Food and Drink Vocabulary in Hindi

In Brief

Start with a small group of high-frequency words: रोटी (flatbread), चावल (rice), दाल (lentils or a lentil dish), सब्ज़ी (vegetable or vegetable dish), पानी (water), दूध (milk), and चाय (tea). Combine foods with खाना “to eat,” drinks with पीना “to drink,” चाहिए to say what you want or need, and दीजिए to ask someone politely to give you something.

Overview

Food words are among the first Hindi words you can use in a home, café, restaurant, or shop. At A1, the immediate goal is practical: name everyday items, understand what is being offered, say what you eat or drink, and make a simple request. Learning whole phrases is more useful than memorizing an isolated list.

Hindi does not divide the food world in exactly the same way as English. रोटी is not a general word for every kind of bread: it usually means a round South Asian flatbread and can also refer more broadly to basic food or livelihood. दाल can mean the dried split pulse, the cooked lentil dish, or lentils as a food category. सब्ज़ी can mean a vegetable, vegetables collectively, or a prepared vegetable dish. Context tells you which meaning is intended.

These words also introduce several features of Hindi. A noun (a word for a person, place, thing, or idea) has grammatical gender, even when it names an inanimate item. Hindi normally puts the verb at the end of a sentence, and it uses postpositions—small relationship words placed after a noun or pronoun—where English often uses prepositions before them. You do not need to master all of that before ordering tea, but noticing the patterns now will make later grammar easier.

How It Works

The core vocabulary

Hindi	Transliteration	Usual meaning	Gender and number note
रोटी	roṭī	roti; flatbread	feminine; plural रोटियाँ
चावल	cāval	rice	masculine; commonly treated as a mass or plural-form food word
दाल	dāl	lentils; lentil dish	feminine; दालें can mean kinds or portions of dal
सब्ज़ी	sabzī	vegetable(s); vegetable dish	feminine; plural सब्ज़ियाँ
पानी	pānī	water	masculine; normally a mass noun
दूध	dūdh	milk	masculine; normally a mass noun
चाय	cāy	tea	feminine; often used without a plural ending for the drink

Transliteration can help at first, but Devanagari carries distinctions that casual English spellings often hide. In रोटी, the ट is retroflex: the tongue curls slightly back. In दूध, the final ध is aspirated, with a breath of air. Use audio alongside the written forms rather than relying only on “roti” or “doodh.”

Eating and drinking

The basic Hindi sentence order is usually subject–object–verb. The object is the person or thing affected by the action. English says “I drink tea,” but Hindi normally arranges the same idea as “I tea drink”:

• मैं चाय पीता हूँ। — I drink tea. (said by a male speaker)
• मैं चाय पीती हूँ। — I drink tea. (said by a female speaker)

Use खाना for food and पीना for drinks:

Pattern	Hindi example	Meaning
subject + food + खाना	मैं दाल खाता/खाती हूँ।	I eat dal.
subject + drink + पीना	मैं पानी पीता/पीती हूँ।	I drink water.
food + खाओ	रोटी खाओ।	Eat the roti.
drink + पीजिए	चाय पीजिए।	Please drink/have some tea.

The paired forms खाता/खाती and पीता/पीती show the speaker’s grammatical gender in these present habitual statements: many male speakers use -ता, and many female speakers use -ती. हूँ completes the present-tense pattern for “I.” If verb agreement is new, learn each sentence as a frame and substitute one food or drink at a time.

Hindi often leaves out words that English requires when the context is obvious. चाय पीजिए। can naturally mean “Please have some tea”; no word corresponding to “some” is necessary. Hindi also has no equivalent of English “a/an,” so एक रोटी specifically means “one roti,” not merely “a roti.”

Saying what you want or need

A very useful frame is:

मुझे + item + चाहिए।

Here मुझे literally marks “to me,” and चाहिए expresses that the item is wanted or needed. Translate the whole construction naturally, not word for word:

• मुझे चाय चाहिए। — I want/need tea.
• मुझे पानी चाहिए। — I need/would like water.
• मुझे दो रोटियाँ चाहिए। — I would like two rotis.

The same form चाहिए works with these singular and plural items. Unlike English “want,” this beginner pattern does not use “I” as an ordinary subject followed by a conjugated verb. Using मैं directly in this frame is therefore a common error.

To ask whether someone wants something, change the person marked by the postposition:

• आपको चाय चाहिए? — Would you like tea?
• तुम्हें पानी चाहिए? — Do you want water?

आप is the safe polite “you” for strangers, staff, elders, and formal situations. तुम is informal and suits friends or people with whom that level of familiarity is established.

Asking for something politely

दीजिए is a polite request form of देना, “to give.” Put the requested item before it:

• पानी दीजिए। — Please give me water.
• एक चाय दीजिए। — One tea, please.
• थोड़ी दाल दीजिए। — Please give me a little dal.

Hindi does not need a separate word meaning “please” in every polite request. The respectful verb form दीजिए itself makes the request polite. कृपया also means “please,” but it can sound more formal or written: कृपया पानी दीजिए। is correct, though in ordinary service encounters पानी दीजिए is often enough.

Other useful request forms include लाइए (“please bring”) and दे दीजिए (“please give,” often with a sense of completing the action):

• दो चाय लाइए। — Please bring two teas.
• थोड़ा पानी दे दीजिए। — Please give me a little water.

Joining, counting, and measuring foods

Use और for “and”: रोटी और दाल, “roti and dal.” With countable feminine nouns, the noun changes in the plural:

Quantity	Form	Meaning
एक रोटी	singular	one roti
दो रोटियाँ	plural	two rotis
एक सब्ज़ी	singular	one vegetable dish
दो सब्ज़ियाँ	plural	two vegetable dishes / kinds of vegetable

Liquids and foods viewed as substances are often measured instead of directly counted:

• एक गिलास पानी — a glass of water
• एक कप चाय — a cup of tea
• थोड़ा दूध — a little milk
• थोड़ी दाल — a little dal

थोड़ा agrees with masculine दूध or पानी, while थोड़ी agrees with feminine दाल or चाय. In real ordering, a container may be understood, so दो चाय commonly means “two teas” or “two cups of tea.”

Basic descriptions and preferences

Useful adjectives include गरम (hot), ठंडा/ठंडी (cold), मीठा/मीठी (sweet), and अच्छा/अच्छी (good). An adjective is a describing word. Some Hindi adjectives change to match the noun’s gender; others, such as गरम, do not change.

• गरम चाय — hot tea
• ठंडा पानी — cold water
• मीठी चाय — sweet tea
• अच्छी सब्ज़ी — good vegetable dish

For likes and dislikes, a common pattern is मुझे … पसंद है, literally something like “… is pleasing to me”:

• मुझे चाय पसंद है। — I like tea.
• मुझे दूध पसंद नहीं है। — I do not like milk.

Keep चाहिए and पसंद है separate. The first expresses a present want or need; the second expresses liking.

Examples in Context

Hindi	Transliteration	English	Note
मुझे चाय चाहिए।	mujhe cāy cāhiye.	I want/need tea.	Core मुझे … चाहिए pattern
रोटी और दाल खाओ।	roṭī aur dāl khāo.	Eat roti and dal.	Informal command
पानी दीजिए।	pānī dījiye.	Please give me water.	Polite request
आप चाय पीजिए।	āp cāy pījiye.	Please have some tea.	Respectful invitation
मैं चावल खाता हूँ।	maiṁ cāval khātā hūṁ.	I eat rice.	Male speaker
मैं सब्ज़ी खाती हूँ।	maiṁ sabzī khātī hūṁ.	I eat vegetables.	Female speaker
आपको दूध चाहिए?	āpko dūdh cāhiye?	Would you like milk?	Polite question
मुझे एक गिलास पानी चाहिए।	mujhe ek gilās pānī cāhiye.	I would like a glass of water.	Container phrase
दो रोटियाँ दीजिए।	do roṭiyāṁ dījiye.	Please give me two rotis.	Feminine plural
चाय बहुत गरम है।	cāy bahut garam hai.	The tea is very hot.	गरम does not change
यह दाल अच्छी है।	yah dāl acchī hai.	This dal is good.	Feminine agreement
मुझे थोड़ी चाय चाहिए।	mujhe thoṛī cāy cāhiye.	I would like a little tea.	थोड़ी matches feminine चाय
क्या सब्ज़ी तीखी है?	kyā sabzī tīkhī hai?	Is the vegetable dish spicy?	Yes/no question with क्या
मैं दूध नहीं पीता हूँ।	maiṁ dūdh nahīṁ pītā hūṁ.	I do not drink milk.	Male speaker; नहीं negates the verb
खाने में क्या है?	khāne meṁ kyā hai?	What is there to eat?	Common question about a meal

Common Mistakes

Using “eat” with drinks

• Wrong: मैं पानी खाता हूँ।
• Right: मैं पानी पीता हूँ। / मैं पानी पीती हूँ।
• Why: खाना is “to eat,” while पीना is “to drink.” English uses “have” for both food and drink, but Hindi usually chooses the specific verb.

Building चाहिए like English “want”

• Wrong: मैं चाय चाहिए।
• Right: मुझे चाय चाहिए।
• Why: The person who wants something is marked with को; मैं + को becomes the special form मुझे. Memorize the complete frame rather than translating “I want” word by word.

Treating रोटी as every kind of bread

• Misleading: using रोटी automatically for sliced bread or a bakery loaf
• Better: use रोटी for roti/flatbread and ब्रेड for commercial sliced bread when that is what you mean.
• Why: English “bread” covers both, but everyday Hindi often distinguishes them.

Forgetting feminine plural endings

• Wrong: दो रोटी दीजिए।
• Right: दो रोटियाँ दीजिए।
• Why: Standard Hindi marks the direct plural of feminine -ी nouns with -ियाँ. In rapid colloquial speech you may hear shortened forms, but रोटियाँ is the form to learn and write.

Making a request too direct

• Too direct with a stranger: पानी दो।
• Polite: पानी दीजिए।
• Why: दो is an informal command. It can be normal with someone close or when speaking to a child, but दीजिए is the safer respectful form in public situations.

Mixing up “like” and “want”

• For a general preference: मुझे चाय पसंद है। — I like tea.
• For a request now: मुझे चाय चाहिए। — I want some tea.
• Why: A lasting preference and a present need are different ideas. English can blur them in expressions such as “I’d like tea,” so choose the Hindi frame according to your meaning.

Usage Notes

In North Indian hospitality, चाय पीजिए may function as a warm offer rather than a literal command to drink. A direct English translation can sound forceful, but the respectful -इए/-जिए form and the social context make it courteous. Likewise, और लीजिए (“please take some more”) is common when serving food.

Menus and conversations often use dish names rather than broad categories. सब्ज़ी may refer to the prepared vegetable accompaniment, not merely raw vegetables. आज क्या सब्ज़ी है? can therefore mean “What vegetable dish is there today?” दाल also names a family of dishes, so speakers may specify मसूर की दाल, मूँग की दाल, or चना दाल.

Some vocabulary varies by region and household. रोटी and चपाती overlap considerably, though speakers may distinguish them by preparation or local custom. Do not assume one rigid definition will fit every kitchen. खाना is also both the verb “to eat” and the noun “food/meal,” as in खाना तैयार है (“The food is ready”).

Written Hindi uses the spelling सब्ज़ी, with a dot under ज़. The spelling सब्जी is also very common in informal writing. Recognizing both is useful; use the standard spelling सब्ज़ी in careful writing.

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

You do not need to master the following points at A1, but you will meet them as your Hindi develops.

In completed past-tense sentences with a transitive verb (a verb acting on an object), Hindi often marks the doer with ने. The verb may then agree with the object rather than with the speaker:

• मैंने रोटी खाई। — I ate the roti.
• मैंने पानी पिया। — I drank the water.

Here खाई is feminine because रोटी is feminine, while पिया is masculine because पानी is masculine. This is part of Hindi’s ergative pattern—a special way of marking the doer in certain completed actions. It is a later grammar topic; for now, simply notice why the endings differ.

Food words also appear in compounds and idioms. खाना-पीना literally combines “eating-drinking” and can mean food and drink, eating habits, or hospitality. रोटी कमाना means “to earn a living,” using roti as a symbol of basic sustenance. दाल-चावल can name the meal as a whole, not merely two unrelated ingredients.

More precise requests use postpositions and modifiers:

• बिना चीनी की चाय — tea without sugar
• कम मिर्च वाली सब्ज़ी — a vegetable dish with less chili
• मेरे लिए एक चाय — one tea for me

The form वाला/वाली can identify something characterized by a feature; it changes with gender. These phrases are highly practical, but they belong to a broader system than the seven core words.

Practice Tips

1. Build four phrase sets, not one word list. Put each food into मुझे … चाहिए, each suitable drink into मैं … पीता/पीती हूँ, each food into मैं … खाता/खाती हूँ, and both into a polite … दीजिए request. Say the phrases aloud.
2. Label a real meal in Hindi. Identify रोटी, चावल, दाल, सब्ज़ी, and पानी, then describe one item with गरम, ठंडा/ठंडी, अच्छा/अच्छी, or तीखा/तीखी. This links gender agreement to something visible.
3. Rehearse a short restaurant exchange. Ask आपको क्या चाहिए?, answer मुझे … चाहिए, and finish with … दीजिए. Change quantities and containers: दो रोटियाँ, एक कप चाय, एक गिलास पानी.

Related Concepts

• No prerequisite or downstream concepts are currently linked to this vocabulary topic in the Hindi grammar map.