तेल
tel/t̪eːl/masculine
The Hindi word for oil is तेल (tel).
तेल is used to refer to liquid fat.
Meaning: liquid fat (noun)
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Northern India, the specific phrase सरसों का तेल is used to refer to mustard oil.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of the word is तेलों. To express possession or the relationship 'of oil', use the oblique form तेल का. The noun is masculine.
How do you pronounce it?
tel
Did you know?
- The phrase तेल देना literally means 'to give oil', but it is used idiomatically to mean 'to flatter' or 'to butter up' someone to get a favor.
- The word तेल comes from the Sanskrit word तैल, which is derived from तैल, meaning 'sesame oil'. Originally, the word specifically described sesame oil before it became a general term for all oils.
- While तेल covers all oils, Hindi uses the specific word घी for clarified butter. Even though घी is a liquid fat, it is almost never referred to as तेल due to its distinct cultural and culinary status.
Examples in context
- वह तेल में पका हुआ है।That was cooked in oil.This sentence shows how to describe food that was cooked in तेल.Tatoeba #609402 by minshirui, translation #42051 by CK
- मैं इस बोतल में तेल भर रहा हूँ।I am filling this bottle with oil.This sentence demonstrates filling a container with तेल.Tatoeba #3621643 by sabretou, translation #1665314 by Amastan
- अल्जेरिया केवल तेल पर निर्भर है।Algeria depends only on oil.This sentence illustrates using तेल in the context of a country's dependence on a resource.Tatoeba #10049632 by sabretou, translation #9458506 by Amastan
- खाना बनाने के लिए तेल चाहिए।We need oil to cook food.
- अपने बालों में तेल लगाने का तरीका बताओ।Tell me the method to apply oil to your hair.
- 4 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Anjali and Rahul are in the kitchen preparing lunch.
- अंजलि Anjaliराहुल, क्या हमारे पास तेल खत्म हो गया है?Rahul, kya hamare paas tel khatam ho gaya hai?Rahul, has our oil run out?
- राहुल Rahulहाँ, मुझे नया तेल लाना पड़ेगा।Haan, mujhe naya tel lana padega.Yes, I will have to buy new oil.
- अंजलि Anjaliजल्दी ले आना, मुझे खाना बनाना है।Jaldi le aana, mujhe khana banana hai.Bring it quickly, I need to cook.
- राहुल Rahulठीक है, मैं अभी बाजार जाता हूँ।Thik hai, main abhi bazaar jata hoon.Okay, I am going to the market now.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “oil” translations and entries तेल, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries तेल, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
