60+ Essential Hindi Words (Including the Most Beautiful)

Hindi is a unique language. Like English, there are informal and formal types of greetings. However, Hindi has more variations in how you speak to strangers and authority than you find in English. Learn some common Hindi words used for greetings. Additionally, since Hindi is written in Devanagari script rather than the Latin alphabet, you use the pronunciation of the way the word is spoken.

• नमस्ते (namaste) - hello & goodbye
• विदाई (vidai) - farewell
• स्वागत (swagt) - welcome to a stranger
• कृप्या (kripaya) - please
• धन्यवाद (dhanyavaad) - thank you
• माफ़ करना (maaf karana) - sorry
• नमस्कार (namaskar) - good afternoon
• सुसंध्या (susandhya) - good evening
• सुबह (subah) - morning
• फिर मिलेंगे (phir milenge) - see you
• ज़्यादा कुछ नहीं (zyaada kuch nahi) - nothing much
• कैसा चल रहा है? (kaisa chal raha hai?) - How are you?
• आप से मिलकर खुशी हुई (Ap se milkar kushi hui) - Nice to meet you.

Once you get past the common greetings in Hindi, it’s fun to look at some of the beautiful Hindi words. Not only are these beautiful in their meanings but just the way they are spoken. Dive into some uniquely beautiful Hindi words.

• जिजीविषा (jijivisha) - doesn’t have a direct English translation but roughly means hope for life
• मोक्ष (moksha) - to be free or to let it go; similar to nirvana in Buddhism
• वात्सल्य (vatsalya) - unconditional mother’s love
• आशा (aasha) - hope
• सुंदर (sundara) - beautiful
• पराक्रम (paraakram) - courage/strength
• शक्ति (shakti) - power
• रैना (raina) - night
• ख्याल (khyaal) - fond remembrance
• राब्ता (raabta) - soulful connection
• इन्द्रिय (indriya) - power within/spiritual strength
• एहसास (ehsaas) - feelings/enlightenment
• तनहाई (tanhai) - loneliness
• हसरत (hasrat) - wish
• रूह (rooh) - soul

Beyond just common greetings in Hindi, you can find a few basic Hindi words. Explore these Hindi words, pronunciations and definitions in English. Get lost in these common phrases found in this beautiful language.

• हाँ (haan) - yes
• नहीं (nahi) - no
• चलो (chalo) - let’s go
  
• रुको (ruko) - stop
• मुझे (mujhe) - me
• मैं थक गया (main thak gaya) - I’m tired
• क्यों (kyoon?) - why
• कब (kab) - when
• अच्छा (accha) - good
• खाना (khaana) - food
• मुबारक हो! (mubaarak ho!) - congratulations
• आज (aaj) - today
• कल (kal) - tomorrow/yesterday
• खाओ (khaao) - eat
• खेलो (khelo) - play
• काम करो (kaam karo) - work
• पानी (pani) - water

Hindi words don’t just stop at the common Hindi phrases. There are other beautiful Hindi words to describe family members, relationships and emotions. Explore some Hindi words to learn to say to your family.

• मां (mam) - mother
• पिता (pita) - father
• भाई (bhai) - brother
• बहन (bahana) - sister
• मोहब्बत (mohabbat) - love
• नफ़रत (nafarata) - hate
• उदास (udasa) - sad
• खुश (khusa) - happy
• सुभग (subhaga) - charming
• चचेरा (cacera) - cousin
• परिवार (parivara) - family

Take your basic and beautiful Hindi word list home with you by downloading this unique printable list of Hindi words. The printable includes the words in Hindi, their pronunciations and their meanings in English.

When you are traversing the globe, it can help have a few Hindi phrases in your vocabulary. Check out some of these useful and common Hindi phrases.

• आप कहाँ से हो? (aap kahaan se ho?) - Where are you from?
• यह क्या है? (yeh kya hai?) - What is this?
• शौचालय कहाँ है? (shauchalay kahan hai?) - Where is the bathroom?
• कितना? (kitna?) - How much?
• मुझे पसंद नहीं है (mujhe pasand nahi hai) - I do not like ...
• मुझे पसंद है (mujhe pasand hai) - I like it.
• आपका नाम क्या है? (aapka naam kya hai?) - What is your name?
• आप का दिन अच्छा बीते! (ap ka din accha bite!) - Have a nice day!
• मुझे नहीं पता (mujhe nahiṁ pata) - I don’t know.
• कितने का है? (kitane ka hai?) - How much is this?
• मुझे अकेला छोड़ दो! (mujhe akela chod do) - Go away!
• जल्दी से ठीक हो जाओ (jaldi se ṭhik ho jao) - Get well soon.
• क्या आप इसे दोहरा सकते हैं (kya ap issey dohra saktey hain?) - Please say that again.
• क्या आप हिन्दी बोलते हैं? (kya ap hindi bolte hain?) - Do you speak Hindi?

The preferred language of India, Hindi is a beautiful language written using Devanagari script rather than the Roman alphabet. Now that you’ve looked at a few Hindi words, you might be interested in learning English words from Hindi and Urdu. The history of the Sanskrit language might also be of interest.