Marathi and Hindi share the same Devanagari script and hundreds of words. That’s the trap. You hear a familiar word, nod confidently, and then realise the conversation has gone somewhere completely different. Linguists call these “false friends”. We call them gondhal.
This guide goes beyond a list. You’ll find 30 words that change meaning between the two languages, the grammar and sounds that make Marathi different.
First, How Close Are Marathi and Hindi?
Think of them as cousins, not twins. Both come from the same family of Indo-Aryan languages and borrow heavily from Sanskrit, which is why so many words look alike. But they grew from different ancient spoken languages: Marathi from Maharashtri Prakrit, Hindi from a different branch further north. Over a thousand years, each developed its own grammar, sounds and everyday vocabulary.
Marathi is no small cousin, either. About 83 million people spoke it as their mother tongue in the 2011 census, making it India’s third-most spoken native language after Hindi and Bengali. On 3 October 2024, the Government of India granted Marathi the status of a classical language, in recognition of its long literary history.
Part 1: The Big 15 Everyday Traps
These are the words Hindi speakers trip over in their first week in Maharashtra.
| Word | In Marathi it means | In Hindi it means | What could go wrong |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kal (काल) | Yesterday only | Yesterday or tomorrow | You say “kal bhetuya” to plan tomorrow’s meeting, and your friend wonders how to meet yesterday. (Tomorrow is udya.) |
| Kela (केला) | Did (past of “to do”) | Banana | “Mi kaam kela” means “I did the work”, not “I worked a banana”. A banana is keli. |
| Mala (मला) | To me / I | Garland | “Mala bhook laagli” is “I’m hungry”, not “the garland is hungry”. |
| Tula (तुला) | To you | Weighing scale | “Tula kay hava?” means “What do you want?” Nobody is weighing you. |
| Aata (आता) | Now | Flour / comes | “Aata ye” means “Come now”, not a flour delivery. |
| Ho (हो) | Yes | Are / be | The most confusing one. When a Marathi person says “ho”, they mean yes. |
| Bas (बस) | Sit (and also “enough”) | Enough / bus | “Bas, bas!” from a host means “sit down”, not “stop”. |
| Vaat (वाट) | Path, or waiting | Talk (baat) | “Mi tujhi vaat baghto” means “I’m waiting for you.” |
| Lagna (लग्न) | Wedding | To seem, to feel | “Tyache lagna aahe” means “It’s his wedding”, not “he seems to be…” |
| Motha (मोठा) | Big, elder | Fat (mota) | “Majha motha bhau” is “my elder brother”. He is not offended. Yet. |
| Chaha (चहा) | Tea | Wanted (chaha) | “Chaha ghenaar?” means “Will you have tea?” Always say yes. |
| Bara (बरं) | Okay, well | Big (bada) / twelve | “Bara, chal” means “Okay, let’s go.” |
| Sakal (सकाळ) | Morning | Total, gross | “Sakali ye” means “Come in the morning”, not “come in total”. |
| Daar (दार) | Door | Fear (darr) / rate (dar) | “Daar band kar” means “Shut the door”, not “stop being scared”. |
| Bhaji (भाजी) | Vegetable dish, and fritters | Fritters (bhajiya) | “Aaj kay bhaji?” means “What sabzi today?” Don’t expect pakodas. |
Part 2: Family Words That Cause Real Drama
Get these wrong at a family function and you’ll be explaining yourself for years.
| Word | In Marathi it means | In Hindi it means | What could go wrong |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dada (दादा) | Elder brother | Paternal grandfather | Your Marathi friend introduces his 25-year-old “dada”. You touch his feet. |
| Tai (ताई) | Elder sister | Aunt (wife of father’s elder brother) | Calling a college senior “tai” is friendly in Pune. In Lucknow, she’d feel 30 years older. |
| Aai (आई) | Mother | Came (feminine) | “Aai aali” means “Mother has come.” To a Hindi ear it sounds like “came, came”. |
| Baba (बाबा) | Father | Grandfather, holy man, or a small boy | “Babanna vichaar” means “Ask Dad”, not “ask the sadhu”. |
| Bai (बाई) | Lady, madam, and a schoolteacher | Often a maid, colloquially | In Marathi schools, “Bai” is the respected class teacher. Use it correctly. |
Part 3: When a Compliment Sounds Like an Insult
These five can turn a polite chat into a misunderstanding in seconds.
| Word | In Marathi it means | In Hindi it means | What could go wrong |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shiksha (शिक्षा) | Punishment | Education | A Hindi speaker proudly says “meri shiksha Pune mein hui”. Marathi listeners hear “I was punished in Pune”. |
| Cheshta (चेष्टा) | Teasing, a joke at someone’s expense | Effort, attempt | “Tyane mazi cheshta keli” means “He made fun of me”, not “he made an effort for me”. |
| Takrar (तक्रार) | A complaint | A quarrel (takraar) | Filing a takrar at the society office is admin, not a fistfight. |
| Goshta (गोष्ट) | A story, or a thing | Meat (gosht) | “Ek goshta sang” is a child asking for a bedtime story. Not a mutton order. |
| Patta (पत्ता) | Address | Leaf (address is pata) | “Tumcha patta kay?” wants your address. Don’t hand over a tulsi leaf. |
Part 4: Five More Sneaky Ones
| Word | In Marathi it means | In Hindi it means | What could go wrong |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hava (हवं) | Want, need | Air, wind | “Mala chaha hava” means “I want tea”, not “I want tea-flavoured air”. |
| Jaad (जाड) | Fat, thick | Winter cold (jaada) | “Ha blanket jaad aahe” is about a thick blanket, not the weather. |
| Changla (चांगला) | Good | Healthy, fine (changa) | “Changla movie” is a good film. It doesn’t need a doctor. |
| Shala (शाळा) | School | Hall or house, as in dharamshala | A Marathi kid going to shala is off to class, not checking into a guest house. |
| Mag (मग) | Then, so | Mug (borrowed English) | “Mag kay?” means “So what?” Nobody is asking for a coffee mug. |
Same Thing, Completely Different Word
False friends are only half the story. Many of the most common everyday words in Marathi have nothing in common with their Hindi versions. Learn these and you’ll understand half of any conversation at a sabzi stall.
| English | Marathi | Hindi |
|---|---|---|
| Tomorrow | Udya (उद्या) | Kal |
| Today | Aaj (आज) | Aaj (finally, one that matches!) |
| Boy / Girl | Mulga / Mulgi (मुलगा / मुलगी) | Ladka / Ladki |
| To see | Baghne (बघणे) | Dekhna |
| To tell | Sangne (सांगणे) | Batana |
| To like | Aavadne (आवडणे) | Pasand karna |
| Quickly | Lavkar (लवकर) | Jaldi |
| A lot | Khup (खूप) | Bahut |
| Where? | Kuthe? (कुठे?) | Kahaan? |
| What happened? | Kay jhala? (काय झालं?) | Kya hua? |
| Onion | Kanda (कांदा) | Pyaaz |
| Potato | Batata (बटाटा) | Aloo |
| Meal | Jevan (जेवण) | Khaana |
The Portuguese Surprise
Why does Marathi say batata when Hindi says aloo? Thank the Portuguese. They brought the potato to India’s west coast and Marathi kept their word for it. The pav in your vada pav is also widely traced to the Portuguese word for bread, pão. So when a Mumbaikar orders a “batata vada pav”, two of the three words came on a ship from Lisbon.
Grammar Traps Hindi Speakers Don’t See Coming
1. Marathi has three genders, not two.
Hindi has masculine and feminine. Marathi keeps a third, neuter gender, which most Indo-Aryan languages have lost. Ghar (house) is masculine in Hindi (mera ghar) but neuter in Marathi (majha ghar, written माझं घर). That small nasal “ं” at the end of माझं is the neuter sign, and one of the easiest ways to tell Marathi writing from Hindi.
2. Endings instead of separate words.
Hindi uses small words after a noun: mujh ko, Ram ka. Marathi glues them on as endings: mala (to me), Ramcha (Ram’s). That’s why Marathi words often look longer, and why mala and tula fool Hindi ears.
3. “Aapan” doesn’t mean “you”.
In Hindi, aap is the polite “you”. In Marathi, aapan (आपण) usually means “we, including you”: aapan jaauya means “let’s go”. So when a Marathi colleague says “aapan he karu”, they’re volunteering both of you, not just you.
4. Questions end with “ka”.
Hindi often starts a yes-no question with kya: “Kya tum aaoge?” Marathi ends it with ka: “Tu yenaar ka?” (Will you come?). Listen for the ka at the end and you’ll know it’s a question.
5. The speaker’s gender shows up in the verb.
Like Hindi, Marathi changes the verb by who’s speaking: a man says mi gelo (I went), a woman says mi gele. Get it wrong and you’ll get a puzzled smile.
Sounds Hindi Doesn’t Have
- ळ (ḷa): Marathi has a separate letter for a heavier “l” made with the tongue curled back. It’s in everyday words like shala (शाळा, school), poli (पोळी, chapati), keli (केळी, banana) and baal (बाळ, baby). Hindi speakers usually say a plain “l”, which every Marathi aaji will notice instantly.
- Two ways to say च and ज: Marathi has a softer “ts” and “dz” sound as well as the familiar “ch” and “j”. Chaha (tea) is said closer to “tsaha”, while chimni (sparrow) keeps the “ch” of “chair”. The script doesn’t show the difference, so you learn it by ear.
- The “ॅ” vowel: For English words like bat and bank, Marathi writes ॅ (बॅंक), a vowel sign Hindi rarely uses.
Also Read: Just Moved to Mumbai or Pune? Learn These 30 Marathi Phrases
6 Tips for Hindi Speakers Learning Marathi
- Learn udya on day one. It will save every plan you make.
- Listen for the ending. Marathi puts -la, -cha, -na at the end of words where Hindi uses separate words like ko and ka.
- Train your ear for ळ. Say shala and poli with your tongue curled back, and people will assume you grew up here.
- Watch the family words. Dada, tai, baba and bai mean different people in Marathi. Get them right and you’ll be adopted by the household.
- Don’t translate word for word. Learn whole phrases from our basic Marathi phrases guide instead.
- Use it, even badly. Marathi speakers love it when you try. A wrong word with a smile beats perfect Hindi every time. Once you’re confident, add some Marathi slang.
Also Read: 40 Marathi Slang Words Every Desi Should Know
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Marathi similar to Hindi?
They share the Devanagari script and many Sanskrit-based words, but their grammar, sounds and many everyday words are different. A Hindi speaker can follow some Marathi, but not all of it.
Does “kal” mean tomorrow in Marathi?
No. In Marathi, kal only means yesterday. Tomorrow is udya.
What does “shiksha” mean in Marathi?
Punishment. In Hindi it means education, which makes for some memorable misunderstandings.
Is Marathi a classical language?
Yes. The Government of India granted Marathi classical language status on 3 October 2024.
How long does it take a Hindi speaker to learn basic Marathi?
With daily practice, most Hindi speakers can handle everyday conversations within a few months, because the script and many words are already familiar.
I hope this saves you from at least one embarrassing moment! Which Marathi-Hindi mix-up has happened to you? Tell me in the comments below.
References
- Marathi language – Wikipedia – 83 million native speakers (2011 census), classical language status on 3 October 2024, three grammatical genders, the ळ sound and the two pronunciations of च and ज
- Maharashtri Prakrit – Wikipedia – the ancient language Marathi developed from
- Bambaiya Hindi – Wikipedia – Mumbai’s apun comes from Marathi aapan
- Batata – Wikipedia – batata as the word for potato in Marathi and Portuguese
- The Story of the Pav – Amar Chitra Katha – pav traced to the Portuguese pão
- A Dictionary, Marathi and English – J.T. Molesworth (Digital South Asia Library, University of Chicago) – Marathi word meanings
मराठी
नमस्कार, मी गायत्री.
मुंबईत वाढले. आजीच्या गोष्टी ऐकत, आईने शिकवलेल्या म्हणी बोलत, घरच्या सणांच्या गडबडीत. तेव्हा कधी वाटलंच नाही की हे सगळं खास आहे.
माझी मुलगी झाली, आणि एक दिवस मनात आलं: हे सगळं तिच्यापर्यंत कसं पोहोचणार?
त्याच प्रश्नातून आपला मराठी माणूस सुरू झालं. मराठी संस्कृती फक्त आपल्यापुरती राहू नये, ती सर्वांची व्हावी. म्हणून मी मराठीत, रोमन लिपीत आणि इंग्रजीत लिहिते, जेणेकरून कोणीही मागे राहू नये.
इथे जे लिहिते, ते मी जगलेलं, ऐकलेलं आणि मोठ्यांकडून शिकलेलं आहे.
Romanized
Namaskar, mi Gayatri.
Mumbait vaadhle. Aajichya goshti aikat, aaine shikavlelya mhani bolat, gharchya sananchya gadbadit. Tevha kadhi vatlach nahi ki he sagla khaas aahe.
Majhi mulgi zali, ani ek divas manaat aala: he sagla tichyaparyant kasa pohochnar?
Tyach prashnatun Aapla Marathi Manoos suru zala. Marathi sanskruti fakta aaplyapurti rahu naye, ti sarvanchi vhavi. Mhanun mi Marathit, Roman lipit ani Engrajit lihite, jenekarun konihi maage rahu naye.
Ithe je lihite, te mi jagalela, aikalela ani mothyankadun shiklela aahe.
English
Namaskar, I’m Gayatri.
I grew up in Mumbai listening to my grandmother’s stories, repeating the proverbs my mother taught me, and getting lost in the bustle of festivals at home. Back then, I never realised how special it all was.
Then my daughter was born, and one day a thought stayed with me: how will all of this reach her?
Aapla Marathi Manoos began with that question. I don’t want Marathi culture to stay only with us; I want it to belong to everyone. So I write in Marathi, in Romanized Marathi, and in English, so that no one is left out.
Everything here is something I’ve lived, heard, or learned from my elders.