How to Travel Like a Local – Travel Phrasebook to Rajasthan

Whenever you visit a city or a country that is foreign to you, it is imperative for you to know a little bit about the language spoken in that particular place. If you’re someone traveling to Rajasthan for the first time, then this Travel Phrasebook to Rajasthan is surely going to help you out. 

You might need help while traveling or finding a certain location, or you may want to communicate with the local people or shopkeepers, so certainly you can do so by learning the useful phrases of the Marwari language for seamless interaction with the Rajasthani people. A language guide for travelers always helps in cities that are foreign to you.

Learning local slang can also benefit you because then, you can travel just like any other local in the city. And since there are a lot of amazing things to do in Rajasthan like wander at the beautiful palaces, shop for the best juttis and devour delicious Rajasthani cuisine, you surely need to grasp those Rajasthani slangs that’ll help you throughout your visit to the state. Hence, here’s a short and simple Travel phrasebook to Rajasthan:

Ram Ram Sa

You certainly should initiate a conversation in Rajasthan with this simple greeting ‘Ram Ram Sa’ which is the same as a ‘Hello’ in English or ‘Namaste’ in Hindi. This phrase is widely used in Rajasthan by any and everyone, so it will assist you while you stroll across the beautiful landmarks in the state. 

Tharo naam kaain hein?

If you want to ask the name of the artisan you just became friends with, then ‘Tharo naam kaain hein?’ is what you should be saying. The Marwari translation to English for this sentence is ‘What is your name?’

The sidh ho?

So you’re waiting for your local guide to take you on the tour but he’s running late. How do you ask his whereabouts? ‘The Sidh ho’ is the ideal Marwari phrase which translates to ‘Where are you?’ in English.

Aur kitto door jaano hai?

You’re travelling with a fellow local man to the Hawa Mahal for quite a while and want to ask how far the destination is, you can say ‘Aur kitto door jaano hai?’ which means ‘how far do we have to go?’

Kitta peeshyo?

While shopping, you want to ask the shopkeeper or artisan the price of a lovely Jadau jewelry piece you’ve come across, so the Rajasthani phrase for ‘How much does it cost?’ would be ‘kitta peeshyo?’ This phrase will surely help you during your shopping spree in Jaipur.

Kaain?

Although it is just a single word, it is surely one of the useful phrases in Rajasthan. ‘Kaain?’ translates to ‘What?’ and may be used for local slangs or whenever you didn’t understand something a Rajasthani told you.

Main kaain kar sakoo?

If you want to ask someone how you can help them, the Marwari phrase for it is ‘Main kaain kar sakoo?’ which translates to ‘What can I do?’

Maneh paani peeno hai

A long tour in Jaipur to the palaces like Amber Palace, City Palace and Jal Mahal can be tiring, and if you don’t have a water bottle with you, ask for water to someone else by saying ‘maneh paani peeno hai’ which means ‘I would like to drink some water’

Main kathe jaaun?

If you’re headed to the mesmerizing Lake Pichola but have lost your way, you can ask a local passerby ‘Main kathe jaaun?’ and they will be able to help you with the location as it means ‘Where should I go?’

Mane samj mei ni ave

If at all you’re with a local person and they’re explaining to you about the culture of Rajasthan and you don’t understand a certain part of what he just said, you can tell him ‘mane samj mei ni ave’ this means ‘I don’t understand’ so surely the person will help you understand in a better way. 

This was a simple Travel Phrasebook to Rajasthan that will help you whenever you visit this beautiful and cultural city. So get going and learn these simple slangs to prep for your visit to the pink city.

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Follow Rajasthan Studio on Instagram for more amazing art and travel content. Reach out to us on email at contact[at]rajasthanstudio[dot]com. This blog is curated by Rajasthan Studio and written by Romana Shaikh.