Ways to say it
| Hindi | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| शुभ रात्रि | śubh rātri | /ʃʊbʱ ɾɑːt̪.ɾiː/ (Hindi, Standard) |
| शब बख़ैर | śab baxair | /ʃəb bə.xɛːɾ/ (Hindi, Standard) /ʃəb bə.kʰɛːɾ/ (Hindi, Standard) |
| गुड नाइट | guḍ nāiṭ |
The phrase is used as a farewell.
What does it mean word for word?
शुभ रात्रि literally translates to 'auspicious night'. In the Persian-derived construction शब बख़ैर, शब means 'night' and बख़ैर means 'with goodness/well-being'.
Which one should you use?
While शुभ रात्रि is grammatically correct for a farewell, in daily spoken Hindi, people are more likely to use the English गुड नाइट or simply say they are going to sleep.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
शुभ रात्रि is a formal, Sanskrit-derived way to say good night. शब बख़ैर is a formal way to say good night, often used in Urdu-influenced or poetic contexts. गुड नाइट is the transliterated English phrase and is very common in casual, urban settings.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is śubh rātri. The IPA is /ʃʊbʱ ɾɑːt̪.ɾiː/. It has 2 syllables.
Did you know?
- The word शब in शब बख़ैर descends from the Proto-Indo-European root *kʷséps. This makes it a very distant relative of the English word 'sleep'.
- The phrase शब बख़ैर is a linguistic bridge to Persian, reflecting a history where Persian was the language of high culture and courts in the Indian subcontinent.
- The word शुभ in शुभ रात्रि is used for many 'auspicious' things, such as शुभ विवाह for a 'happy wedding' or शुभ लाभ to bring good fortune to a business.
Examples in context
- मुझे नींद आई है। मैं सोने जा रहा हूं। गुड नाइट।I'm sleepy. I'm going to sleep. Good night.This sentence shows how to use the transliterated English form गुड नाइट when expressing the intention to go to sleep.Tatoeba #2046507 by sabretou, translation #1701545 by Scott
- शुभ रात्रि, कल मिलते हैं।shubh raatri, kal milte hain.Good night, see you tomorrow.
- अब सोने का समय है, शुभ रात्रि।ab sone ka samay hai, shubh raatri.It is time to sleep now, good night.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Vikas and Anjali are finishing a phone call late at night.
- विकास Vikasअंजलि, अब मुझे जाना चाहिए।Anjali, ab mujhe jaana chahiye.Anjali, I should go now.
- अंजलि Anjaliठीक है विकास, शुभ रात्रि।theek hai Vikas, shubh raatri.Okay Vikas, good night.
- विकास Vikasशुभ रात्रि, अच्छे सपने देखना।shubh raatri, achhe sapne dekhna.Good night, sweet dreams.
- अंजलि Anjaliशुक्रिया, तुम भी।shukriya, tum bhi.Thank you, you too.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “good night” translations and entries शुभ रात्रि, शब बख़ैर, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries बख़ैर, रात्रि, शब, शब बख़ैर, शुभ, शुभ रात्रि, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
Namaste, I’m Robert,
Borrowed three of your ”Good By’s” To help me with my learning of a few Hindi word’s. Hope you do not mind.
Robert age 90 years. Brisbane, Queensland, Austalia