10 Everyday English Words Borrowed from Hindi

English is a magpie language, and few sources have enriched it more colorfully than Hindi and its linguistic cousins across the Indian subcontinent. Here are ten familiar words you likely use without realizing their South Asian origins.

The List

1. Bungalow — From bangla, meaning "in the Bengal style." Originally described the thatched, single-story homes of British colonial administrators.
2. Cashmere — Named for Kashmir, the Himalayan region famed for the ultra-soft wool from its native goats.
3. Chutney — From chatni, a spiced condiment. The British adopted both the word and the concept.
4. Jungle — From jangal, meaning uncultivated ground or forest. Entered English via 18th-century colonial administrators.
5. Karma — Sanskrit karman (action, deed), via Hindi. The spiritual concept of cause and effect entered Western vocabulary in the 19th century.
6. Loot — From lut, meaning plunder or booty. Soldiers of the East India Company brought it home.
7. Pajamas — From pai jama ("leg garment"), the loose trousers tied at the waist worn by men and women alike.
8. Shampoo — From champo, meaning to massage or knead. Originally referred to the head massage ritual, not the liquid soap.
9. Thug — From thag, a member of the Thuggee cult of ritual stranglers. British suppression campaigns made the term infamous.
10. Yoga — Sanskrit yuj (to yoke/unite), via Hindi. The physical-spiritual discipline entered global English in the mid-20th century.

Beyond These Ten

Dozens more await discovery: veranda, dungarees, guru, mantra, nirvana, pundit, swastika, avatar, bandana, cot, dinghy, juggernaut — each carrying centuries of cultural exchange between the subcontinent and the Anglosphere.

Next time you slip into pajamas, sip chai, or curse a jungle of paperwork, you're speaking a little Hindi without leaving your armchair.