This is an ongoing list of names of Indian spices in Hindi and English. India is home to a large variety of spices that are used not just in Indian recipes but in recipes around the world. It is an amazing journey down history if you want to trace how travellers introduced new spices across borders. India was at the heart of the Spice Trade. Indian spices were (and still are) always the coveted item in many merchant cargos.
Spices are wonderful and Indian cooking is known for its aromatic spices (masale). I remember looking into my mom’s metallic round spice box (which I recently replaced with this beautiful Tupperware Red Spice Box
With so many of us food bloggers sharing our love online, recipes mostly use spice names in English. Very often I would come across an English word for an Indian spice and be at a loss. For example, I read about using caraway seeds in a bread recipe and only when I saw the seeds that I realised they were actually shahi zeera. That’s when I decided to make a list of all Indian spices with their Hindi and English names. This glossary is not definitive and definitely not complete. It is more like a “living document” that needs your knowledge. It is a work-in-progress. If you know about a spice that is missing here or if there is an Indian spice (or any other spice) that you cannot find a corresponding Hindi/English name; do let me know through the comments.
List of Indian Spices names in Hindi and English
| ENGLISH | HINDI |
|---|---|
| Asafoetida | hing |
| Basil | Tulsi |
| Bay Leaf | Tej Patta |
| Black Pepper (or White Pepper) | Kali Mirch (or Safed Mirch) |
| Black Salt/ Himalayan Rock Salt/ Pink Salt | Kala Namak/ Sanchal/ Sanchar powder |
| Cardamom | Elaichi |
| Carom seeds, thymol, Celery seeds | Ajwain |
| Chia seeds | Sabza |
| Chilli Powder | Mirchi powder (usually red chilli/ lal mirch) |
| Cinnamon | Dalchini |
| Cloves | Laung, lavang |
| Coriander/Cilantro | Dhania |
| Cumin, Caraway seeds | Zeera, jeera |
| Curry Leaves | Kadi Patta |
| Dill | Suva Bhaji |
| Dry mango powder | Amchoor |
| Fennel | Saunf |
| Fenugreek | Methi |
| Flax Seed | Alsi |
| Garlic Powder | Lahsun Powder |
| Ginger Powder | Adrak Powder |
| Gooseberry Powder | Amla Powder |
| Lemon Grass | Nimbu Ghaas/Hari chai ki patti |
| Mace | Javitri |
| Mint | Pudina |
| Mustard Seeds | Rai/Sarson |
| Nigella Seeds | Kallongi |
| Nutmeg | Jayphal |
| Peppercorns | Kalimirch |
| Pomegranate seeds | Anar dana |
| Poppy seeds | Khas khas, post dana |
| Rock Salt | Sendha Namak |
| Rose Petal conserve | Gulkand |
| Saffron | Kesar, Zaffran |
| Sesame seeds/Gingili seeds | Til |
| Star Anise | Chakri fool (by popular votes!) |
| Tamarind | Imli |
| Turmeric | Haldi |
Find something that needs to be modified/ added/ removed from the list? Let me know!
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this is extremely helpful.. I am forever confused with the ingredients!!
Thanks Nimisha!
Glad you find it useful… Do let me know more spices that I can add here 🙂
Cheers,
Ashima
Can you plz tell me what is this Star Anise ….??
Star anise (in hindi it is called chakra phool) is a flower like spice. It has a liquorice flavour.
It is also used a lot in Chinese cooking: E.G. in five spice powder, in Szechuan cuisine, etc.
Hello Mickey,
sorry haven’t heard of baadiya spice before.I checked for a few recipes of mutton pasanda to see if I can find the spice but was’ able to. Can you refer any recipe to me where the spice is used? maybe that would help in identifying it.
Star anise is the fruit of a small evergreen tree native to southwest China. The star-shaped fruits are picked just before ripening and dried before use. They contain the same essential oil as the botanically unrelated Spanish anise seed, which gives the two a nearly identical flavor- strong, sweet, and licoricey.
I didn’t know that! Thanks a lot Jay!
What is lichen?
Salwa, I don’t think it’s a spice. As far as I know it is an algae like plant growth.
What is the name of ghati masala in English?
Matthew, Ghati Masala is a Maharashtrian mixed spice made with a lot of spices like cumin, cinnamon, peppercorn etc.. a lot like garam masala. I don’t think it has an English name.
what is (cloves) can you tell me about that……….:)
Hello Prince,
Clove is a very commonly used spice in Indian and many other cuisines. You can find a lot more about this wonderful spice on wikipedia – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clove
Love,
ashima
Thanx for , it is vry helpful. I was sea Nd my problm is solve
Thanks Ankit!
I am glad it was helpful… in case you know of more spices that I can add to the list, please do let me know..
Thanks again,
Ashima
Nigella- kallonji
Gingili seeds- magastari
Flax seeds- arsi
Rose petal conserve- gulkand
Black salt- Sanchar
These are few more…
Hope it will help
Thanks Dhrumil!
will add them to the list!
love,
ashima
HI
If you can send me more names.
00258847536516
Hello Faizal,
Thank you for your request, but I am not sure if I understand you clearly.. Do you want me to email you names of more Indian spices?
regards,
ashima
Hey I m gujarati… hey what is arrow root powder… I m confuse…
Hello Alka,
sorry for such a late response. It seems your comment was filtered through.
Arrowroot is arbi/ arvi.