Food and Kitchen Vocabulary: English to Hindi

Food words are among the most useful you'll ever learn, and many Indian dishes have English names that hide their Hindi origins. This list covers both directions.

Staples

English	Hindi
rice	चावल
bread	रोटी, ब्रेड
lentils	दाल
flour	आटा
milk	दूध
curd / yogurt	दही
butter	मक्खन
oil	तेल
sugar	चीनी
salt	नमक
water	पानी
tea	चाय

Vegetables and fruit

English	Hindi
vegetable	सब्ज़ी
potato	आलू
onion	प्याज़
tomato	टमाटर
fruit	फल
apple	सेब
banana	केला
mango	आम
lemon	नींबू

Kitchen items

English	Hindi
spoon	चम्मच
plate	थाली, प्लेट
glass	गिलास
cup	कप
knife	चाकू
pot	बर्तन
spice	मसाला

Useful sentences

• I am hungry. — मुझे भूख लगी है।
• I am thirsty. — मुझे प्यास लगी है।
• The food is delicious. — खाना बहुत स्वादिष्ट है।
• Please give me a glass of water. — कृपया मुझे एक गिलास पानी दीजिए।
• I don't eat meat. — मैं माँस नहीं खाता।
• Less spicy, please. — कम मसालेदार, कृपया।

Interesting translation notes

• रोटी is a flatbread; English "bread" usually means sliced loaf, so many people say ब्रेड for that.
• खाना is both the verb "to eat" and the noun "food", so context matters.
• चाय in India usually means milk tea, not the plain drink English speakers might expect.

Tips

1. Learn the words for what you cook first.
2. Read a recipe in both languages.
3. Use the dictionary to check regional dish names.

Look up any word with English Hindi Dictionary →