50 Everyday Hindi Phrases for Home, Family and Travel

By the Hindi Haveli team · October 28, 2026

You do not need to be fluent to have a real moment in Hindi. A warm नमस्ते to a neighbor, a शुक्रिया to a shopkeeper, or a simple "how are you?" to a grandparent can open doors and hearts. Indians are famously encouraging when someone tries their language, and even a few words are met with smiles.

Here are 50 everyday Hindi phrases, grouped by situation, with the Devanagari, an easy pronunciation guide and the meaning. They work just as well at a family dinner in New Jersey as on a train in Rajasthan.

How to read the pronunciation

We use a simple English-letter spelling. A few tips:

Double vowels are long: aa as in "father," ee as in "see," oo as in "moon."
A capital T, D or R means the tongue curls back slightly.
n at the end of a syllable before another sound, as in main or hoon, is often a soft nasal sound, like the French bon.

Polite and formal "you"

Hindi has three words for "you." आप (aap) is respectful, for elders, strangers and anyone you want to honor. तुम (tum) is friendly, for friends, younger relatives and children. तू (too) is very intimate or very rough, so beginners should avoid it. When in doubt, use आप. All the phrases below use the polite form unless they say otherwise.

Greetings and goodbyes (1 to 8)

नमस्ते (namaste): 1. Hello / goodbye (polite, with hands together)
नमस्कार (namaskaar): 2. Hello (a little more formal)
आप कैसे हैं? (aap kaise hain?): 3. How are you? (to a man or group)
आप कैसी हैं? (aap kaisee hain?): 4. How are you? (to a woman)
मैं ठीक हूँ (main Theek hoon): 5. I am fine
फिर मिलेंगे (phir milenge): 6. See you again
शुभ रात्रि (shubh raatri): 7. Good night
आपसे मिलकर ख़ुशी हुई (aapse milkar khushee huee): 8. Nice to meet you

Many Muslim families greet with अस्सलाम अलैकुम (assalaam alaikum), "peace be upon you," answered with व अलैकुम अस्सलाम (va alaikum assalaam). Sikh families often say सत श्री अकाल (sat shree akaal). It is kind to answer people in the greeting they use.

Manners (9 to 16)

धन्यवाद (dhanyavaad): 9. Thank you (formal)
शुक्रिया (shukriyaa): 10. Thank you (everyday)
कृपया (kripyaa): 11. Please (formal; often added with polite verb forms instead)
माफ़ कीजिए (maaf keejie): 12. Excuse me / I'm sorry
कोई बात नहीं (koee baat naheen): 13. No problem / it's okay
जी हाँ (jee haan): 14. Yes (polite)
जी नहीं (jee naheen): 15. No (polite)
ठीक है (Theek hai): 16. Okay, all right

The little word जी (jee) is magic. Add it after a name or after "yes" and "no" to sound respectful: माँ जी, दादी जी, जी हाँ.

Getting to know someone (17 to 23)

आपका नाम क्या है? (aapkaa naam kyaa hai?): 17. What is your name?
मेरा नाम ... है (meraa naam ... hai): 18. My name is ...
आप कहाँ से हैं? (aap kahaan se hain?): 19. Where are you from?
मैं अमेरिका से हूँ (main amerikaa se hoon): 20. I am from America
मैं हिंदी सीख रहा हूँ (main hindee seekh rahaa hoon): 21. I am learning Hindi (said by a man)
मैं हिंदी सीख रही हूँ (main hindee seekh rahee hoon): 22. I am learning Hindi (said by a woman)
थोड़ी-थोड़ी हिंदी आती है (thoRee-thoRee hindee aatee hai): 23. I know a little Hindi

Phrases 21 and 22 show a key Hindi pattern: the verb changes with the speaker's gender, रहा for men and रही for women.

When you do not understand (24 to 28)

मुझे समझ नहीं आया (mujhe samajh naheen aayaa): 24. I didn't understand
धीरे बोलिए (dheere bolie): 25. Please speak slowly
फिर से बोलिए (phir se bolie): 26. Please say it again
इसे हिंदी में क्या कहते हैं? (ise hindee men kyaa kahte hain?): 27. What is this called in Hindi?
क्या आप अंग्रेज़ी बोलते हैं? (kyaa aap angrezee bolte hain?): 28. Do you speak English?

Phrase 27 is the best phrase a learner can know. Point at anything and ask, and you will learn a new word every time.

Family and home (29 to 34)

खाना खा लिया? (khaanaa khaa liyaa?): 29. Have you eaten? (a caring hello in many families)
भूख लगी है (bhookh lagee hai): 30. I'm hungry
प्यास लगी है (pyaas lagee hai): 31. I'm thirsty
बहुत स्वादिष्ट है (bahut svaadishT hai): 32. It's delicious
बस, पेट भर गया (bas, peT bhar gayaa): 33. Enough, I'm full
मैं आपसे प्यार करता / करती हूँ (main aapse pyaar kartaa / kartee hoon): 34. I love you (man / woman speaking)

Shopping and money (35 to 40)

यह कितने का है? (yah kitne kaa hai?): 35. How much is this?
बहुत महँगा है (bahut mahangaa hai): 36. It's very expensive
थोड़ा कम कीजिए (thoRaa kam keejie): 37. Please lower the price a little
मुझे यह चाहिए (mujhe yah chaahie): 38. I want this
मुझे नहीं चाहिए (mujhe naheen chaahie): 39. I don't want it
बिल दीजिए (bil deejie): 40. The bill, please

In many Indian markets, a little friendly bargaining is normal, especially for clothes and crafts. Fixed-price shops, malls and grocery stores do not bargain.

Getting around (41 to 46)

... कहाँ है? (... kahaan hai?): 41. Where is ...?
स्टेशन कितनी दूर है? (sTeshan kitnee door hai?): 42. How far is the station?
सीधे जाइए (seedhe jaaie): 43. Go straight
दाएँ / बाएँ (daaen / baaen): 44. Right / left
यहाँ रोकिए (yahaan rokie): 45. Please stop here
मीटर से चलिए (meeTar se chalie): 46. Please go by the meter (to a taxi or auto driver)

Help and health (47 to 50)

मदद कीजिए! (madad keejie!): 47. Please help!
मेरी तबीयत ठीक नहीं है (meree tabeeyat Theek naheen hai): 48. I'm not feeling well
डॉक्टर को बुलाइए (DokTar ko bulaaie): 49. Please call a doctor
शौचालय कहाँ है? (shauchaalay kahaan hai?): 50. Where is the restroom?

For phrase 50, many people also simply say टॉयलेट कहाँ है? (TaayleT kahaan hai?), which everyone understands.

Tips for learning these phrases

Learn five at a time. Pick five phrases each week, say them aloud every day, and use them at least once in real life.
Practice with family. If you have Hindi-speaking relatives, ask them to answer you only in Hindi when you use a phrase.
Notice the pattern of polite verbs. Many polite requests end in -ie or -iye: बोलिए, जाइए, रोकिए, दीजिए. Learn the pattern, and you can make your own polite requests.
Listen before you speak. Hearing the rhythm of Hindi makes your phrases sound natural. Short stories and songs help a lot.
Do not fear mistakes. Mixing up रहा and रही is normal. People will understand you, and they will love that you tried.

Travel tip: in India, saying नमस्ते with your palms pressed together and a small nod is a respectful greeting for anyone, and it works perfectly when you are not sure whether to shake hands.

Put the phrases together

Hindi puts the verb at the end of a sentence, so "I want this" is literally "to me this wanted." Our free Sentence Builder shows you how any English sentence flips into Hindi order, step by step. Try building a few of the phrases above, then make new ones of your own.

शुभकामनाएँ! Good luck, and happy learning!

Your turn: try it free

Watch an English sentence flip into Hindi word order, then build your own. It is always free. Try the Sentence Builder