Hindi · Food & Drink

"Chicken" in Hindi: चिकन / मुर्ग़ा

चिकन / मुर्ग़ाchikan / murga

Say it: chi-kun / MUR-gaamasculine noun/tʃɪkən/, /mʊrɣɑː/

Chicken in Hindi is चिकन (chikan) or मुर्ग़ा (murga). Menus and city restaurants almost always write chicken; at home, especially for a whole bird, people still say murga. Both are masculine.

Ordering at a dhaba

एक प्लेट चिकन करी और दो रोटी दीजिए।

ek plate chikan kari aur do roti deejiye.

One plate of chicken curry and two rotis, please.
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How to pronounce चिकन / मुर्ग़ा

Say it

chi-kun / MUR-gaa

/tʃɪkən/, /mʊrɣɑː/

Chikan sounds like the English word. Murga is MUR-gaa, with a soft r and a long final aa. The nukta on ग़ is a light throaty touch; many speakers just say murga without fuss.

"Chicken" in Hindi: quick reference

HindiEnglish
चिकनchikanchicken (meat)

Menus, takeaway, and most city talk.

मुर्ग़ाmurgachicken (bird or meat)

Home cooking and whole birds; also in village markets.

चिकन तिक्काchikan tikkachicken tikka

A grilled starter almost every restaurant offers.

मुर्गीmurgihen; chicken (female bird)

Living hens, and some regional meat talk.

How to use चिकन / मुर्ग़ा in real life

  1. 1Ordering at a dhaba

    एक प्लेट चिकन करी और दो रोटी दीजिए।

    ek plate chikan kari aur do roti deejiye.

    One plate of chicken curry and two rotis, please.

    On menus, chicken is the default spelling.

  2. 2Asking a neighbour what is cooking

    आज मुर्ग़ा बना रहे हैं क्या?

    aaj murga bana rahe hain kya?

    Are you cooking chicken today?

    Murga still feels natural for home-cooked bird.

  3. 3Checking a dish is vegetarian

    इसमें चिकन तो नहीं है ना?

    ismein chikan to nahin hai na?

    There's no chicken in this, right?

    A clear check when sharing plates.

Mistakes English speakers make with चिकन / मुर्ग़ा

Incorrect: Saying only murgi when you mean meat on a Delhi menu

Correct: चिकन (chikan) on the menu; मुर्ग़ा (murga) at home

City menus print chicken. Murgi often means a living hen, not the grilled dish you ordered.

Incorrect: Murga hai? (pointing at a veg thali)

Correct: Ismein chikan hai kya? / Yeh shakaahaari hai?

Ask clearly about chicken or vegetarian food so the waiter does not guess.

Good to know

North Indian tables often split into veg and non-veg. Butter chicken and chicken biryani are restaurant stars, while Sunday murga curry still means a family feast at home. If you are unsure, ask ismein andaa ya chikan hai? before you dig in.

Try it in a ChatPal conversation

Choosing lunch at a roadside dhaba outside Agra

  1. ChatPal

    यहाँ का चिकन बहुत अच्छा है, ट्राई करें?

    yahaan ka chikan bahut achha hai, try karen?

    The chicken here is really good — shall we try it?

  2. You

    जी, एक चिकन बिरयानी शेयर कर लेते हैं।

    ji, ek chikan biryani share kar lete hain.

    Yes, let's share one chicken biryani.

  3. ChatPal

    ठीक है, और एक प्लेट मुर्ग़ा मसाला भी?

    theek hai, aur ek plate murga masaala bhi?

    Okay, and one plate of murga masala too?

  4. You

    नहीं, पहले चिकन बिरयानी काफ़ी है।

    nahin, pehle chikan biryani kaafi hai.

    No, the chicken biryani is enough for now.

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"Chicken" in other languages

FAQ

Common questions about "Chicken" in Hindi

Is chikan or murga more common?

In restaurants and cities, chikan wins. Murga is still common at home and in older speech for a whole bird.

How do I say roast chicken?

People say roast chicken in English, or tandoori chikan when it is clay-oven style.

Is chicken always masculine?

Yes for chikan and murga. Adjectives stay masculine: garam chikan, taza murga.

What about chicken as a living animal?

Kids and farmers may say murgi for hens. On a plate, stick with chikan or murga.

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