Hyderabadi – Hum Aiseich Bolte! [Infographic]

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Hyderabadi-Language
Photo by Shiv Prasad

Hyderabadi Language

Hyderabad city holds a unique position in India as a melting pot of Hindu, Muslim, Andhra and Telangana cultures. Evidently, “Hyderabadi Hindi” gains its unique flavor from the amalgamation of Urdu, Hindi and Telugu. The best part about being a Hyderabadi is to experience a lifetime of hilarious hindi conversations.  Over the years, the language has gained such significance that it becomes difficult to relate to the place without it. We have our own Johnny here, who is called ‘Haula’ (dumb-head or stupid). Anybody who reflects this ‘haula’ quotient in a conversation is believed to be suffering with ‘haulapan’! “Haulepane ki baatan mat karo yaaron!” (Don’t be stupid or don’t talk stupidly). Note, ‘yaaron’ can be applied for both singular and plural!

India Infographics - hyderabadi-hindi

Understanding the Hyderabadi Slang

The concept of singular-plural is completely different in Hyderabad. Here there is no need to put an ‘s’ suffix at the end of the word to make it a plural. The conventional ‘s’ is replaced by ‘aan’, for example – bottlaan, phoneaan or logaan. “Uno pani ke bottlaan leke araa!” Ironic part is, once you stay here for a few days, you feel out of place if you have to refer to plurals with an ‘s’ especially when you are talking in Hindi.

Hyderabadi hindi

If you go to a store in Hyderabad, you would be addressed with a blunt, “Kya Hona?” meaning, what do you want? Here ‘chahiye’ is conveniently replaced with ‘hona’; a hyderabadi invention used invariably in all sorts of conversations. A yes or a no here, cannot be expressed in a simple ‘haan’ or ‘naa’, it has to be conveyed through a ‘hau’ or a ‘nakko’ with a typical accent!

What Makes Hyderabadi Slang Special?

Hyderabadi-People

The universal time continuum does not apply to you when you are in Hyderabad; if you hear a Hyderabadi saying, ‘Haan main parson vahaan gaya tha’ (I went there, day before yesterday). Don’t be surprised to know that the same sentence can either mean he had been there the day before yesterday or probably a decade ago! Never believe a Hyderabadi if he says that he’ll be there by sharp 9, he will not leave for his destination until it is 9:15. However this attitude is changing, as people finally have to!

How Hyderabadis use the Slang

Hyderabadis don’t possess a great sense of direction either. According to them, all places are either situated on a straight road or involve a million gullys to turn into. If you have lost your way in the city, it’s not a bright idea to ask for the route, all you would come across is ‘seedha jayo ekich road hai’ irrespective of the fact that your destination is completely in the opposite direction! I remember a conversation with a passerby, he directed me by saying, “Aap sidha jayo, left mein do turna aathi, wo nakko lo, uske baad ka right maro!” (Go straight, you’ll come across two left turns, don’t take them, take the right turn after that!)

hyderabadi dialogues - The Angrez Movie

Asking a question in Hyderabadi Hindi is not as simple as saying a ‘kyun?’; the right terminology is ‘kaiku?’ Most of the people here possess a take it easy attitude. If you forget to do a certain thing, you would be consoled by your friends with a “lite le yaaron!”. If you remember, there was a Govinda song which went, “Mein poti pataunga magar hallu hallu”. It is a famous slang used for slow in Hyderabad.

How Non-Hyderabadis Cherish the Slang?

Despite its absurdity, this dialect is cherished by people of all walks living in Hyderabad. It gained immense prominence after the release of the comedy film, ‘The Angrez’ where all the characters spoke in a Hyderabadi dialect. It was followed by numerous other films like, ‘Hyderabad Nawabs’, ‘Hungama in Dubai’, ‘Well Done Abba’ etc. Once you get acquainted with this unique Hindi dialect, you would stand to realize that it is humorous in it’s own way. However, the dialect is dying due to the establishment of various corporate offices around the city. It is being influenced by American culture to a large extent. Yet, Hyderabadis always have and always will enjoy a conversation in Hyderabadi Hindi over any other language!

Words and phrases that you need to know to survive in Hyderabad:

List of Famous Hyderabadi Slang

Hyderabad Slang Meaning in English
Hau Yes
Nakko No
Kaiku? Why?
Mereku Me
Tereku You
Potti Girl
Potta Boy
Mama Dude/Bro
Zara Hallu chalo Go slow
Hona bolke On purpose
Uno kya kathe? What did he say?
Kya hona? What do you want?
Kya mein haula dikrhoon tereku? Do I look like a fool to you?
Khali Peeli Simply / just
Dimakh Kharab mat karo! Don’t irritate me
Lite lo yaaron! Take it easy
Bawa ki road samjhe? Have you lost control?
Chindi chor Small-time thief/cheapskate
Over kar dere Acting too smart

Takeaway

Hyderabadi slangs are not just words it’s the emotion of the people in the form of verbal expression, the language pokes a pinch of humour in its accent and kindles a funny emotion within. Though the language has its roots in Urdu, Telugu and Marati it have created its own blend that reflect the deep culture of Hydrabadies. Learning some words from the list will empower you with readymade punch to your chit-chat with friend and family.

Check out our story on Hyderabadi Haleem
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FAQs on Hyderabadi Slang

Hyderabad-Old-City

Question: What is haula Hyderabadi slang?

Answer: In Hyderabadi slang, Haula refers to someone who is foolish, silly, or acting crazy.

Question: What is awesome in Hyderabadi slang?

Answer: Some of the awesome Hyderabadi slangs are haula, Mama, Khali Peeli, Chindi chor, Zara Hallu chalo, and Dimakh Kharab.

Question: What does “Nakko” mean in Hyderabadi slang?

Answer:It means “No” or “Don’t want”—a common way to refuse something.

Question: What does “Mereku” and “Tereku” mean?

Answer:“Mereku” means “to me” and “Tereku” means “to you”, used casually in everyday talk.

Question: What does “Lite lo” mean in Hyderabad slang?

Answer: “Lite lo” means “take it easy” or “don’t stress about it”.

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34 COMMENTS

  1. Haha i can actually picture the passerby give you a direction that way.. if it was facebook i would have "like"d it.

  2. Well said. This is what I would define as Old Hyderabad (mainly referring to Charminar area). However, the city, as such, is full of a mix of MNC crowd from across India. Hence the words and phrases mentioned in the article are now-a-days a rare sound in city and generally heard only while a group of people are craking jokes.

    • Dekcha is a BIG VESSEL used in any function for preparation of food..it is different in shape also so we say dekcha and thanda is cool….THANDA PANI= COOL WATER ……so together is like that vessel is cool not hot to get hurt ……chakle means taste it (if u want to)

    • Hi
      It means
      Do u know how food is made in hotels in big big utensils n all the big utensil is called “dekhcha ”
      Where as chakle can mean 2 things like
      1) Mere chakle lag gaye yaro
      Means I am fuked or I messed up

      2) vo chakle leke dekh Bhai
      Taste that n see bro

  3. Haulepane ki baatan mat karo yaaron

    If I am not wrong we says “Haulepane ke baatan NAKKO karo yaaron” instead of mat we use nakko.
    We also use the word “Baigan” more often for instance puri gadi baigan mein mil gayi yaaron, ( my whole car/bike has fucked up dude 🤯)

  4. Hii this Basavaraj from shaip AI company South Zonal Leader, i want Deccani Hindi Script some project work do you have pls give are contact me 8747070701.

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