EkGuru › Materials › Vocabulary › 100 Essential Hindi Words — Grouped to Memorise
These are the words that do the most work in everyday Hindi — the hundred you should know cold before worrying about anything rarer. Grouped by meaning because memory likes categories.
| Group | The ten words |
|---|---|
| Greetings & politeness | नमस्ते namaste (hello) · धन्यवाद dhanyavād (thanks) · शुक्रिया shukriyā (thanks) · कृपया kripayā (please) · हाँ hā̃ (yes) · नहीं nahī̃ (no) · माफ कीजिए māf kījie (sorry) · ठीक है ṭhīk hai (okay) · फिर मिलेंगे phir milenge (see you) · स्वागत svāgat (welcome) |
| Pronouns | मैं main (I) · आप āp (you, polite) · तुम tum (you, casual) · वह vah (he/she/that) · यह yah (this) · हम ham (we) · वे ve (they/those) · मेरा merā (my) · आपका āpkā (your) · कौन kaun (who) |
| Numbers 1–10 | एक ek (1) · दो do (2) · तीन tīn (3) · चार chār (4) · पाँच pā̃ch (5) · छह chhah (6) · सात sāt (7) · आठ āṭh (8) · नौ nau (9) · दस das (10) |
| Time | आज āj (today) · कल kal (yesterday/tomorrow) · अभी abhī (now) · बाद में bād meṃ (later) · सुबह subah (morning) · शाम shām (evening) · रात rāt (night) · दिन din (day) · समय samay (time) · घंटा ghanṭā (hour) |
| Family | माँ mā̃ (mother) · पिता pitā (father) · भाई bhāī (brother) · बहन bahīn (sister) · बेटा beṭā (son) · बेटी beṭī (daughter) · दोस्त dost (friend) · परिवार parivār (family) · बच्चा bachchā (child) · साथी sāthī (companion) |
| Food & drink | खाना khānā (food) · पानी pānī (water) · चाय chāy (tea) · रोटी roṭī (flatbread) · चावल chāval (rice) · दाल dāl (lentils) · दूध dūdh (milk) · फल phal (fruit) · सब्जी sabzī (vegetable) · मीठा mīṭhā (sweet) |
| Places | घर ghar (house) · स्कूल skūl (school) · दुकान dukān (shop) · बाज़ार bāzār (market) · रास्ता rāstā (road) · शहर shahar (city) · गाँव gā̃v (village) · अस्पताल aspitāl (hospital) · स्टेशन sṭeśan (station) · होटल hoṭal (hotel) |
| Everyday objects | किताब kitāb (book) · कलम kalam (pen) · दरवाज़ा darvāzā (door) · खिड़की khiṛkī (window) · मेज mez (table) · कुर्सी kursī (chair) · फ़ोन fon (phone) · पैसा paisā (money) · कपड़े kapṛe (clothes) · घड़ी ghaṛī (watch/clock) |
| Common verbs | होना honā (to be) · करना karnā (to do) · जाना jānā (to go) · आना ānā (to come) · खाना khānā (to eat) · पीना pīnā (to drink) · देखना dekhnā (to see) · बोलना bolnā (to speak) · सुनना sunnā (to hear) · सोना sonā (to sleep) |
| Adjectives | अच्छा achchhā (good) · बुरा burā (bad) · बड़ा baṛā (big) · छोटा chhoṭā (small) · नया nayā (new) · पुराना purānā (old) · गरम garam (hot) · ठंडा ṭhanḍā (cold) · महँगा mahā̃gā (expensive) · सस्ता sastā (cheap) |
| Wrong | Right | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Re-reading the list and calling it study | Cover one column and recall | Recognition is not recall — you must produce the word, not recognise it. |
| Ignoring gender | Learn each noun with its gender | Adjectives and verbs agree with the noun's gender, so a noun without its gender is half-learned. |
Water — one of the first words you will use daily in India.
Greetings and politeness — they are the words you need on arrival, and they give you a win on day one.
Because adjectives and verbs agree with the noun's gender — a noun without its gender is half-learned.
A chart helps only once you use it. Drill these same points in the practice labs, follow a learning path to keep the order right, or practise one to one with a native-speaking tutor.