Say Thank You in Hindi

In Hindi (one of the official languages of India), there are many ways to thank someone. Besides the common "धन्यवाद्" (dhanyavaad), there are a number of other thank-yous that can be useful for English speakers traveling to India or meeting with Indian colleagues. Learn these simple phrases today to wow Hindi speakers with your knowledge and tact. With over half a billion Hindi speakers alive in the world, you'll be able to say thanks to a good chunk of the world's population in just a few minutes![1]

Steps

Formal Thank-yous

  1. Use "dhanyavaad" (धन्यवाद्) as a basic formal thank-you. This is a common but formal way of saying "thank you." It's often used in situations where you really want to stress your gratitude (like if you've been given a gift). You may also want to use it with important business contacts, authority figures, and people who are older than you. This word is pronounced in three parts:[2]
    • Lay your tongue against the top of your mouth to pronounce "dha" with a soft d sound that's close to the English "dh" sound. Use the short u sound (as in "stuff"). It should sound close to the English word "the." This part is not said with an "ah" sound.
    • Next, say "nyuh." Again, don't use the "ah" sound.
    • Now, say "vod." Here, you will use the "ah" sound.
    • All together, it should sound a little like "dhun-yuh-vaad."
  2. Put "bahut" (बहुत) before dhanyavaad for "thank you very much." If you're especially grateful for something, you can use the superlative "bahut." This means essentially "very much" or "a lot" and is used a lot the way English speakers might use "very." This word is pronounced in two parts:
    • First, a short "buh" sound.
    • Next, a more forceful "hut" sound. Put the stress on this part — the whole thing should sound like "buh-HUT."
    • Say "dhanyavaad" after this to complete the phrase. See above for pronunciation help.
  3. Alternatively, try "ābhārī hōṅ" (आभारी हुँ). This is another polite, formal way to say "thank you." The actual meaning in English is a little closer to "I am grateful." This word is pronounced in four parts:[2]
    • Say "obb." (rhymes with "rob"). This part isn't pronounced like the English word "ab."
    • Next, say "ha."
    • Then, say "ree." The r sound you want to use here is very similar to the Spanish r — it should sound almost like "dee" in English.
    • Finish with "hoon" (rhymes with "toon").
    • All together, it should sound like "obb-ha-dee hoon."

Informal Thank-yous

  1. Use "shukriyaa" (शुक्रिया) as your standard informal thank-you. This is a very common way of giving thanks in Hindi, but it's not very formal. This means you should use it mainly for your friends and family. If you're talking to someone like a boss or teacher, an authority figure, or an elder, you'll probably want to use one of the phrases above. Pronounce this word in three parts:[3]
    • First, say "shook." Make this syllable a little shorter and tighter than you'd normally say the English word.
    • Next, say "ree." Here, again, the Hindi r sound is a delicate flick of the tongue like the Spanish r sound — this should should sound almost like "dee."
    • End with "ah." The sound you use here should be somewhere between "uh" and "ah." It may take a little practice to get this right.
    • All together, this should sound like "shook-dee-ah." Nailing the r/d sound is important here. You may want to try pronouncing it like "shook-uh-dee-ah", then gradually working to shrink that "uh" sound until it's nothing more than a flick of the tongue.
  2. Put "bahut" (बहुत) before shukriyaa for "thank you very much." You can use "bahut" here the same way as you did above to change your basic "thank you" to "thank you very much" or "thanks a lot." Though you're expressing more gratitude here, this is still considered informal.
    • Bahut is pronounced the same way as in the section above: "buh-HUT."
  3. Use "thaiṅkyū" (थैंक्यू) if you want to cheat. Hindi, like almost every language, borrows words and phrases from other languages. This Hindi loan word is pronounced exactly like "thank you" in English (because it obviously is English in origin). Because this isn't really "pure" Hindi, it's considered less formal than the options in the seconi above.
    • It's also worth noting that English is one of the official languages of India, so much of the population will likely be familiar with this phrase even if they don't speak English fluently.

Responding to "Thank You"

  1. Use "svaagat haiṅ" (स्वागत है) for "you're welcome." When you use any of the thank you phrases above, you may get this in return. This phrase means almost exactly "you are welcome." In fact, you can even say "svaagat" on its own if you're greeting someone who's just arrived — just like you'd use "welcome" in English.[4] To pronounce this phrase:
    • First, say "swah." This sounds like the English word "swab" without the b.
    • Next, say "gut."
    • Finally, say "hey." Don't be confused by the n in the romanization — this sounds almost exactly like the English word "hey."
    • All together, it should sound like "swah-gut hey."
  2. Optionally, put "āpa kā" (आप का) before "svaagat haiṅ." The meaning here is not very different from the phrase above. The difference is a little like saying "you are welcome" versus "you're welcome" — people will react the same way no matter which one you use. Pronounce this phrase in two parts:
    • First, say "op" (as in "post-op").
    • Then, say "kuh" (rhymes with "the").
    • All together, it should sound like "op-kuh." Follow this immediately with "svaagat haiṅ" for "you are welcome."
  3. Use "koii baat nahee" (कोई बात नही) for "it's nothing." This is another way to express that you don't mind doing something for someone else. You would use this phrase similarly to how you'd use "don't mention it" or "no problem" in English.[5] This phrase is pronounced in four parts:
    • First, say "coy."
    • Then, say "bot" (as in robot).
    • Next, say a very short "nuh" (rhymes with "the").
    • End with a longer "hee" (sounds like the English word "he"). Put a little extra stress on this syllable — the last part should sound like "nuh-HEE."
    • All together, it should sound like "coy bot nuh-HEE."



Tips

  • According to some etiquette sources, it is not considered polite to thank an Indian host at the end of a meal.[6] This can come across as a little impersonal. Instead, praise the food and invite your hosts for dinner in the future.
  • In Indian culture, it isn't always considered necessary to respond when someone says "thank you." If you get a polite smile or silence after you tell someone "dhanyavaad," this probably isn't the person trying to be rude to you.[2]

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Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://www.omniglot.com/writing/hindi.htm
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 http://www.omniglot.com/language/phrases/hindi.php
  3. ↑ http://www.forvo.com/word/shukriyaa/
  4. ↑ http://survivalphrases.com/pdfs/SurvivalPhrases_Hindi_S1L02.pdf
  5. ↑ http://wikitravel.org/en/Hindi_phrasebook
  6. ↑ http://www.a-to-z-of-manners-and-etiquette.com/indian-etiquette.html

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