List of English words of Hindi or Urdu origin
This is a list of English-language words of Hindi and Urdu origin, two distinguished registers of the Hindustani language. Many of the Hindi and Urdu equivalents have originated from Sanskrit; see Sanskrit origin. Many loanwords are of Persian origin; see Persian origin, with some of the latter being in turn of Arabic or Turkic origin. In some cases words have entered the English language by multiple routes - occasionally ending up with different meanings, spellings, or pronunciations, just as with words with European etymologies. Many entered English during the British Raj in colonial India. These borrowings, dating back to the colonial period, are often labeled as "Anglo-Indian".
A
; Avatar: From Hindi inherited from Sanskrit अवतार, "to cross down" referring to the descent of a deity from a heaven.; Aloo: from Hindi, Urdu, and Sanskrit ālū.
B
; Bandana : from to tie.; Bangle : from बांगड़ी, a type of bracelet.: Pashto: Bangři بنګړي
; Blighty : "Britain" : from Hindi-Urdu vilāyatī "foreign", ultimately from Arabo-Persian/Pashto ولايتي "provincial, regional".
; Bungalow: from बंगला bangla and Urdu بنگلہ bangla, literally, " in the Bengal style".
C
; Charpoy : from / and /.; Chaat : from Hindustani cāṭ.
; Cheetah : from cītā, چیتا, चीता, meaning "variegated".
; Chhatri : from Hindustani چھتری / छतरी.
; Chit : from چٹھی चिट्ठी chitthi, a letter or note.
; Chutney : from 'chaṭnī', چٹنی, चटनी, ultimately derived from full-infinitive word 'chāṭnā', چاٹنا, चाटना, meaning 'to lick'.
; Cot : from khāṭ, खाट, a bed.
; Chowkat : from chokath, چوکھٹ / चौखट, a door frame.
; Cummerbund : ultimately from Persian via Hindi-Urdu कमरबन्द/, – from kamar 'waist, loins' and -bandi 'band'.
; Cushy: from Hindi-Urdu ख़ुशी/, from Persian خوش ḵuš. Some sources prefer an origin from "cushion".
D
; Dacoit :from Daku, meaning a member of a class of criminals who engage in organized robbery and murder. Hence also dacoity; Dekko : from دیکھو देखो Dekho, the imperative 'look', meaning look at or study something.
; Dinghy: from Dinghi, small boat, wherry-boat
; Dungaree: Heavy denim fabric, also referring to trousers made thereof, from Hindi डूंगरी, first worn by labourers in the Dongri area of Mumbai.
G
; Ganja: Hindi term for cannabis. Popularized by Jamaica after Indian indentured labourers introduced the plant to the island during the 19th century.; Garam masala: from Hindi गरम मसाला and Urdu گرم مصالحہ garam masālā, literally "hot mixture", from Persian گرم garm 'warm, hot' and Arabic مصالح ' 'benefits, requirements, ingredients'.
; Gavial: from Hindustani ghaṛiyāl,گھڑیال / घड़ियाल, ultimately derived from the Sanskrit word घण्टिक.
; Guru: from Hindi guru "teacher, priest," from Sanskrit गुरु ' "one to be honored, teacher," literally "heavy, weighty."
; Gymkhana : A term which originally referred to a place where sporting events take place and referred to any of various meets at which contests were held to test the skill of the competitors. In English-speaking countries, a gymkhana refers to a multi-game equestrian event performed to display the training and talents of horses and their rider
J
; Jaconet: modification of Sanskrit jagannaath, from Jagannath Puri, India, where such cloth was first made.; Jodhpurs:Full-length trousers, worn for horseback riding, that are close-fitting below the knee, flared and roomy at the thigh, and have reinforced patches on the inside of the leg. Named after Jodhpur, where similar garments are worn by Indian men as part of everyday dress.
; Juggernaut : from Jagannath, a form of Vishnu particularly worshipped at the Jagannath Temple, Puri, Odisha where during Rath Yatra festival thousands of devotees pull three temple carts some 14m tall, weighing hundreds of tons through the streets. These carts seat three statues of the deities, meant to be two brothers and their sister for a 'stroll' outside after the ritual worship session. They are fed by thousands and thousands of worshipers with holy food, as if the icons were living. Early European visitors witnessed these festivals and returned with—possibly apocryphal—reports of religious fanatics committing suicide by throwing themselves under the wheels of the carts. So the word became a metaphor for something immense and unstoppable because of institutional or physical inertia; or impending catastrophe that is foreseeable yet virtually unavoidable because of such inertia.
; Jungle : from the Sanskrit word जङ्गल jaṅgala, and later jangal in Hindi as जंगल and Urdu as جنگل. Jaṅgala means "uncultivated land" which refers to the wilderness or forest.
K
; Khaki: from ख़ाकी khākī "of dust colour, dusty, grey", cf. Hindi ख़ाकी - Urdu خاکی .; Karma: from Sanskrit, the result of a person's actions as well as the actions themselves. It is a term about the cycle of cause and effect.
; Kedgeree: from Hindi खिचड़ी, Kedgeree is thought to have originated with the Indian rice-and-bean or rice-and-lentil dish khichri, traced back to 1340 or earlier.
L
; Loot : from Loot لوٹ लूट, meaning 'steal'. RobberyM
; Multan: from Multan, Pakistan: A kind of rug prevalent there.; Mogul: from Hindi and Urdu: An acknowledged leader in a field, from the Mughal rulers of India like Akbar the great, and Shah Jahan, the builder of the Taj Mahal.
; Maharaja: from Hindi and Sanskrit: A great king.
; Mantra: from Hindi and Sanskrit: a word or phrase used in meditation.
; Masala: from Urdu, to refer to flavoured spices of Indian origin.
N
; Nirvana: a transcendent state in which there is neither suffering, desire, nor sense of self, and the subject is released from the effects of karma and the cycle of death and rebirth. It represents the final goal of Jainism, Hinduism, Sikhism, and Buddhism.P
; Pashmina: from Hindi पश्मीना, Urdu پشمينه, ultimately from Persian پشمينه.; Punch: from Hindi and Urdu panch پانچ, meaning "five". The drink was originally made with five ingredients: alcohol, sugar, lemon, water, and tea or spices. The original drink was named paantsch.
; Pundit : from पण्डित Pandit, meaning a learned scholar or Priest.
; Pukka : from Pakkā पक्का, پکا cooked, ripe, solid.
; Purdah : from Hindi-Urdu पर्दा, پردہ Pardah meaning 'the pre-election period'.
; Pyjamas: from Hindi and Urdu, پاجامہ / पाजामा, meaning "leg garment", coined from Persian پاى "foot, leg" and جامه "garment".
R
; Raita: from Hindi and Urdu रायता رائتہ rayta. yogurt based dish, some add sliced/chopped/diced, cucumbers, onions, tomatoes, pineapples, pomegranate or other salads to complement rice or roti meals.; Roti: from Hindi and Urdu रॊटी روٹی roti "bread"; akin to Prakrit रॊट्ट rotta "rice flour", Sanskrit रोटिका rotika "kind of bread".
S
; Sepoy: Sepoy is derived from the Persian word sepāhī meaning "infantry soldier" and was designated as a rank in the Mughal Army. The title and rank were implemented by the East India Company and later the British Raj. The term continues to be used for noncommissioned ranks in the Indian and Pakistani and Nepalese militaries.; Shampoo: Derived from Hindustani chāmpo, dating to 1762.
T
; Teapoy :from charpoy चारपाई,چارپائی Teen payi in Hindi-Urdu, meaning "three legged" or "coffee table".;Thug :from Thagi ठग,ٹھگ Thag in Hindi-Urdu, meaning "thief or con man".
; Tickety-boo: possibly from Hindi ठीक है, बाबू, meaning "it's all right, sir".
; Toddy : from Tāṛī ताड़ी, juice of the palmyra palm.
; Typhoon: from Urdu طوفان toofaan. A cyclonic storm.
V
; Veranda:from Hindustani baramdaa برآمدہ / बरामदा, but ultimately from Portuguese.Y
; Yaar:A colloquial South Asian word, it has been defined as a noun to refer to a ‘familiar form of address: friend, mate’. It is originally a loanword from Persian یار. The first known use of yaar in English was in 1963.Z
ZamindarA landowner, especially one who leases his land to tenant farmers. Via Urdu from Persian zamīndār, from zamīn ‘land’ + -dār ‘holder’.