूधdoodhnoun
breadरोटीrotinoun
cheeseपनीरpaneernoun
fruitफलphalnoun
appleसेबsebnoun
eggअंडाandanoun
riceचावलchaavalnoun

Home

4 words
EnglishHindiPronunciationType
houseघरgharnoun
doorदरवाज़ाdarvaazanoun
windowखिड़कीkhidkinoun
bedबिस्तरbistarnoun

Emoji: Twemoji, CC-BY 4.0

Learn these Hindi 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 Hindi 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 Hindi

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

Hindi for beginners questions

What are the first Hindi 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 Hindi that means words like नमस्ते (hello), धन्यवाद (thank you), पानी (water) and खाना (to eat). The list above groups 100 of them by topic.

Do I need to learn the Hindi script before these words?

You can start without it: Hindi is written in the Devanagari script, and every word here has a pronunciation in Latin letters beside it so you can sound it out. Learning the script soon after is still worth it, because real signs, menus and messages are not romanised. Treat the Latin-letter pronunciation as a guide to the sound, and listen to the language as well.

Is 100 words enough to speak Hindi?

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 Hindi 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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