Some Hindi words look very much alike, almost to the point where they confuse the reader into thinking that the two words are the same. Here is a list of Indian words that look alike, but are not. Try to find out how each pair is different from each other:
pickle = (अचार ) behavior = (आचार )
fearless = (अभय ) both = (उभय )
limitless = (अमित ) enemy = (अमीत )
business = (उघम ) anarchy = (उधम )
then = (तब ) your = (तव )
the wind = (पवन ) holy = (पावन )
body = (बदन ) face = (वदन )
Namaste (नमस्ते)!
We’re going to take a look at Hindi numbers. Although Indians can read Arabic numerals like 1, 2, 3 etc. we still have our own number system with different symbols. Also, keep in mind that the symbols are really easy to read and predictable. It’s the pronunciation that’ll kill you.
0 : (०) shoonya
1 : (१) ek
2 : (२) do
3 : (३) teen
4 : (४) char
5 : (५) paanyach
6 : (६) chah
7 : (७) saat
8 : (८) aath
9 : (९) nao or nau
10 : (१०) das
So here are the ways you would spell and pronounce these numbers in Hindi:
0 : (शून्य)
1 : (एक)
2 : (दो)
3 : (तीन)
4 : (चार)
5 : (पांच)
6 : (छः)
7 : (सात)
8 : (आठ)
9 : (नौ)
10 : (दस)
It’s common for people to eat pakora (पकोड़ा) during the Holi (होली) festival. A pakora (पकोड़ा) is a fried snack sometimes eaten as starters in restaurants. Pakora (पकोड़ा) is made by taking some vegetables, dipping them in a flour batter and frying them. There are different varieties of pakora (पकोड़ा). Some of the most common ingredients are listed below:
chicken : (चूज़ा)
spinach: (पालक)
eggplant: (बैंगन)
onion: (प्याज)
chili peppers: (मिर्च)
potato: (आलू)
tomato: (टमाटर)
cheese: (पनीर)
cauliflower (गोभी)
Every year people in Nepal, India and even the UK celebrate holi (होली). Holi (होली) is the festival of colors. It’s a joyous festival where people throw colored powder at each other.
There are several stories as to how holi (होली) came to be celebrated by Indians. One story tells of how Holika (होलिका) a female demon, was burnt to death by the god Brahma (ब्रह्मा). The fight between Holika (होलिका) and Brahma (ब्रह्मा) is symbolic of the fight between good and evil. As a result, Indians celebrate Holi (होली) to honor the defeat of evil forces.
A more comical story is how Lord Krishna (कृष्ण) complained to his mother about his dark skin. To make her son feel better, his mother painted his face with colored powder, and thus this became the inspiration for holi (होली).
I gotta warn you though that in some villages, the colored powder is synthetic and can contain some toxic elements. If you see a rash on your skin or if you feel faint or dizzy in any way, go see a doctor. In some villages the powder is made from natural herbs that are actually healthy for you.
I actually found a funny BBC video on Youtube where a journalist gets pummeled with powder. It’s hard to take him seriously when he has a mass of pink powder on his face, but it’ll give you an idea of what the holi (होली) festival is like.
The Hindi alphabet is very long, especially the consonants. So without further delay let’s continue:
प – is pronounced like the p in sPin. The Hindi word for kite contains this sound (पतंग).
फ – is like the uph in UP Hill. Fruit = (फल).
ब – like the b in Bee. Duck = (बतख).
भ – like bh in aBHor. Bear = (भालू).
म – like the m in Mare. Fish = (मछली).
य – like the y in Yes. Yoga = (योग).
र – is kind of like the r in Roll. Chariot = (रथ).
ल – like the l in Lend. Girl = (लड़की).
व – is sort of like the sound in between an English w and an English v. Forest = (वन).
श – is the sh in SHell. Sherbet = (शरबत). Sherbet (शरबत) is a Indian beverage served cold.
ष – is almost pronounced like an sh, but with more aspiration. Hexagon = (षदकोण).
स – like the s in Sea. Vegetables = (सब्जी).
ह – like the h in Him. Hammer = (हथौड़ा).
