By the same token, today we’ll teach you the simplest yet most practical Hindi beginner words. These words will help ease you into the language, serving as a foundation on which to build your Hindi skills. As you expand your vocabulary, you’ll find that you can speak and understand Hindi with greater and greater proficiency.
If you’re new to the Hindi language and don’t know where to start, then this lesson is for you!
Reading together is fun!
Before we begin: Rest assured that we haven’t just dumped some random things here. We’ve chosen Hindi words for beginners that are simple, useful, and easy for newbies to pick up. In addition, we’ve carefully designed our list to ensure we cover everything—from pronouns to auxiliary verbs! Memorizing these words will make you a much more fluent speaker and writer in Hindi, so let’s get right to it.
As a beginner in Hindi, most of your conversations will be rather simple. You’ll likely spend a lot of time talking about yourself or others, which will require the use of pronouns. In the table below, you’ll find the most common pronouns in Hindi along with examples of how they’re used.
हम बाहर जा रहे हैं। (ham baahar jaa rahe hain.) “We are going out.”
आप मुझसे कुछ कहना चाहते थे? (aap mujh Se kuch kahaNaa caahaTe THe?) “You wanted to say something to me?”
Demonstrative Pronouns
“This” = यह (yah)
“That” = वह (vah)
“These” = ये (ye)
“Those” = वे (ve)
Example Sentence:
यह सेब है। (yah Seb hai.) “This is an apple.”
Interrogative Pronouns
“What” = क्या (kyaa)
“Why” = क्यों (kyon)
“Where” = कहाँ (kahaan)
“How” = कैसे (kaiSe)
“When” = कब (kab)
“Who” = कौन (kauN)
“Whom” = किसको (kiSako) / किसे (kiSe)
“Whose” = किसका (kiSakaa)
“Which” = कौन-सा (kauN Saa) / कौन-सी (kauN Sii)
Example Sentences:
मेरा फ़ोन कहाँ है? (meraa foN kahaan hai?) “Where is my phone?”
तुम कौन हो? (Tum kauN ho?) “Who are you?”
Are “those” tomatoes?
2. Cracking the Numbers
How much is it? When’s your birthday? What time is it?
These are simple everyday questions we ask each other. Did you notice how these cannot be answered without using numbers? Be it money, time, shopping, teaching, or catching a flight, our lives are quite dependent on numbers. Digits keep things so organized and clear for us.
Here are some basic Hindi numbers that even a beginner like you can practice!
Numbers
“One” = एक (ek)
“Two” = दो (Do)
“Three” = तीन (TiiN)
“Four” = चार (caar)
“Five” = पांच (paanc)
“Six” = छः (chah)
“Seven” = सात (SaaT)
“Eight” = आठ (aath)
“Nine” = नौ (Nau)
“Ten” = दस (DaS)
“Twenty” = बीस (biiS)
“Thirty” = तीस (TiiS)
“Forty” = चालीस (caaLiS)
“Fifty” = पचास (pacaaS)
“Sixty” = साठ (Saath)
“Seventy” = सत्तर (SaTTar)
“Eighty” = अस्सी (aSSii)
“Ninety” = नब्बे (Nabbe)
“Hundred” = सौ (Sau)
“Thousand” = हज़ार (hazaar)
Example Sentences:
सीमा ने दो दर्जन केले ख़रीदे। (Siimaa Ne Do DarjaN keLe khariiDe.) “Seema bought two dozen bananas.”
दादी की उम्र अस्सी साल है। (DaaDii kii umr aSSii SaaL hai.) “Grandma is eighty years old.”
Two tickets, please!
3. Knowing the Nouns
Oh! What would life be without coffee, or pastries, or Brad Pitt—oops! Sorry, nouns! 😉
Nouns are one of the most essential parts of speech, and you couldn’t have a conversation without them! We use nouns to identify people, places, or things.
To give you a headstart, we’ve prepared a thorough list of simple Hindi nouns in different categories.
पूनम के बाल बहुत सुंदर हैं। (puuNam ke baaL bahuT SuNDar hain.) “Poonam has such lovely hair.”
मानव शरीर में दो सौ छह हड्डियाँ होती हैं। (maaNav sariir men Do Sau chah haddiyaan hoTii hain.) “There are two hundred and six bones in the human body.”
Food
“Water” = पानी (paaNii)
“Vegetables” = सब्ज़ियाँ (Sabziyaan)
“Fruits” = फल (phaL)
“Salad” = सलाद (SaLaaD)
“Milk” = दूध (DuuDH)
“Curd” = दही (Dahii)
“Sugar” = चीनी (ciiNii)
“Eggs” = अंडे (ande)
“Chicken” = चिकन (cikaN)
“Fish” = मछली (machaLii)
“Pulses” = दाल (DaaL)
“Rice” = चावल (caavaL)
“Spice” = मसाले (maSaaLe)
“Butter” = मक्खन (makkhaN)
“Flour” = आटा (aataa)
“Oil” = तेल (TeL)
“Buttermilk” = छाछ (chaach)
“Clarified butter” = घी (ghii)
“Bread” = ब्रेड (bred) / डबल रोटी (dabaL rotii)
“Flatbread” = रोटी (rotii)
“Tea” = चाय (caay)
“Coffee” = कॉफ़ी (kaufii)
Example Sentences:
मुझे दो अंडे मक्खन के साथ चाहिए। (mujhe Do ande makkhaN ke SaaTH caahiye.) “I want two eggs with butter.”
फल और सब्ज़ियां एकदम ताज़ी हैं। (phaL aur Sabziyaan ekaDam Taazii hain.) “The fruits and vegetables are really fresh.”
Eggs and milk, please!
4. Essential Verbs
Another set of easy Hindi words for beginners you should learn right away are the essential verbs.
There’s a verb playing in every moment of our lives, whether we recognize it or not. Even if we were to stand as still as a statue, we would still be breathing and our hearts would still be beating. What’s more, verbs can sometimes act as a full sentence in and of themselves: Sit. Shut up. Don’t.
Here’s a list of the most popular verbs used by native speakers.
क्या तुम सोना चाहती हो? (kyaa Tum SoNaa caahaTii ho?) “Do you want to sleep?”
कोई भी सुनील से बात करना नहीं चाहता। (koii bhii SuNiiL Se baaT karaNaa Nahiin caahaTaa?) “Nobody wants to talk to Sunil.”
Other Common Verbs
“To give” = देना (DeNaa)
“To take” = लेना (LeNaa)
“To do” = करना (karaNaa)
“To make” = बनाना (baNaaNaa)
“To sit” = बैठना (baithaNaa)
“To stare” = घूरना (ghuuraNaa)
“To look” = देखना (DekhaNaa)
“To remind” = याद दिलाना (yaaD DiLaaNaa)
“To touch” = छूना (chuuNaa)
“To pull” = खींचना (khiincaNaa)
“To push” = धक्का देना (DHakkaa DeNaa)
“To peep” = झाँकना (jhaankaNaa)
“To ask” = पूछना (puuchaNaa)
“To smile” = मुस्कुराना (muSkuraaNaa)
“To find” = ढूँढना (dhuundhaNaa)
“To pick up” = उठाना (uthaaNaa)
Example Sentences:
इन फूलों को छूना मना है। (iN phuuLon ko chuuNaa maNaa hai.) “It’s not allowed to touch these flowers.”
मैं कुछ देर शांत बैठना चाहती हूँ। (main kuch Der saanT baithaNaa caahaTii huun.) “I want to sit quietly for a while.”
5. A Splash of Adjectives
Looking to add more color and playfulness to your life? Adding some adjectives to your Hindi vocabulary base will help put things into perspective! Adjectives are great tools for sharing how you feel about somebody or something, whether your emotions are positive or negative. Below, you’ll find a table of useful Hindi adjectives to start practicing right away.
What a “busy” day!
Describing People
“Pretty” = सुंदर (SuNDar)
“Cute” = प्यारा (pyaaraa) / प्यारी (pyaarii)
“Handsome” = आकर्षक (aakarsak)
“Tall” = लंबा (Lambaa)
“Short” = नाटा (Naataa)
“Healthy” = स्वस्थ (SvaSTH)
“Weak” = कमज़ोर (kamazor)
“Rich” = अमीर (amiir)
“Poor” = ग़रीब (gariib)
“Thin” = दुबला (DubaLaa)
“Fat” = मोटा (motaa)
Example Sentences:
आप काफ़ी कमज़ोर दिख रहे हैं। (aap kaafii kamazor Dikh rahe hain.) “You look quite weak.”
स्वस्थ रहना बेहद ज़रूरी है। (SvaSTH rahaNaa behaD zaruurii hai.) “It’s so important to stay healthy.”
Describing Emotions
“Happy” = ख़ुश (khus)
“Sad” = दुखी (Dukhii)
“Angry” = ग़ुस्सा (guSSaa) / नाराज़ (Naaraaz)
“Funny” = मज़ेदार (mazeDaar)
“Tired” = थका हुआ (THakaa huaa) / थकी हुई (THakii huyii)
“Confused” = उलझन में (uLajhaN men)
“Restless” = बेचैन (becaiN)
“Excited” = रोमांचित (romaaNciT)
“Shattered” = टूटा हुआ (tuutaa huaa) / टूटी हुई (tuutii huyii)
माँ रात भर बेचैन रही। (maan raaT bhar becaiN rahii.) “Mother was restless all night.”
क्या तुम मुझसे नाराज़ हो? (kyaa Tum mujhaSe Naaraaz ho?) “Are you angry with me?”
Describing Weather
“Hot” = गर्म (garm)
“Cold” = ठंडा (thandaa)
“Sunny” = खिली धूप (khiLii DHuup)
“Windy” = तेज़ हवा (Tez havaa)
“Rainy” = बारिश (baaris)
“Cloudy” = बदली (baDaLii)
“Dry” = शुष्क (susk) /सूखा (Suukhaa)
“Humid” = उमस (umaS) / नम (Nam)
Example Sentences:
बहुत उमस हो रही है! (bahuT umaS ho rahii hai!) “It’s really humid!”
बाहर बहुत ठंड है। (baahar bahuT thand hai.) “It’s so cold outside.”
Describing Objects
“Big” = ड़ा (badaa)
“Small” = छोटा (chotaa)
“Long” = लंबा (Lambaa)
“Short” = छोटा (chotaa)
“New” = नया (Nayaa)
“Old” = पुराना (puraaNaa)
“Broken” = टूटा (tuutaa)
“Light” = हल्का (haLkaa)
“Heavy” = भारी (bhaarii)
“Fresh” = ताज़ा (Taazaa)
“Stale” = बासी (baaSii)
“Wet” = गीला (giiLaa)
“Dry” = सूखा (Suukhaa)
“Spicy” = चटपटा (catapataa)
“Juicy” = रसीला (raSiiLaa)
“Sour” = खट्टा (khattaa)
“Sweet” = मीठा (miithaa)
“Salty” = नमकीन (NamakiiN)
“Bitter” = कड़वा (kadavaa)
Example Sentences:
यह सूप बहुत चटपटा और स्वादिष्ट है। (yah Suup bahuT catapataa aur SvaaDist hai.) “This soup is so spicy and delicious.”
नेपाल एक छोटा देश है। (NepaaL ek chotaa Des hai.) “Nepal is a small country.”
You look so “pretty”!
6. Connect with Conjunctions
Conjunctions serve as the glue between two words, phrases, or sentences. They help us explain reasons, define choices, and add meaning to what we want to say. Here’s a quick look at the essential Hindi conjunction words:
Conjunctions
“And” = और (aur)
“But” = लेकिन (LekiN)
“Then” = फिर (phir)
“Because” = क्योंकि (kyonki)
“So” = इसलिए (iSaLiye)
“If” = यदि (yaDi) / अगर (agar)
“Or” = या (yaa)
Example Sentences:
मेज़ पर सेब और संतरे रखे हैं। (mez par Seb aur SaNTare rakhe hain.) “There are apples and oranges on the table.”
मैं इसलिए नहीं आ पाया क्योंकि मेरी तबियत ख़राब थी। (main iSaLiye Nahiin aa paayaa kyonki merii TabiyaT kharaab THii.) “I couldn’t come because I was not well.”
Common Stationery Items
7. Auxiliary Verbs
To conclude our list of basic Hindi words for beginners, let’s look at auxiliary verbs. They serve a vital role in speech and you can’t afford to skip them; using them correctly will help you sound more like a native speaker (and less like a newbie!).
Auxiliary Verbs
“Is” = है (hai)
“Am” = हूँ (huun)
“Are” = हैं (hain)
“To be” = होना (hoNaa)
“Was” = था (THaa) / थी (THii)
“Were” = थे (THe) / थीं (THiin)
“Will be” = होगा (hogaa) / होगी (hogii)
“Can” = सकना (SakaNaa)
Example Sentences:
बिल्ली सो रही है। (biLLii So rahii hai.) “The cat is sleeping.”
मैं अभी व्यस्त हूँ। (main abhii vyaST huun.) “I am busy right now.”
My god, this is so cold!
8. Mastering the Hindi Language with HindiPod101.com
And here we are at the end of our lesson. We hope you enjoyed our list of Hindi beginner words and found it useful. If so, keep in mind that we have so much more to share with you on HindiPod101.com! Check out our blog and website for plenty of other useful Hindi resources and lesson materials.