The greetings, farewells, terms of address, etc. listed below are only a few of many possible in the Hindi language. What you ultimately say is highly dependent on your relationship to the person with whom you are speaking, the context of the conversation, and the tone you wish to convey. Some of the greetings are also community- or religion-specific, which can help in determining the appropriate means of address in a given situation.
| नमस्ते namaste | Hello; this is the most commonly used greeting in North India. Its literal meaning is "homage to you" |
| नमस्कार namaskār | Hello (more formal) |
| नमश्कार or नमष्कार namaśkār or namaṣkār | Hello (most formal) |
| प्रणाम praṇām | Greetings (formal) |
| सुप्रभात suprabhāt | Good morning (formal) |
| क्या हाल है ? kyā hāl hai? | What’s up? |
| हाँ भाई hā̃ bhāī | Yes, brother (very informal) |
| और भाई ? aur bhāī? | And brother? So brother? (very informal) |
These greetings are commonly used by people within the Muslim community or by non-Muslims wishing to address Muslims in a way that is in line with their conventions.
| आदाब ādāb | Greetings (lit. courtesy) |
| सलाम / सलाम वालैकुम / सलाम आलैकुम salām / salām vālaikum / salām ālaikum | Greetings (lit. peace / peace be upon you) |
| जवाब | (responses) |
| वालैकुम सलाम / आलैकुम सलाम vālaikum salām / ālaikum salām | peace be upon you also |
As with the Muslim greetings described above, this greeting is commonly used between Sikhs or used by non-Sikhs when hoping to address people of the Sikh religion by utilizing their own conventional phrases.
| सत श्री अकाल sat śrī akāl | Greetings (lit. The venerable timeless one (God) is Truth) |
Again, as with both the Muslim and Sikh greetings, the phrases listed below are used between Hindus or by non-Hindus wishing to address Hindus following their conventional greetings. Below is just a small sample of potential greetings. You’ll notice that these greetings frequently invoke the names of Hindu gods or goddesses and they can be highly regional in use. For example, the phrase जय श्री कृष्ण (jay śrī kr̥ṣṇa) is especially common in certain areas of Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh (e.g., the city of Vrindavan). Similarly, the greeting you choose may be related to any festivals and their associated deities that may be happening during the time of your conversation.
| राधे-राधे rādhe-rādhe | Greetings (lit. Radha, O Rādha) |
| राम-राम rām-rām | Greetings (lit. Ram, O Ram) |
| जय श्री राम / कृष्ण jay śrī rām / kr̥ṣṇa | Greetings (lit. Victory to the venerable Ram/Krishna) |
| नमस्ते namaste | Goodbye (lit. homage to you) |
| अलविदा alvidā | Goodbye (lit. the last day of Ramadan); rarely used in common conversation |
| ख़ुदा हाफ़िज़ khudā hāfiz | Goodbye (lit. God be your protector) |
| फिर मिलेंगे phir mileṅge | (We) will meet again |
| धन्यवाद / शुक्रिया dhanyavād / śukriyā | Thank you |
| ठीक (है) ṭhīk (hai) | Alright |
| बढ़िया / बहुत बढ़िया baṛhiyā / bahut baṛhiyā | Great / really great |
| अच्छा चलता / चलती हूँ acchā caltā / caltī hū̃ | Alright, I am heading out |
| आपसे मिलकर अच्छा लगा āpse milkar acchā lagā | It was nice to meet you |
| सुखी रहो sukhī raho | Remain happy (said by elderly people to younger people) |
| जीते रहो jīte raho | Keep on living (said by elderly people to younger people) |
| ख़ुश रहो khuś raho | Remain happy (said by elderly people to younger people) |
| मज़े में रहो maze mẽ raho | Stay content |
| हमारी / मेरी दुआएँ आपके साथ हैं hamārī / merī duāẽ āpke sāth haĩ | Our/my prayers are with you |
| General address | |
| सुनिये… suniye | Listen (polite)… |
| सुनो… suno | Listen (familiar)… |
| Addressing male shopkeepers | |
| भाई साहब… bhāī sāhab | Brother sir (polite)… |
| भाई… bhāī | Brother (familiar)… |
| भइया… bhaiyā | Brother (familiar)… |
| बाबा… bābā | Grandfather (endearing ; for use with elderly people)… |
| Addressing female shopkeepers | |
| बहन जी… bahan jī | Sister ma’am (polite) |
| बहन… bahan | Sister (familiar)… |
| अम्मा… ammā | Grandmother (endearing; for use with elderly people)… |
नमस्ते (जी), मेरा नाम _______________ है । आपका नाम क्या है ?
namaste (jī), merā nām _______________ hai. āpkā nām kyā hai?
Hello (sir, ma’am), my name is _______________. What is your name?
नमस्कार, तुम कहाँ से हो ?
namaskār, tum kahā̃ se ho?
Greetings, where are you from?
सलाम, आप अपने बारे में बताएँ ।
salām, āp apne bāre meṁ batāẽ.
Greetings, please tell (me) about yourself.
सत श्री अकाल, आप टेक्सस में कब से रहते / रहती हैं ?
sat śrī akāl, āp ṭeksas mẽ kab se rahate / rahatī haĩ?
Greetings, how long have you been living in Texas?
राधे-राधे, क्या आप हिन्दी लिखना जानते / जानती हैं ?
rādhe-rādhe, kyā āp hindī likhnā jānte / jāntī haĩ?
Greetings, do you know how to write Hindi?
राम-राम, आप कौन हैं ?
rām-rām, āp kaun haĩ?
Greetings, who are you?
प्रणाम, क्या तुम्हें हिन्दी पसंद है ?
praṇām, kyā tumhẽ hindī pasand hai?
Greetings, do you like Hindi?
जय श्री राम, आप हिन्दी क्यों पढ़ना चाहते / चाहती हैं ?
jay śrī rām, āp hindī kyõ paṛhnā cāhate / cāhatī haĩ?
Greetings, why do you want to study Hindi?
हाँ भाई, तुम क्या करते हो ?
hā̃ bhāī, tum kyā karte ho?
Yes brother, what do you do?
और भाई, तू कैसा है ?
aur bhāī, tū kaisā hai?
So brother, how are you?
और भाई, क्या हाल है ?
aur bhāī, kyā hāl hai?
So brother, what’s up?
माफ़ कीजिए, मुझे समझ में नहीं आया । फिर से कहिये ।
māf kījie, mujhe samajh mẽ nahī̃ āyā. phir se kahiye.
Forgive me, I did not understand. Please say that again.
क्षमा कीजिए, मुझे सुनाई नहीं दिया । फिर से कहिये ।
kṣamā kījie, mujhe sunāī nahī̃ diyā. phir se kahiye.
Forgive me, I did not hear that. Please say that again
हिन्दी की कक्षा में आप सबका स्वागत है ।
hindī kī kakṣā mẽ āp sabkā svāgat hai.
Welcome, everyone, to Hindi class.
जी, मेरा नाम नितिन है । मैं न्यू योर्क से हूँ । मैं यू.टी. में साइकौलॉजी पढ़ने आया हूँ ।
jī, merā nām nitin hai. maĩ nyū york se hū̃. maĩ yū.ṭī. meṁ sāikaulăjī paṛhne āyā hū̃.
Yes, my name is Nitin. I am from New York. I have come to study psychology at UT.
मैं राधा हूँ, मुझे हिन्दी समझ आती है, बोलनी भी आती है पर लिखनी नहीं आती । मैं हिन्दी सीखना चाहती हूँ ।
maĩ rādhā hū̃, mujhe hindī samajh ātī hai, bolnī bhī ātī hai par likhnī nahī̃ ātī. maĩ hindī sīkhnā cāhatī hū̃.
I am Radha, I understand Hindi and can speak it, but I do not know how to write it. I want to learn Hindi.
Note: the verbal forms of आती in the first sentence here are in gender agreement with Hindi (i.e., not with मुझे). This is due to the fact that the subject (मैं / राधा) is marked in the oblique (मैं + को → मुझे) and thus cannot agree with the verb. In the second sentence, however, since the subject is not marked in the oblique (मैं), the verb चाहती is, in fact, agreeing with the subject (with the मैं referring to Radha in this case).
मुझे हिन्दी मूवीज़ बहुत पसंद हैं इसलिए हिन्दी सीखना चाहता हूँ ।
mujhe hindī mūvīz bahut pasand haĩ islie hindī sīkhnā cāhatā hū̃.
I really like Hindi movies, that’s why I want to learn Hindi.
हमें उर्दू आती है, लेकिन हिन्दी नहीं आती इसलिए हम उर्दू सीखना चाहते हैं ।
hamẽ urdū ātī hai, lekin hindī nahī̃ ātī islie ham urdū sīkhnā cāhate haĩ.
We know Urdu, but we do not know Hindi, so that’s why we want to learn Urdu.
AA : नमस्ते, मेरा नाम AA है । आपका नाम क्या है ?
namaste, merā nām AA hai. āpkā nām kyā hai?
BB : नमस्ते, मेरा नाम BB है ।
namaste, merā nām BB hai.
AA : अच्छा BB फिर मिलेंगे ।
acchā BB phir mileṅge.
BB : हाँ मिलेंगे ।
Hā̃ mileṅge.
AA : Hello, my name is AA. What is your name?
BB : Hello, my name is BB.
AA : Alright, BB, we’ll meet again.
BB : Yes, we’ll meet (again).
AA : सुनो, क्या तुम ममता हो ? क्या आपका नाम ममता है ?
suno, kyā tum mamtā ho? kyā āpkā nām mamtā hai?
BB : जी नहीं, मैं BB हूँ / जी हाँ, मेरा नाम ममता है । आप कौन हैं ?
jī nahī̃, maiṁ BB hū̃ / jī hā̃, merā nām mamtā hai. āp kaun haĩ?
AA : मैं AA हूँ, CC का भाई ।
maĩ AA hū̃, CC kā bhāī.
BB : ओ अच्छा, CC को मेरा सलाम कहना ।
ō acchā, CC ko merā salām kahanā.
AA : जी ज़रूर, आपसे मिलकर ख़ुशी हुई ।
jī zarūr, āpse milkar khuśī huī.
BB : मुझे भी ।
mujhe bhī.
AA : Listen, are you Mamta? Is your name Mamta?
BB : No, I am BB / Yes, my name is Mamta. Who are you?
AA : I am AA, CC’s brother.
BB : Oh nice, give (lit. say) my greetings to CC.
AA : Of course, it was nice to meet you.
BB : For me also.
[informal conversation]
AA : और भाई, क्या हाल ?
aur bhāī, kyā hāl?
BB : बढ़िया यार, तू सुना, कहाँ ग़ायब है ?
baṛhiyā yār, tū sunā, kahā̃ gāyab hai?
AA : क्या बताऊँ दोस्त, आजकल बहुत व्यस्त चल रहा हूँ ।
kyā batāū̃ dost, ājkal bahut vyast cal rahā hū̃.
BB : अरे थोड़ा समय दोस्तों के लिए भी निकाल ले ।
are thoṛā samay dostõ ke lie bhī nikāl le.
AA : हाँ यार, कल मिलता हूँ ।
hā̃ yār, kal miltā hū̃.
BB : ठीक है, कल मिलेंगे ।
ṭhīk hai, kal mileṅge.
AA : So brother, what’s up?
BB : Doing good, man. You tell, where have you disappeared to?
AA : What can I say, friend, I’ve been really busy these days.
BB : Aah, find a little time for friends too.
AA : Yeah, man, I’ll meet (you) tomorrow.
BB : Alright, (we’ll) meet tomorrow.
AA : माफ़ कीजिए, क्या आपको पता है एस.ए.सी. कहाँ है ?
māf kījie, kyā āpko patā hai es.e.sī. kahā̃ hai?
BB : जी नहीं, मैं यहाँ नई हूँ ।
jī nahī̃, maĩ yahā̃ naī hū̃.
AA : क्या आप टेक्सस से हैं ? शायद मैंने आपको कहीं देखा है ।
kyā āp ṭeksas se haĩ? śāyad maĩne āpko kahī̃ dekhā hai.
BB : नहीं, मैं शिकागो से हूँ ।
nahī̃, maĩ śikāgo se hū̃.
AA : कोई बात नहीं ।
koī bāt nahī̃.
AA : Excuse me, do you know where the SAC is?
BB : No, I am new here.
AA : Are you from Texas? I may have seen you somewhere.
BB : No, I am from Chicago.
AA : No matter.
AA : नमस्ते BB बहन ! कहिये, क्या हाल है ? सब ख़ैरियत तो है ?
namaste BB bahan! kahiye, kyā hāl hai? sab khairiyat to hai?
BB : आपकी दुआ से सब ठीक है । आप सुनाइए, आपका क्या हाल है ?
āpkī duā se sab ṭhīk hai. āp sunāie, āpkā kyā hāl hai?
AA : बस, यहाँ भी सब ठीक है ।
bas, yahā̃ bhī sab ṭhīk hai.
BB : अच्छा भाई साहब, फिर मिलेंगे ।
acchā bhāī sāhab, phir mileṅge.
AA : हाँ, मिलेंगे ।
hā̃, mileṅge.
AA : Hello BB sister. Do tell, how are you? Everything is going well?
BB : With your blessing, all is well. You tell, how are you?
AA : Fine, all is well on my end also.
BB : Alright brother sir, (we’ll) meet again.
AA : Yes, (we’ll) meet (again).
AA : क्या हाल है ?
kyā hāl hai?
BB : ख़ुश हूँ / बस बढ़िया / ठीक हूँ / अल्लाह का शुक्र है / प्रभु की दया है । तू कैसा है ?
khuś hū̃ / bas baṛhiyā / ṭhīk hū̃ / allāh kā śukra hai / prabhu kī dayā hai. tū kaisā hai?
AA : दुखी हूँ / परेशान हूँ / बुरा हाल है ।
dukhī hū̃ / pareśān hū̃ / burā hāl hai.
BB : क्यों ? क्या हुआ ?
kyõ? kyā huā?
AA : बहुत काम है / मौसम ख़राब है / मैं बीमार हूँ / मुझको ज़ुकाम है ।
bahut kām hai / mausam kharāb hai / maĩ bīmār hū̃ / mujhko zukām hai.
BB : अफ़सोस है ।
afsos hai.
AA : What’s up?
BB : I’m well / all is fine / I’m okay / (I have) Allah’s favor / (I have) the grace of the Lord. How are you?
AA : I’m sad / I’m worried / things are bad.
BB : Why? What happened?
AA : (I have) a lot of work / the weather is bad / I’m sick / I have a cold.
BB : That’s too bad.
