Getting around in Hindi
Left, right, the station, one ticket, where is the toilet. Play the ten Hindi words against the clock, with a note on how locals really use each one after every answer. All ten are written out below.
All 10 Hindi phrases in this lesson
- टॉयलेट कहाँ है?TOY-let ka-HAAN hai
- Where is the toilet?
- ... कैसे जाऊँ?KAI-say JAA-oon
- How do I get to...?
- बाएँBAA-yen
- To the left
- दाएँDAA-yen
- To the right
- सीधाSEE-dha
- Straight ahead
- यहाँya-HAAN
- Here
- रेलवे स्टेशनRAIL-way STAY-shun
- Train station
- बसbas
- Bus
- हवाई अड्डाha-VAA-ee AD-da
- Airport
- एक टिकट दीजिएek TI-kat DEE-ji-yeh
- One ticket, please
Malls, metro stations, hotels and cafes are your reliable options; Sulabh public facilities exist for a coin. Carry tissue and sanitizer, and calibrate expectations outside cities.
Literally "how do I go to ...?".
For rickshaw navigation: baayen (left), daayen (right), seedha (straight), bas (stop). Four words and you are the co-pilot. Drivers also universally understand left and right in English.
The most common direction in India, delivered with a forward karate chop. "Seedha jao" means go straight. Distances are measured in time, never kilometers, and the time quoted is aspirational.
"Yahaan rokiye", stop here, for rickshaws.
Indian Railways moves more people daily than most countries hold. Book on the IRCTC app well ahead; AC 2-tier and 3-tier are comfortable classes. A long Indian train ride is not transport, it is the destination.
Ticket is just ticket. City metros (Delhi's is world-class) use tokens and cards from bilingual machines. Keep the ticket; exits and inspectors both want it.