Animals

1. कुत्ता

   kutta

   Dog

   Usage

   Used for pets and street dogs alike. If you are bitten, rabies treatment is needed — show this at a clinic at once

2. आवारा कुत्ता

   aawaara kutta

   Stray dog

   Usage

   Present in every town and often in packs at night. Use it to ask your host whether a street has strays

3. बिल्ली

   billi

   Cat

   Usage

   For the cat at your guesthouse or a shop. Far less common on the street than dogs

4. गाय

   gaay

   Cow

   Usage

   Sacred in Hinduism. Never chase or hit one, even when it is lying in the road. Cow slaughter is illegal in many states, so avoid raising beef or leather as a topic, and ask before photographing

5. भैंस

   bhains

   Water buffalo

   Usage

   The black, back-curved-horn animal. Most Indian milk comes from buffalo, and it is named and treated separately from the cow

6. बकरी

   bakri

   Goat

   Usage

   A common sight in villages and towns. Meat sold as "mutton" in Indian eateries is usually goat

7. भेड़

   bhed

   Sheep

   Usage

   You meet flocks in the mountains of Ladakh and Himachal. Also useful when shopping for a wool shawl

8. सुअर

   suar

   Pig

   Usage

   Muslims do not eat pork, so keep this word to questions about ingredients. Aimed at a person it is a serious insult

9. मुर्गी

   murgi

   Chicken

   Usage

   The live bird. On a menu the meat is usually the borrowed word "chikan"

10. बत्तख

    battakh

    Duck

    Usage

    Seen around town ponds and lakes. Rarely appears as food

11. घोड़ा

    ghoda

    Horse

    Usage

    Rides are pushed at hill forts and pilgrimage paths. Agree the price before you get on

12. गधा

    gadha

    Donkey

    Usage

    Used as a pack animal even in towns. Applied to a person it means "idiot", so keep it to the animal

13. ऊँट

    oont

    Camel

    Usage

    You can ride one in the Rajasthan desert, and they fill the livestock fairs at Pushkar and Bikaner

14. हाथी

    haathi

    Elephant

    Usage

    Seen at temples and festivals, and still living wild. Elephant rides are criticised on welfare grounds — it is fine to decline

15. बंदर

    bandar

    Monkey

    Usage

    Everywhere around temples, forts and Himalayan towns. They snatch food and sunglasses — avoid eye contact and keep bags closed

16. बाघ

    baagh

    Tiger

    Usage

    India's national animal, sought on safari in parks such as Ranthambore and Kanha

17. साँप

    saanp

    Snake

    Usage

    Met in fields and long grass. If bitten, say "saanp ne kaata" and get to a hospital immediately

18. कोबरा

    kobra

    Cobra

    Usage

    Venomous, and the snake charmers' species. Use the word when asking whether antivenom is available

19. छिपकली

    chhipkali

    House gecko

    Usage

    Lives on guesthouse walls and ceilings. Harmless and eats mosquitoes, but handy for saying one is in your room

20. चूहा

    chooha

    Rat / Mouse

    Usage

    Seen at stations and markets. At the Karni Mata temple in Rajasthan they are protected as sacred

21. मच्छर

    machchhar

    Mosquito

    Usage

    Carries dengue and malaria. The key word for asking a guesthouse for a net or a plug-in repellent

22. तिलचट्टा

    tilchatta

    Cockroach

    Usage

    The reason you give when asking to change rooms. The borrowed "kokroch" is often understood more readily

23. मक्खी

    makkhi

    Fly

    Usage

    Unavoidable at street stalls and markets — a useful cue for deciding which stall to skip

24. चींटी

    cheenti

    Ant

    Usage

    A trail will find any open snack packet in your room — keep food sealed

25. मधुमक्खी

    madhumakkhi

    Bee

    Usage

    Giant combs hang from Himalayan cliffs. If you are allergic to stings, show this word at a clinic

26. मकड़ी

    makdi

    Spider

    Usage

    Common in the corners of budget rooms. Nearly all are harmless, but it works as a reason to ask for a clean-up

27. चिड़िया

    chidiya

    Bird

    Usage

    The everyday word for small birds. The formal term for birds as a class is "pakshi"

28. कौआ

    kauaa

    Crow

    Usage

    In every town, and after your rooftop food. They are also fed as part of ancestral rites

29. मछली

    machhli

    Fish

    Usage

    Covers the animal and the food. Handy for checking that a vegetarian eatery really serves none

30. मेंढक

    mendhak

    Frog

    Usage

    They start up all at once in the monsoon, and sometimes hop into guesthouse courtyards

31. कछुआ

    kachhua

    Turtle

    Usage

    Protected along the Ganges and the Odisha coast, and often kept in temple ponds

32. मगरमच्छ

    magarmachchh

    Crocodile

    Usage

    Lives in the Chambal river and the Sundarbans. Use it when checking whether a riverbank is safe to swim

33. खरगोश

    khargosh

    Rabbit

    Usage

    Comes up with children or at the zoo. You will rarely meet a wild one in town

34. चमगादड़

    chamgaadad

    Bat

    Usage

    Large fruit bats leave the town trees at dusk, and you meet them inside ruins and forts

35. गिलहरी

    gilahri

    Squirrel

    Usage

    The striped palm squirrel is in every park, and its stripes have their own place in Hindu myth

36. मोर

    mor

    Peacock

    Usage

    India's national bird, perched on village rooftops in Rajasthan and Gujarat. Trade in the feathers is legally restricted

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