बिल्कुल
bilkul/bɪl.kʊl/
The English phrase 'of course' can be translated into Hindi using बिल्कुल (bilkul).
बिल्कुल is used to express enthusiastic agreement or to emphasize that something is absolutely certain. Other ways to express agreement include ज़रूर, which signifies general agreement or confirmation and the informal phrase हां यार, which is used to express agreement among friends.
Meaning: indicates enthusiastic agreement (intj)
Which one should you use?
While बिल्कुल conveys enthusiastic and absolute certainty, ज़रूर is a more general term for agreement or confirmation used across most Hindi-speaking regions. For a very casual tone among friends, you might instead use हां यार.
Is it said differently in some regions?
ज़रूर is used across most Hindi-speaking regions in both formal and informal contexts to signify agreement or confirmation.
How does it change in a sentence?
To create a negative meaning, you can add नहीं to the end of बिल्कुल to form बिल्कुल नहीं, which means 'not at all' or 'certainly not'.
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced /bɪl.kʊl/. The romanization is bilkul.
Did you know?
- The word बिल्कुल actually traces its roots back to Arabic and Persian rather than being an indigenous Sanskrit-derived word. It comes from the phrase bi-l-kull, which literally means 'with the whole' or 'entirely'.
- While बिल्कुल expresses agreement, using the phrase हां यार as an alternative is strictly limited to peer groups because यार can be seen as disrespectful when addressed to an elder.
- Because बिल्कुल is a loanword from Persian, it is often used in high-register Urdu as well. This makes it a perfect 'bridge' word that sounds equally natural in both Hindi and Urdu settings.
Examples in context
- बिल्कुल।Of course.This sentence is useful for practicing a short, emphatic way to say 'Of course.' using बिल्कुल.Tatoeba #6830402 by aboi, translation #433492 by CK
- क्या मैं आज देर रात तक काम कर सकता हूँ? बेशक, आप देर रात तक काम कर सकते हैं।Can I work until late tonight? Of course, you can work until late tonight.
- क्या हमें वहां जाना चाहिए? बिल्कुल, हमें वहां जाना चाहिए।Should we go there? Of course, we should go there.
- आज पार्टी में चलेंगे क्या? हां यार, चलेंगे।Shall we go to the party today? Of course, let's go.
- क्या तुम मेरी मदद कर सकते हो? ज़रूर, मैं तुम्हारी मदद करूँगा।Can you help me? Of course, I will help you.
- बिल्कुल, मैं आपकी मदद करूँगा।bilkul, main aapki madad karunga.Of course, I will help you.
- यह बिल्कुल सही बात है।yeh bilkul sahi baat hai.That is absolutely right.
Example conversation
Rahul asks Pooja if she can join him for dinner.
- पूजा Poojaराहुल, क्या तुम मेरे साथ खाना खाओगे?Rahul, kya tum mere saath khaana khaoge?Rahul, will you eat dinner with me?
- राहुल Rahulबिल्कुल, मुझे बहुत खुशी होगी।bilkul, mujhe bahut khushi hogi.Of course, I would be very happy.
- पूजा Poojaक्या हम पिज्जा मँगाएँ?kya hum pizza mangayein?Shall we order pizza?
- राहुल Rahulहाँ, चलो मँगाते हैं।haan, chalo mangate hain.Yes, let's order it.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry बिल्कुल, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries बिल्कुल, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
