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Hindi vocabulary

2023 words in 57 lists, sorted by topic and each with an example sentence in which it really occurs. Everything on this page can also be practised — you can be quizzed on each list on its own or on all of them together.

Why these words in particular — the yardstick is further down.

The 57 lists

By topic and not by alphabet: words that occur together are easier to learn together. Practise the words of one situation in one round and afterwards you have a situation in your head, not three separate words.

57 cards side by side would be a shelf, not an overview. So they sit under their twelve categories — if you are looking for an area rather than a list, moving house, seeing a doctor, starting a job, you jump straight there. Each category can also be practised as a whole.

Basic words: numbers, time, verbs15 lists · 535 words

Numbers, time, pronouns and question words, the basic verbs and adjectives, adverbs and the words for place.

A1NumbersCounting from nothing to a crore, halves and quarters, and first, second and third.35 wordsA1Time and the calendarHours and days, the week, the seasons, and how to say what time it is.40 wordsA1Pronouns, questions and postpositionsI, you and they, my and your, who and where, and the small words that follow a noun.30 wordsA1The first verbsGoing and coming, eating and drinking, seeing, saying and the other verbs every first conversation needs.45 wordsA1The first adjectivesBig and small, new and old, hot and cold, cheap and expensive.40 wordsA1ColoursThe colours, and the words for a dark shade and a colourful one.15 wordsA1Small words that hold a sentence togetherVery and a little, here and there, now and then, and, but and or.32 wordsA2More everyday verbsBreaking and fixing, winning and losing, pushing, pulling, throwing and catching.45 wordsA2Verbs made with karnā and honāWaiting, helping, trying, starting and finishing: the verbs Hindi builds from a noun and a helper verb.30 wordsA2More everyday adjectivesStrong and weak, soft and hard, safe and dangerous, open and closed, busy and famous.35 wordsA2Saying whenNext and last, before and after, already, never, soon, recently and for now.26 wordsA2Saying whereUp and down, in front and behind, near and far, and the four points of the compass.26 wordsB1Verbs for B1Verbs for improving, avoiding, hiding, spreading, enduring and sorting things out.51 wordsB1Adjectives for B1Rare and common, genuine and fake, smooth and rough, temporary and permanent.45 wordsB1Adverbs and connectorsAlthough, rather, otherwise, so that, according to, in the end and the like.40 words

Greetings, conversation and ideas4 lists · 165 words

Greetings and polite words, talking and explaining, giving an opinion, and the words for ideas.

A1Greetings and set phrasesWhat is said on meeting and parting, on thanking and apologising, and when you have not understood.35 wordsB1CommunicationConversation, discussion, rumour, praise, criticism and the ways people speak.45 wordsB1Opinions and reasonsAgreeing, disagreeing, giving evidence, weighing options and stating a view.40 wordsB1Abstract nounsEvents, conditions, success and failure, chances, risks and the ideas that explain them.45 words

People, family and feelings5 lists · 177 words

Family and relatives, character, relationships, and the feelings people have about each other.

A1People and the familyMen, women and children, parents and grandparents, and the aunts and uncles English lumps together.40 wordsA2FeelingsHappy and sad, angry and afraid, laughing and crying, and liking something.25 wordsB1Feelings and attitudesWorry, pride, relief, regret and the other feelings beyond happy and sad.40 wordsB1PersonalityWords for what people are like: honest or stubborn, generous or lazy.36 wordsB1RelationshipsFriendship, trust, quarrels, engagements and the family you marry into.36 words

Home, clothes and the daily round4 lists · 125 words

Rooms and furniture, clothes, the day from waking to sleeping, and running a household.

A1The homeRooms, doors and windows, the furniture, and the roof that is half the living space in summer.35 wordsA1ClothesShirts and saris, shoes and sandals, and putting them on and taking them off.20 wordsA2The daily routineWaking up, washing, getting ready, the housework and going to bed.30 wordsB1Home and livingRenting, repairs, bedding, housework and the things that go wrong in a house.40 words

Food and drink3 lists · 122 words

What is eaten and drunk, cooking and eating out, and the dishes of Indian kitchens.

A1Food and drinkWater and tea, bread and rice, fruit and vegetables, and being hungry and thirsty.45 wordsA2Eating out and cookingPlates and bowls, chopping, frying and boiling, and how a dish tastes.37 wordsB1Indian foodBreads, snacks, spices, sweets and the verbs of an Indian kitchen.40 words

Shopping, money and the city3 lists · 111 words

Buying and bargaining, prices, the bank, and the bills and offices of life in town.

A2Shopping and moneyPrices and bargaining, cash and cards, change, receipts and returning what does not fit.35 wordsB1Money and the bankAccounts, savings, loans, interest, insurance and running a household budget.36 wordsB1City lifeCrowds, traffic jams, neighbourhoods, street vendors and what a city provides.40 words

Town, transport and travel5 lists · 160 words

Places in town, transport, asking the way, hotels, and sightseeing.

A1Places in townThe market, the bank and the post office, temples, mosques and gurdwaras, and the lane you live in.35 wordsA1Getting aroundBuses, trains and autos, stations and airports, and getting on and off.25 wordsA2Directions and the roadLeft and right, turning and crossing, traffic, petrol and getting lost.30 wordsA2Travel and the hotelBooking and checking in, passports and forms, flights, and complaining when the air conditioning does not work.30 wordsB1Travel and sightseeingForts, palaces, museums, pilgrim towns and the words for getting round them.40 words

The body and health3 lists · 100 words

Parts of the body, being ill and seeing a doctor, and the body in more detail.

A1The bodyHead to foot, and how to say that something hurts.25 wordsA2At the doctor’sFever, coughs and colds, pain and injuries, medicine and getting better.35 wordsB1More body and healthJoints, organs, injuries and the words a doctor and a patient need.40 words

Weather, animals and nature3 lists · 97 words

The weather and the seasons, animals and plants, and the environment.

A1The weatherSun and rain, wind and cloud, fog and dust storms, and the sky above them.20 wordsA2Animals and natureCows, monkeys and peacocks, birds and insects, trees and flowers, rivers and hills.35 wordsB1Nature and the environmentPollution, floods, droughts, farming, wildlife and the landscape around them.42 words

Free time, media and technology5 lists · 168 words

Hobbies, sport and games, films and music, the phone and the internet, and technology.

A2Free time and hobbiesMusic and films, games and toys, outings, picnics and the things people do for fun.35 wordsB1Sports and gamesMatches, wins and defeats, cricket terms, wrestling, chess and cards.31 wordsB1Media and entertainmentNewspapers, television, cinema, theatre, music and going viral.41 wordsA2The phone and the internetCalls and messages, charging and signal, apps, passwords and looking things up.26 wordsB1TechnologyDevices, software, data, security and the verbs for using them.35 words

India: festivals, society and two registers3 lists · 108 words

Festivals and customs, the words of public life, and the two words Hindi often has for one thing.

A2FestivalsDiwali, Holi, Eid and Christmas, lamps and sweets, fasting and feasting, and how to wish someone well.26 wordsB1SocietyGovernment, elections, law, rights, inequality and the traditions that hold a community together.42 wordsB1Two registers: everyday and formalThe formal Sanskrit-based word beside the everyday one you already know.40 words

Work, school and study4 lists · 155 words

Jobs and workplaces, school and university, education, and office life.

A2Work and jobsWhat people do for a living, from the farmer and the tailor to the engineer, and what they earn.35 wordsA2School and studyingThe classroom, teachers and students, subjects, homework and exams.35 wordsB1EducationAdmission, syllabus, marks, scholarships, research and the words of a university.40 wordsB1Work and the officeColleagues, applications, promotions, deadlines, meetings and the factory floor.45 words

Why these words in particular

Every vocabulary site claims to have the most important words. Hardly any says how it measures that. Here it is, because without a yardstick “important” is just another word for “what occurred to us”.

The yardstick of this list is not frequency in texts but reach in everyday life: how many situations do you get through if you know this word and not the other? That is why a word you will be asked about at the doctor’s is here and a formal linking word that you can paraphrase is not, even if both are about as common in texts.

In practice that means four rules, which applied to every single word:

  • It occurs in a situation everyone has. Shopping, being ill, asking the way, making plans, filling in a form. Specialist vocabulary is not here, however common it is in its field.
  • It cannot be paraphrased in two words. A word you can easily talk your way around belongs on a higher level than one you cannot.
  • It has an example sentence that explains something. A word without a sentence is a line in a dictionary. Every word here stands in a sentence in which it really occurs — not in one that merely mentions it.
  • It appears exactly once. A word turning up in two lists sounds harmless and is not: work through both and you think you are further along than you are. The build checks that.

The selection is therefore a decision of this project, not a measurement. It is reasoned, documented and open to challenge — which is more than a number without a source could offer.

The levels

Every word carries the level from which you need it. A word on the first level is not easier to say than one further up — it just comes up earlier. So the question is not how hard a word is but from when on you cannot manage without it: a long word everyone needs sits on the first level, a short one you can do without for years sits right at the top.

The right-hand column is the yardstick. It is here so that the levels can be checked rather than taken on trust — and because a level without its question would only be a label.

LevelWords The question it answers
A1498Can you get through the first day without this word? Or are you left standing there with nothing to say?
A2594Is it needed for an ordinary errand — shopping, travel, making an appointment, telling someone about yesterday?
B1931Is it needed to tell a story, give a reason, or sort out something that has gone wrong? Does it name something from a field rather than from daily life?

Practise all 2023 words

Across every list. Your answers are checked in the browser; none of them leaves your device.