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 List of English words of Sanskrit origin. Many others are of Persian origin; see List of English words of Persian origin. Some of the latter are 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. These borrowings, dating back to the colonial period, are often labeled as "Anglo-Indian".
A
; Avatar: From Hindi अवतार, from Sanskrit, descent of a deity from a heavenB
; Bandana : from bandhna to tie.; Bangle : from bāngṛī बांगड़ी, a type of bracelet.
; Blighty : "Britain" : from Hindi-Urdu vilāyatī "foreign", ultimately from Arabo-Persian ولايتي "provincial, regional".
; Bungalow: from बंगला banglA and Urdu بنگلہ banglA, literally, " in the Bengal style".
C
; Charpoy : from 'chār', چار, चार, meaning 'four' and 'pāī', पाई, meaning 'foot'.; Cheetah : from chītā, چیتا, चीता, meaning "variegated".
; Chhatri : from Hindi छतरी.
; : 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.
; : from Chokath, Urdu, a door frame.
; Cummerbund : from kamarband , cf. कमरबन्द - originally from Persian کمربند, meaning "waist binding"
; : probably from khushi, cf. Hindi ख़ुशी - originally from Persian خوشی "easy, happy, soft" ; but some sources prefer an origin from "cushion"
D
; :from Daku, meaning a member of a class of criminals who engage in organized robbery and murder. Hence also dacoity; : 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, the name of a village.
G
; Garam masala: from Hindi and Urdu गरम मसाला گرم مصالح garam masālā, literally "hot mixture", from Persian گرم garm 'warm, hot' and Arabic مصالح maṣāliḥ 'benefits, requirements, ingredients'.; Gavial: from Hindi ghaṛiyāl, घड़ियाल, ultimately derived from Hindi word ghaṛa, घड़ा, which means 'an earthen pitcher'.
; Guru: from Hindi guru "teacher, priest," from Sanskrit गुरुः guruḥ "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
; : modification of Sanskrit jagannaath, from Jagannath , , where such cloth was first made.; Jodhpurs:Full-length trousers, worn for horseback riding, that are close-fitting below the knee 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 جنگل जंगल jangal of Persian origin, another word for wilderness or forest, which was borrowed from Sanskrit जङ्गल jaṅgala meaning "uncultivated land, desert."
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.
L
; Loot : from Loot لوٹ लूट, meaning 'steal'. RobberyM
; : from Multan, Pakistan: A kind of rug prevalent there.; : from Hindi and Urdu: An acknowledged leader in a field, from the Mughal rulers of India like Akbar and Shah Jahan, the builder of the Taj Mahal.
; Maharaja: from Hindi and Sanskrit: A king.
; Mantra: from Hindi and Sanskrit: a word or phrase used in meditation.
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 and Buddhism.P
; Pashmina: from Hindi पश्मीना, Urdu پشمينه, ultimately from Persian پشمينه.; Poori: from Hindi poori, from Sanskrit पुर or "cake".
; 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.
; Pyjamas: from Hindi and Urdu, पैजामा, meaning "leg garment", coined from Persian پاى "foot, leg" and جامه "garment".
R
; Raita: from Hindi and Urdu रायता ریتا 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
; Shampoo: Derived from Hindustani chāmpo , dating to 1762.T
; :from Thagi ठग,ٹھگ Thag in Hindi-Urdu,meaning "thief or con man".; : possibly from Hindi ठीक है, बाबू, meaning "it's all right, sir".
; : from Tārī ताड़ी, juice of the palmyra palm.
; Typhoon: from Urdu طوفان toofaan. A cyclonic storm.