शाकाहारी
śākāhārī/ʃɑː.kɑː.ɦɑː.ɾiː/masculine
The English phrase 'vegetarian' is translated into Hindi as शाकाहारी (śākāhārī).
शाकाहारी refers to a person who does not eat any animal flesh. In an Indian context, this term often implies a diet that excludes meat and fish but may still include dairy products.
Meaning: person who does not eat any animal flesh (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word शाकाहारी is composed of शाक (śāk), meaning vegetables or leafy greens and आहारी (āhārī), meaning one who eats or a consumer.
Which one should you use?
The opposite of शाकाहारी is मांसाहारी (mānsāhārī), which literally means 'one who eats meat'.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
In standard Hindi, शाकाहारी is used as an invariant noun or adjective for both masculine and feminine genders, though the spelling remains the same in Devanagari.
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced /ʃɑː.kɑː.ɦɑː.ɾiː/. It consists of four syllables.
Did you know?
- In some Indian regions, a person might be शाकाहारी for religious reasons during specific festivals or lunar days, switching to मांसाहारी at other times of the year.
- While many English speakers use 'vegetarian' to describe a lifestyle, in many parts of India, being called शाकाहारी is a marker of religious and social identity as much as a dietary one.
- In a restaurant, if you want to specify a strict vegetarian meal that excludes even eggs, you might use the term शुद्ध शाकाहारी (śuddha śākāhārī), meaning 'pure vegetarian'.
Examples in context
- मैं बहुत सारा मांस खाने वाला शाकाहारी हूँ।I'm a vegetarian who eats a ton of meat.This example shows how to use शाकाहारी to describe one's dietary habits.Tatoeba #3709902 by sabretou, translation #549702 by Spamster
- वह शाकाहारी खाना खाता है।He/she eats vegetarian food.
- उसकी गाड़ी में जो चीज़ें मिलेंगी, वे सब शाकाहारी होंगी।Whatever you find in his/her car will be vegetarian.
- इस रेस्टोरेंट में केवल वेज व्यंजन मिलेंगे।Only vegetarian dishes are available in this restaurant.
- क्या यह व्यंजन शाकाहारी है?Is this dish vegetarian?
- मैं शाकाहारी हूँ।I am a vegetarian.
- मुझे केवल शाकाहारी भोजन पसंद है।I only prefer vegetarian food.
- क्या आपके पास शाकाहारी विकल्पों की सूची है?Do you have a list of vegetarian options?
- वह एक शाकाहारी व्यक्ति है।vah ek shākāhārī vyakti hai.He is a vegetarian person.
- क्या आप शाकाहारी हैं?kyā āp shākāhārī haiṃ?Are you a vegetarian?
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Pooja and Aditya are deciding what to order at a restaurant.
- पूजा Poojaआदित्य, क्या तुम शाकाहारी हो?Aditya, kya tum shaakaahaari ho?Aditya, are you a vegetarian?
- आदित्य Adityaहाँ, मैं शाकाहारी हूँ।Haan, main shaakaahaari hoon.Yes, I am a vegetarian.
- पूजा Poojaठीक है, तो हम पनीर मंगाते हैं।Theek hai, toh hum paneer mangaate hain.Okay, then let's order paneer.
- आदित्य Adityaवह बहुत अच्छा विचार है।Woh bahut achha vichaar hai.That is a very good idea.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “vegetarian” translations and entries शाकाहारी, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
