10 Must Know Hindi Words to Get Around in Delhi

More than 19,500 languages are spoken in India, according to a census analysis in 2018. Given the rich linguistic diversity of the country, people from South Indian often find it challenging to converse in Hindi which is a prominent language in the North. So, if you are traveling to the capital city, it’s a great idea to learn some basic Hindi words before boarding your Chennai to Delhi flight. This will help you get around with ease.

This is the common word for greeting in Delhi. It conveys respect and can be used to greet anyone from your hotel staff to shopkeepers to the cab driver who is taking you around the city. You can say this any time of the day or night and it’s a good way to start a conversation.

This is the popular term for ‘thank you’. Many Delhi locals also say dhanywavaad which conveys the same meaning. Don’t forget to say shukhriya to the cab driver when he drops you safely to your destination after you land via your Chennai to Delhi flight.

Usually used at the beginning of any sentence, the word means ‘please’. This will make you sound polite, pleasant and respectful. You can say kripaya particularly if you have to get some work done.

This is a question and literally translates to ‘how much is this for?’ Use this phrase to ask the price of an item you plan on buying. Also, vendors might ask you ‘kitna’ to know the quantity of something you are buying in bulk.

If you wish to know how a person is doing, you can use this phrase. It means ‘how are you?’ It is also an informal way of greeting relatives and neighbors. After flights between Chennai to Delhi land, this may be the first thing people ask you.

This means ‘help me’ and is used to make a request or ask for a favor when in distress. Learn this term because you might need to ask for directions in Delhi. The words add a touch of urgency or raise an alarm in case of anything serious.

You can say this in response to Kaise Ho, which means ‘I am fine.’ It would be courteous to say, aap batao which literally translates to ‘you say’ but indicates that you wish to know how a person is doing.

This translates to ‘where’ and you can use this term to ask for directions or to know where a something has been kept.

This is a pleasant way of saying ‘it is okay’. When someone thanks you, you can use this term to show you have accepted the gratitude.

This has two meanings - ‘let us go’ or ‘I am leaving’. This usually denotes a casual goodbye or asking someone to come along.

Use these basic words and you’re sure to take back pleasant memories when you board your flight from Delhi to Chennai.