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Slang from India

anda-ganda

Random, nonsensical talk or actions.

badmash

Rogue; scoundrel; mischievous person.

đŸ”Ĩ 68 upvotes

banda/bandi

Guy/Girl (informal).

đŸ”Ĩ 93 upvotes

batti (ā¤Ŧ⤤āĨā¤¤āĨ€)

Money (informal, literally "light/bulb", used as a slang term).

behenji

Sister (often used informally or sometimes with a slightly mocking tone for a conservative woman).

bhai

Brother (informal address for a male friend or stranger).

đŸ”Ĩ 81 upvotes

bhai-zone (ā¤­ā¤žā¤ˆ-⤜ā¤ŧāĨ‹ā¤¨)

To be relegated to the "friend zone," specifically as a "brother." (From English "brother" + "zone").

bhasm kar doonga

I will destroy you; I will burn you to ashes (dramatic threat).

đŸ”Ĩ 94 upvotes

blockbuster

An extremely successful movie or song (direct loanword).

board exams

Major standardized examinations taken by students in their final years of secondary school.

chai (ā¤šā¤žā¤¯)

Tea (very popular, often consumed with snacks).

chakkar

Round (e.g., "ek chakkar lagana" - to take a round); also implies affair or complicated situation.

chakkar (ā¤šā¤•āĨā¤•⤰)

An affair; a secret romantic relationship (literally "circle" or " ā¤šā¤•āĨā¤•⤰").

chaknachoor (ā¤šā¤•ā¤¨ā¤žā¤šāĨ‚⤰)

Smashed; shattered (can be used to describe being extremely drunk).

chalta hai

It works; its acceptable; its fine (implies mediocrity is acceptable).

đŸ”Ĩ 57 upvotes

chalu

Cunning; sly; also, something that is currently working/on (e.g., "fan chalu hai").

đŸ”Ĩ 69 upvotes

chamcha

Toady; yes-man (literally "spoon").

chamdi

Skin (often used in phrases like "chamdi udhed doonga" - I will skin you alive).

chamkila

Someone or something flashy, gaudy, or overly sparkly.

chasamish

Someone who wears glasses (often used as a playful or slightly teasing term).

đŸ”Ĩ 78 upvotes

chhappad phaad ke

Unexpected good fortune (literally "breaking the roof").

đŸ”Ĩ 68 upvotes

chill maar

Relax; calm down (literally "hit chill").

đŸ”Ĩ 96 upvotes

chipku

Clingy; sticky (person).

đŸ”Ĩ 98 upvotes

daaru

Alcohol; liquor.

đŸ”Ĩ 58 upvotes

dabba

Lunchbox; tiffin box.

đŸ”Ĩ 96 upvotes

dhaba (ā¤ĸā¤žā¤Ŧā¤ž)

A roadside eatery, typically serving local cuisine (informal restaurant).

dhamaal (ā¤§ā¤Žā¤žā¤˛)

Fun; excitement; a wild party or an exciting, successful song/film.

dhamaka

Blast; explosion; a big hit or success (e.g., a hit movie).

dhan (⤧⤍)

Wealth; money (more formal, but also used in casual contexts).

dhinchak

Flashy; showy; trendy (often used for catchy but somewhat cheesy music/videos).

đŸ”Ĩ 71 upvotes

dinchak

Another spelling/pronunciation for dhinchak, flashy/showy.

đŸ”Ĩ 73 upvotes

dost

Friend; buddy.

đŸ”Ĩ 70 upvotes

fikar not

Dont worry (from English "fear not" or "worry not").

đŸ”Ĩ 77 upvotes

full tight

Completely drunk; very intoxicated (common Hinglish).

funda

Fundamental; concept; core idea (informal).

gawar (⤗⤁ā¤ĩā¤žā¤°)

Rustic; unsophisticated; bumpkin (implies lack of manners or education).

ghanta

Nonsense; nothing (literally "bell," used sarcastically).

ghatiya

Bad; low quality; trashy.

đŸ”Ĩ 85 upvotes

ghisi-piti (⤘ā¤ŋ⤏āĨ€-ā¤Ēā¤ŋ⤟āĨ€)

Outdated; old-fashioned (can refer to old teaching methods or curriculum).

ghissu

A studious person; nerd (often derogatory).

đŸ”Ĩ 91 upvotes

gol gappe

A popular street food snack (also "pani puri").

gunda

Thug; hooligan; gangster.

đŸ”Ĩ 62 upvotes

haath paon phoolna

To get nervous or lose courage (literally "hands and feet swelling").

đŸ”Ĩ 56 upvotes

hawa mein udna

To boast; to be overly proud (literally "to fly in the air").

hawa nahin lag rahi

Dont understand; not getting it (literally "air is not touching").

đŸ”Ĩ 71 upvotes

item

An attractive person (often female, can be slightly objectifying).

item number

A catchy song and dance sequence in an Indian film, often featuring a prominent actress.

jugaadu

Resourceful person, especially one good at "jugad".

jugad

A clever, improvised solution or workaround.

đŸ”Ĩ 97 upvotes

jugad (⤜āĨā¤—ā¤žā¤Ąā¤ŧ)

A hack; an improvised solution (often used for quick fixes for studies or exams).

kabaad (⤕ā¤Ŧā¤žā¤Ąā¤ŧ)

Scrap; junk; but sometimes used sarcastically for a small amount of money.

kachra

Rubbish; trash.

đŸ”Ĩ 87 upvotes

kalol

Fun; mischief; often used to describe playful activities.

kalti maar

To run away quickly; to escape.

đŸ”Ĩ 81 upvotes

kantaal

Feeling bored or fed up.

đŸ”Ĩ 59 upvotes

katto

A very attractive girl (informal, affectionate).

khadoos

Grumpy; rude; mean person.

đŸ”Ĩ 97 upvotes

khatara

A dilapidated or old vehicle/thing.

ladki/ladka

Girl/Boy (informal).

đŸ”Ĩ 82 upvotes

ladoo

A sweet spherical dessert (often used in "muh me ladoo" - to praise oneself).

đŸ”Ĩ 90 upvotes

lag gaye

I am screwed; I am in trouble (often used when things go wrong).

đŸ”Ĩ 75 upvotes

lamhe

Moments (often used in a nostalgic or poetic context).

đŸ”Ĩ 73 upvotes

launda/laundi

Boy/Girl (more informal, often youth slang, can be slightly derogatory depending on context).

local

Mumbai/Kolkata suburban train network (used to refer to the train itself).

locha

Problem; complication.

đŸ”Ĩ 54 upvotes

maal

Goods; stuff; can also refer to drugs or a woman (often derogatory).

maal (ā¤Žā¤žā¤˛)

Stuff; goods; also used for money (informal, sometimes implying illicit money).

maamu

Uncle (informal, sometimes used to refer to someone gullible).

đŸ”Ĩ 74 upvotes

machao

To create a ruckus; to cause a sensation; to have a blast.

makaan

House; residence (often informal).

makhkhan

Smooth; excellent (literally "butter").

đŸ”Ĩ 95 upvotes

maro goli

Forget it; dismiss it (literally "shoot a bullet").

đŸ”Ĩ 79 upvotes

masla

Problem; issue (Urdu/Hindi, common in informal speech).

đŸ”Ĩ 94 upvotes

mast (ā¤Žā¤¸āĨā¤¤)

Awesome; excellent; cool (applied to a song, video, or movie).

meter se

To travel by taxi or auto-rickshaw using the fare meter, rather than a negotiated flat rate.

nakchadhi

Snobbish; stuck-up (feminine, literally "nose-up").

đŸ”Ĩ 57 upvotes

nautanki

Drama; theatrics; someone who creates unnecessary drama.

đŸ”Ĩ 97 upvotes

on

Drunk; under the influence (short for "on alcohol").

paisa vasool

Worth the money; value for money.

đŸ”Ĩ 100 upvotes

paisa vasool (ā¤ĒāĨˆā¤¸ā¤ž ā¤ĩ⤏āĨ‚⤞)

Worth the money; providing full entertainment value (used for movies or concerts).

paisa (ā¤ĒāĨˆā¤¸ā¤ž)

Money (general term, also a specific coin denomination).

pakau

Boring; irritating (literally "to cook," implying to bore someone to death).

pataka

A very attractive girl (literally "firecracker").

đŸ”Ĩ 52 upvotes

patao

To impress or convince someone, especially to win their affection.

đŸ”Ĩ 61 upvotes

phenkna

To boast; to exaggerate (literally "to throw").

phokat

Free of cost; without effort.

đŸ”Ĩ 97 upvotes

raapchik

Excellent; outstanding (Mumbai slang).

đŸ”Ĩ 85 upvotes

rickshaw

A motorized auto-rickshaw (a common form of local transport).

sahi hai

Thats right; correct; cool (used for approval).

đŸ”Ĩ 67 upvotes

samosa (ā¤¸ā¤ŽāĨ‹ā¤¸ā¤ž)

A fried or baked pastry with a savoury filling, a popular snack/takeaway item.

scene kya hai

Situation; plans; whats happening.

đŸ”Ĩ 73 upvotes

scene palat gaya

The situation completely changed (literally "the scene flipped").

đŸ”Ĩ 100 upvotes

senti

Sentimental; often used to describe an emotional social media post or comment.

setting

An arrangement, often an informal or illicit one (e.g., romantic arrangement).

đŸ”Ĩ 79 upvotes

shaana

Clever; cunning; street-smart (often with a slightly negative connotation).

đŸ”Ĩ 88 upvotes

shandaar

Magnificent; splendid; fabulous.

đŸ”Ĩ 89 upvotes

shosha

Show-off; pretence; unnecessary fuss.

đŸ”Ĩ 86 upvotes

stalking

To obsessively look at someones social media profile (used humorously, not always negatively).

superhit

A major hit (used extensively in Bollywood and music industry).

tapori

A street hooligan; a rough, uncultured person (often used for specific Mumbai street culture).

đŸ”Ĩ 100 upvotes

tapori (⤟ā¤ĒāĨ‹ā¤°āĨ€)

Street smart; can refer to a genre of music or a film character with local, street style.

tashan

Style; attitude (often swaggering).

đŸ”Ĩ 93 upvotes

tedha

Crooked; complicated; difficult (literally "bent").

đŸ”Ĩ 67 upvotes

thulla

Derogatory term for a policeman.

đŸ”Ĩ 61 upvotes

time pass

To pass time; often used for aimlessly scrolling through social media or the internet.

topi

Hat (often used in "topi pehnana" - to fool someone, literally "to make wear a hat").

trolling

To post inflammatory comments (from English, widely used).

ullu

Fool; idiot (literally "owl").

đŸ”Ĩ 62 upvotes

ullu ka pattha

Son of an owl; an even stronger way of calling someone a fool/idiot.

ulti

Vomit; also used for something repulsive or negative.

vadapav

A popular street food snack (potato fritter in a bun, specific to Maharashtra).

velmi

Someone who is always jobless or free (informal).

đŸ”Ĩ 66 upvotes

wasooli

Recovery of money, often through informal or coercive means.

đŸ”Ĩ 99 upvotes

yaar

Friend; mate (informal address).

đŸ”Ĩ 72 upvotes

zero figure

An extremely thin physique (often referring to women, from fashion terminology).

đŸ”Ĩ 88 upvotes