Kirsty Morgan

The English word “karma” comes from Sanskrit, and in Hindi it is कर्म (karm).

In Hindi “happy birthday” is जन्मदिन मुबारक हो (janmadin mubārak ho). This page covers Hindi, the most widely spoken one.

There is no single language called Indian, so this page gives Hindi. A biscuit is बिस्कुट (biskut).

In Hindi the word is the English loan वेटर (veṭar). To call a waiter at a table, people politely say भैया (bhaiyā), meaning brother.

“I am Indian” is मैं भारतीय हूँ (Main bhaaratiya hoon). Men and women say it the same way. For “we are Indian” say हम भारतीय हैं (Hum bhaaratiya hain).

To say very good in Hindi, use बहुत अच्छा (bahut achchhā). बहुत बढ़िया (bahut baṛhiyā) is more casual, and बेहतरीन (behtarīn) means excellent.

There is no single language called Indian, so this page gives Hindi. The common insult is हरामी (haraami), and हरामज़ादा (haramzaada) is stronger.

The formal Hindi word for teacher is शिक्षक (shikshak) for a man, and शिक्षिका (shikshikā) for a woman. In daily speech many people say टीचर (ṭīchar).

In Hindi, आपसे मिलकर खुशी हुई (āpse milkar khushī huī) means “nice to meet you”, literally “happiness happened on meeting you”.

In Hindi respect is सम्मान (sammān). In daily talk people often say इज़्ज़त (izzat), and आदर (ādar) is the formal word.