बधाई
badhāī/bə.d̪ʱɑː.iː/
The Hindi word for congratulations is बधाई (badhāī).
बधाई is used to express approbation. A simple and direct way to say 'Congratulations!' is to use the phrase बधाई हो. If you want to say 'Many Congratulations', you can say बहुत बधाई हो. You might also use वाह! क्या बात है to express 'Wow! What a great thing!' when praising someone's outstanding accomplishment.
Meaning: expressing approbation (intj)
Which one should you use?
While बधाई is the standard term, मुबारकबाद (mubārakbād) is a common alternative often found in more formal or Urdu-influenced contexts.
How does it change in a sentence?
To use 'Congratulations!' as a complete exclamation in Hindi, you should add the verb हो (ho) after बधाई to form बधाई हो!
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced /bə.d̪ʱɑː.iː/ (badhāī) and consists of 3 syllables.
Did you know?
- In many Indian cultures, a celebration accompanying बधाई involves the tradition of 'shagun', where small amounts of money are given as a gesture of good luck.
- While बधाई is the standard Hindi term, the alternative मुबारकबाद comes from Arabic and Persian roots. It is more common in poetry and films due to the influence of Urdu on the language.
- The word बधाई comes from the verb बधाना, which means to increase or grow, framing the greeting as a wish for the person's prosperity to expand.
Examples in context
- बधाई हो!Congratulations!This sentence demonstrates how to use बधाई as a complete exclamation.Tatoeba #6178943 by fastrizwaan, translation #1437 by CK
- नई नौकरी के लिए बधाई।nai naukari ke liye badhai.Congratulations on the new job.
Example conversation
Rahul tells Anjali that he passed his exam.
- अंजलि Anjaliक्या तुमने परीक्षा पास कर ली?kya tumne pariksha pass kar li?Did you pass the exam?
- राहुल Rahulहाँ, मैंने पास कर ली!haan, maine pass kar li!Yes, I passed!
- अंजलि Anjaliतुम्हें बहुत बहुत बधाई!tumhein bahut bahut badhai!Many congratulations to you!
- राहुल Rahulबहुत बहुत धन्यवाद, अंजलि।bahut bahut dhanyavad, anjali.Thank you very much, Anjali.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “congratulations” translations and entries बधाई, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries बधाई, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
