Basic Hindi Words and Phrases for Beginners (With Pronunciation)

The basic Hindi words to learn first are नमस्ते (namaste, hello and goodbye), धन्यवाद or शुक्रिया (dhanyavaad or shukriya, thank you), हाँ (haan, yes), नहीं (nahin, no), जी (ji, a word that makes anything polite) and आप (aap, the polite "you"). Every word below has the Devanagari, a romanization and an English sound-alike.

How to read the pronunciation column

Hindi has sounds English does not separate, and they change meaning. The "Sounds like" column uses a few simple rules:

• uh is the a in "about", ah the a in "father", ee as in "see", oo as in "moon". Short and long vowels are different sounds, so दस (das, ten) is "duhs", not "dahs".
• (n) means the vowel goes through the nose with no real n at the end, as in French. The dot or moon mark above a letter (हाँ, नहीं) shows it.
• An h after a consonant is a puff of air. "th" is never the th in "think": it is a t with breath behind it.
• A capital T or D is retroflex: curl the tongue tip back and touch the roof of the mouth. A lowercase t or d is dental: the tongue touches the back of the upper front teeth.

These pairs show why it matters. Each is a different word:

A useful tip: English "k" in "kin" already has a puff of air, while the k in "skin" does not. Hindi क is the "skin" k and ख is the "kin" k. Hindi र is a quick tap, like the r in Spanish "pero", not an English r.

Hello, how are you, and namaste vs namaskar

Namaste works for hello and goodbye, at any time of day, with anyone. Say it with your palms pressed together and a slight bow. Namaskaar means the same thing but sounds more formal, so it suits a group or someone important. In India both are everyday, non-religious greetings. Conversational Hindi has no real "good morning" or "good evening"; namaste covers the whole day. For more greetings with audio, see the Hindi greetings phrases.

Aap, tum and tu: three ways to say "you"

Default to aap. It is grammatically plural, so verbs and adjectives that go with it take the plural form even when you are speaking to one person: आप कैसे हैं, not आप कैसा है. Avoid tu as a beginner.

Ji (जी, "jee") is the other politeness tool. Add it to a name or title as a sign of respect, the way Mahatma Gandhi is called Gandhiji. Add it after yes and no to soften them: हाँ जी (haan ji), नहीं जी (nahin ji).

Thank you, please and sorry

Dhanyavaad vs shukriya: both mean thank you and both are correct. धन्यवाद was borrowed from Sanskrit; शुक्रिया is built on an Arabic word and is shared with Urdu. Hindi speakers thank less often than English speakers, keeping it for real favors rather than a clerk handing over a bag; a smile does the job there.

कृपया is formal. In speech, politeness usually lives in the verb ending instead: the aap form ending in -iye, as in सुनिए or धीरे धीरे बोलिए (speak slowly), is already a polite request.

Yes, no and phrases for when you are stuck

Food and shopping

मुझे ... चाहिए is the most useful frame in this guide: मुझे पानी चाहिए (I need water), मुझे चाय चाहिए (I would like tea). More are on the Hindi restaurant phrases and Hindi travel phrases pages.

Two grammar points hidden in these phrases

Your gender changes some endings: masculine -aa, feminine -ee, as in समझा / समझी above, or "I am learning Hindi": मैं हिंदी सीख रहा हूँ (man), मैं हिंदी सीख रही हूँ (woman). Some words never change, though. ठीक does not take endings, so मैं ठीक हूँ is right for everyone.

Ka, ki and ke agree with the thing owned. The word for "of" or "'s" changes with the gender of what is possessed, not the owner. नाम (name) is masculine, so आपका नाम; किताब (book) is feminine, so आपकी किताब (your book); and with masculine plurals or before another postposition it becomes के, as in आपके लिए (for you). मेरा, मेरी and मेरे (my) follow the same pattern.

Numbers 1 to 10

Six is also spelled छै. For big numbers, Hindi counts in लाख (lakh, one hundred thousand) and करोड़ (crore, ten million) rather than millions.

English words Hindi speakers already use

Urban Hindi mixes in English freely, a blend often called Hinglish, and words for modern things like TV and computer are just the English ones. You already know these:

Notice that English t and d are written with the retroflex letters ट and ड.

Mistakes English speakers make

• Using tum or tu with strangers. Start with aap and the -iye verb forms.
• Reading "th" as in "think". थ is an aspirated t. There is no English th sound in Hindi.
• Ignoring aspiration. कान is ear, खान is mine.
• Forgetting your gender endings. Women say समझी, रही; men say समझा, रहा.

Once these feel natural, the practical tips for learning Hindi cover what to do next, and short Hindi stories at A2 let you hear these words in context. The sounds stick fastest when you say them out loud, which you can practice with Polly, the PollyStop tutor.

Frequently asked questions

What are the most basic Hindi words for beginners?

Start with namaste (hello and goodbye), dhanyavaad or shukriya (thank you), haan (yes), nahin (no), ji (a politeness word), aap (the polite you), theek hai (OK) and achchha (good, OK).

What is the difference between dhanyavaad and shukriya?

Both mean thank you and both are correct. Dhanyavaad was borrowed from Sanskrit, while shukriya is built on an Arabic word and is shared with Urdu. Many speakers also just say thank you in English.

Is it namaste or namaskar?

Both mean hello and goodbye. Namaste is the everyday greeting for anyone at any time of day. Namaskar has the same meaning but sounds more formal, so it suits a group or someone important.

Do women say main theek hoon differently?

No. Theek does not change, so main theek hoon (I am fine) is the same for men and women. Other phrases do change: a man says main samjha nahin and a woman says main samjhi nahin for I did not understand.

How do you say yes and no politely in Hindi?

Yes is haan and no is nahin. Adding ji makes them polite: haan ji, nahin ji.