Indian English for Tourists: A Quick Guide

🗣️ Indian English for Tourists

Indian English is a vibrant blend of English and local languages. Here’s your quick guide to common phrases, their meanings, and globally recognized alternatives.

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What is Indian English? Indian English is a vibrant blend of English and local languages. Understanding these phrases will make your trip much smoother — locals will appreciate the effort!

⭐ Must-Know Phrases at a Glance

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Auto / Auto Rickshaw

Indian English: Auto / Auto rickshaw

Three-wheeled motorized taxi (more common than just “rickshaw”)

Auto rickshaw

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Chai

Indian English: Chai

Tea — though “chai” is gaining popularity globally

Tea

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Can I parcel this?

Indian English: Can I parcel this?

Can I take this leftover food home?

Can I get this to go?

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Jugaad

Indian English: Jugaad

An ingenious fix or improvisation

MacGyver solution / Workaround

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Prepone

Indian English: Prepone

To move something forward on a schedule

Advance / Reschedule for earlier

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Out of Station

Indian English: Out of station

Out of town

Away

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Tiffin

Indian English: Tiffin

Lunchbox or light meal

Lunchbox / Snack

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Kirana Shop

Indian English: Kirana shop

A small neighbourhood grocery store

Convenience store

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Power Cut

Indian English: Power cut

Electricity outage

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Bandh

Indian English: Bandh

A strike or shutdown — can affect transport & shops

Strike / Protest

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Recharge

Indian English: Recharge (prepaid phone)

Top up a prepaid phone balance

Top up

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Aunty / Uncle

Indian English: Aunty/Uncle (for anyone older)

Term of respect for someone older — don’t be surprised!

Sir / Madam

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Money Talk: Lakh & Crore You’ll hear these constantly when discussing prices, distances, and populations. 1 Lakh = 100,000 and 1 Crore = 10 million. So “5 lakh rupees” = ₹500,000. Keep this in mind to avoid confusion!

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Getting Around — Key Transport Terms Auto stand = Taxi rank (where autos queue). Petrol bunk / Petrol pump = Gas station. Metro station = Subway station. Local train = Commuter train. Use apps like Ola or Uber to book autos and cabs.

📖 Complete Indian English Phrase Guide

All phrases A–Z with meanings and global equivalents. The green italic column shows the globally understood alternative.

👉 Swipe left to see all columns

🇮🇳 Indian English	💬 Meaning	🌍 Global Alternative
Aadhaar	A unique identification number for Indian citizens	National ID
Adjust (verb)	To manage or cope
All is well	Everything is fine	I’m okay / No problem
Among yourself (be)	Relax, feel at home	Make yourself comfortable
App (mobile application)	Can be used, but “app” is common globally.
Apply (to a college)	To submit an application for admission	Apply
Apply brakes	Slow down or stop doing something	Hit the brakes / Pump the brakes
Aunty/Uncle (used for anyone older)	Term of respect for someone older	Sir/Madam, Miss/Mister (unless a close family friend)
Auto/Auto rickshaw	Three-wheeled motorized taxi (more common than just “rickshaw”)	Auto rickshaw
Auto stand	Designated area to find auto rickshaws	Taxi rank
Backlog	Pending work	Backlog
Balance bill	Amount to be paid after tax and tip	Check, please
Ball pen	Pen	Pen
Bandh	A strike or shutdown	Strike, protest
Bargain (noun)	A good deal	Bargain
Bargain (verb)	To negotiate a price	Haggle
Batchmate	A member of the same graduating class	Classmate
Be in touch	Stay in contact	Keep in touch
Behind (schedule)	Late	Late
Bhaiyya/Didi (Hindi)	Brother/Sister (used as a term of address)	Sir/Madam (unless close)
Blessings	Used as a greeting for elders	How are you?
Blind corner	A corner with poor visibility
Blood bank	Blood donation center	Blood donation center
Blood group	Blood type	Blood type
Botany department	Department of Botany in a university	Department of Botany
Bottled water	Packaged drinking water
Bunking	Skipping class	Ditching class
Bunkum	Nonsense	Nonsense, rubbish
Can I parcel this?	Can I take this leftover food home?	Can I get this to go?
Carry bag	Plastic bag	Shopping bag
Carry on	Continue
Chaat center	A stall selling savory street food snacks	Street food stall
Chai	Tea	Tea (though “chai” is gaining popularity globally)
Chance meeting	An unplanned encounter with someone	Chance meeting
Chappal	Open-toed sandals	Sandals
Chat (snack)	Savory street food snack	Savory street food snack
Chat (verb)	To talk casually
Chat (verb)	To talk online
Chawl	A large tenement building with shared facilities	Tenement building
Cheating (copying in exams)	Plagiarism	Cheating
Chill (out)	Relax	Calm down
Chill pill	To calm down	Relax, take it easy
Chuck	To throw something	Throw, toss
Chutney	A condiment made from ground spices, vegetables, or fruits	Chutney (gaining popularity globally)
Cold coffee	Iced coffee
Collage (verb)	To put multiple pictures together to create a new image	Make a collage
College canteen	College cafeteria	College cafeteria
Colour photo	Color photograph	Color photograph
Complained (to register a grievance)	Filed a complaint	Filed a complaint
Cooling glass	Sunglasses	Shades
Cousin-brother/sister	A first cousin	Cousin
Cut chai	Strong milky tea	Strong milky tea
Cut piece (of cloth)	Remnant fabric	Remnant fabric
Cut the cake	Celebrate a birthday	Have cake
Cutlery	Utensils for eating	Utensils, silverware
Dhaba	Roadside restaurant
Dhobi	Laundryman	Laundromat, dry cleaner
Diwali	Hindu festival of lights	Diwali (widely understood globally)
Do come again	Please visit again	You’re welcome (after a visit)
Do one thing	Please do this for me	Please do this for me
Do the needful	Please take care of this task	Please handle this / Please take action
DP (Display Picture)	Profile picture on social media
Drawing room	Living room	Living room
Drop a mail	To send an email	To send an email
Duplicate key	Spare key	Spare key
Eating my brain	Really bothering me	Annoying me, stressing me out
Electricity meter	Electric meter	Electric meter
Enquiry (to ask for information)	Inquiry	Inquiry
Enquiry counter	Information desk	Information desk
Entrance exam	Exam required for admission to a program	Entrance exam
Extra chutney	More chutney (condiment)
Extracurricular activities	Activities outside the regular curriculum	Extracurricular activities
Favour (verb)	To like something	To like something
First copy (imitation product)	High-quality counterfeit product	High-quality counterfeit product
First impression (appearance)	How someone looks	First impression
Fix (to solve a problem)	To solve a problem	To solve a problem
Flat (apartment)	Apartment	Apartment, condo
Follow (on social media)
Forward (a message)	Share (a message)
Full and final settlement	Final payment	Final payment, settlement in full
Full meals	Complete Indian meal with rice, curry, and accompaniments
Full toss (cricket)	A type of bowling delivery in cricket	Full toss (cricket terminology)
Gatekeeper	Security guard at a gate	Security guard
Get down (from a vehicle)	To exit a vehicle	Get out, disembark
Godown	Warehouse
Good name (What is your…)	How may I address you?	What is your name?
Good people (referring to oneself)	Polite way to refer to oneself	I, me
Good score (in exams)	High marks	High marks
Half plate	Smaller portion of a dish
Hall ticket (exam admit card)	Permission slip to take an exam	Exam admit card
Have a bath	Take a shower (can be used for either)	Can be used, but shower is more common globally for a quick wash.
Have your food/tea etc.	Please eat/drink	Informal. Can be used with close friends or family.
Hostel (dormitory)	Dormitory	Dormitory
Hostel warden	Supervisor of a dormitory	Residence hall director
How are you managing?	How are you doing?
In front (direction)	Ahead
In hot waters	In trouble
Incharge	Person in charge	In charge, manager
In-charge person	The person in charge	The person in charge
Indicator (turn signal)		Turn signal
Interview (noun)	A job interview	Job interview
Interview (verb)	To take an interview	To conduct an interview
It will be managed	It will be taken care of	Don’t worry, I’ll handle it
Item song	Song in a movie that is not part of the plot
It’s all Greek to me	I don’t understand
Joining date	Start date of a new job	Start date
Jugaad	An ingenious fix or improvisation	MacGyver solution, workaround
Kindly adjust	Please make space	Please move, please excuse me
Kirana shop	A small neighborhood grocery store	Convenience store
Lag gayi (colloquial)	Got stuck (in traffic)	Got stuck (in traffic)
Lakh (100,000) / Crore (10 million)	Units of currency	Hundred thousand / Ten million
Leave (on)	Go on vacation/absence	Can be used, but “go on vacation” is more specific.
Leave encashment	Taking accumulated leave days as payment	Selling accrued vacation time (less common globally)
Let me know	Please inform me
Lift (elevator)	Elevator	Elevator
Light snacks	Small amount of food to eat	Snacks
Local train	A commuter train in large cities	Commuter train
Long drive	A long journey by car	Road trip
Mango pickle	A condiment made from mangoes	Mango pickle (gaining popularity globally)
Masala film	Movie with multiple genres (comedy, romance, action)
Meter (taxi)	Taxi with a fare meter	Metered taxi
Metro (subway system)	Subway system	Subway system
Metro station	Subway station (often used interchangeably with “station”)	Subway station
Mileage (fuel efficiency)	How far a vehicle can travel on a certain amount of fuel	Gas mileage
Mineral water	Bottled water
Missed call (to get someone to call back)	A short call to prompt a call back	Short call to prompt a call back
Mobile (cell phone)	Cell phone	Cell phone (widely understood globally)
Monkey business	Mischief or silly behavior
Mosquito net	A net used to keep mosquitoes away while sleeping	Mosquito net
Mug up	To cram for an exam
My friend is eating my brain	My friend is talking excessively	My friend is being annoying/won’t stop talking
Netpack (internet data plan)		Data plan
Night duty	Working at night	Night shift
On leave	Taking a vacation or time off work	On leave
On the way	Coming to see you
Out of station	Out of town	Away
Outing (group activity)	A social gathering or excursion	Outing
Packed (crowded)	Very crowded
Passed out	Graduated
Petrol bunk	Gas station
Petrol pump	Gas station	Gas station
Ping (to contact someone online)	Message (someone online)
Power cut	Electricity outage	Electricity outage
Pre-interval	Time before the intermission in a movie
Prepone	To move something forward on a schedule	Advance, reschedule for earlier
Pull someone’s leg	Tease someone playfully
Put offs (excuses)	Excuses	Excuses
Put on airs	To act superior	To act superior
Put on lights	Turn on the lights
Put someone on the spot	Make someone feel uncomfortable by asking a sudden question
Put up (to stay)	To stay at someone’s place	To stay
Recharge (prepaid phone)	Top up (prepaid phone)
Revert back	To reply	Reply, get back to me
Rickshaw	A three-wheeled passenger vehicle	Rickshaw (though gaining popularity)
Rubber	Eraser	Eraser
Scooty (motor scooter)	Motor scooter	Motor scooter
Soft drink	Any carbonated beverage	Soda, pop
Station (railway station)	Train station	Train station
Status (on social media)	A short message or update on your profile
Take a right/left	Turn right/left
Take care (goodbye)	Goodbye, take care	Goodbye, take care
Take it easy	Don’t worry	Don’t worry, relax
Take leave	Go on vacation/absence	Use vacation days / Take time off
Take light	To have a small meal	Have a light meal
Tea (often refers to chai)	Spiced milk tea
Tiffin	Lunchbox or light meal	Lunchbox, snack
Timepass	A frivolous or superficial activity	Leisure activity, pastime
Timepass (verb)	To spend time idly	To waste time
Topper	Someone who achieves the highest marks in an exam	High achiever
Traffic jam	Congestion on the road
Tuition (private lessons)	Private lessons	Private lessons
Up and down (often)	Frequently	Frequently
Vandana (Hindi)	Salutation used for females	Greeting
Water bottle	Reusable water bottle	Water bottle
What is the scene?	What’s happening?	What’s happening?
What’s the plan?	What are we going to do?
Whatsapping	Using WhatsApp to chat
Work from home (WFH)	Working from home	Working from home (widely understood globally)
Xerox (verb)	To photocopy	To photocopy
You are most welcome	You’re welcome (very formal)
You put on weight!	You’ve gained weight (can be a compliment)

🍛 Food & Drink Terms at Restaurants

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Ordering food made easy Ask for a “half plate” for a smaller portion, “full meals” for a complete thali, and “extra chutney” for more condiment. If you want leftovers packed: “Can I parcel this?” Use apps like Zomato or Swiggy for food delivery.

🌏 Things to Keep in Mind

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Regional Variations

Indian English has influences from various regional languages like Hindi, Tamil, Bengali and more. Common phrases can vary across different regions of India.

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Formal vs Informal Register

The formality of certain phrases matters a lot. What’s perfectly polite in one context may feel overly formal or too casual in another.

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Body Language & Tone

Indian communication often relies heavily on nonverbal cues. A phrase may seem straightforward on paper, but understanding the cultural context is important.

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