How to Count to Ten in Hindi

India is now in India. Amusing. While I’m here, I have a few goals:

-learn how to cook Indian food (samosas, dal, curries, etc)

-get invited to an Indian wedding

-refine my bargaining skills to buy pretty sandals and jewelry

-pose in strangers’ photos as the token firangi (American)

-randomly break into bhangra dance in the middle of the street (like in Bollywood movies)

-learn a few phrases in Hindi

If you’d like to join me in the last goal, here is how to count (useful for bargaining!):

एक   one = ek
दो    two = dho
तीन  three = theen
चार  four = chaar 
पाँच  five = paanch
छेः   six = cheh
सात seven = saath
आठ eight = aath
नौ   nine = nau
दस  ten = dhas

And here is how to remember them:

ek like one peck, dho sounds like dos (two in spanish), theen sounds like three, chaar like 4 charlie’s, paanch like 5 ponchos, cheh like hey Che (Guevara) let’s meet up at six, 7 or 8 kids “sat” “at” the table, nau like no man let’s meet at nine, and dhas like diez (ten in spanish). BOOM now you know Hindi.