Hindi · Food & Drink

"Fish" in Hindi: मछली

मछलीmachhli

Say it: machh-LIfeminine noun/mətʃʰliː/

Fish in Hindi is मछली (machhli), a feminine noun. It covers the animal and the food: machhli ki kari is fish curry.

Bengali restaurant

एक प्लेट मछली करी दीजिए।

ek plate machhli kari dijiye.

One plate of fish curry, please.
Practice Hindi out loud

Speak with an AI partner · 7 days free

How to pronounce मछली

Say it

machh-LI

/mətʃʰliː/

Machhli is machh-LI with च्छ as chh, then a clear l and final i for long ई.

"Fish" in Hindi: quick reference

HindiEnglish
मछलीmachhlifish

Animal or food.

मछलियाँmachhliyaanfishes

Plural.

मछली करीmachhli karifish curry

Menu favorite.

फ़िशfishfish

English loan on some menus.

How to use मछली in real life

  1. 1Bengali restaurant

    एक प्लेट मछली करी दीजिए।

    ek plate machhli kari dijiye.

    One plate of fish curry, please.

    Food order.

  2. 2Market

    ताज़ी मछली कहाँ मिलेगी?

    taazi machhli kahaan milegi?

    Where will I get fresh fish?

    Taazi agrees with feminine machhli.

  3. 3Aquarium visit

    देखो, रंग-बिरंगी मछलियाँ तैर रही हैं।

    dekho, rang-birangi machhliyaan tair rahi hain.

    Look, colorful fish are swimming.

    Plural live fish.

Mistakes English speakers make with मछली

Incorrect: Mera machhli tasty hai.

Correct: Meri machhli tasty hai.

मछली (machhli) is feminine: meri.

Incorrect: Spell chch as ch only: machli always.

Correct: Romanize च्छ as chh: machhli.

Keep the aspirated chh in मछली.

Good to know

Coastal and eastern kitchens celebrate machhli with mustard or coconut gravies. Inland vegetarian homes may still serve fish as a special-guest non-veg dish.

Try it in a ChatPal conversation

Choosing lunch by the harbor

  1. ChatPal

    आज मछली खाएँगे क्या?

    aaj machhli khaayenge kya?

    Shall we eat fish today?

  2. You

    हाँ, तली हुई मछली अच्छी लगेगी।

    haan, tali hui machhli achhi lagegi.

    Yes, fried fish would be nice.

  3. ChatPal

    वेटर से पूछते हैं कौन सी मछली फ़्रेज़ है।

    waiter se poochhte hain kaun si machhli fresh hai.

    Let’s ask the waiter which fish is fresh.

  4. You

    रोहू मछली हो तो ले लेते हैं।

    rohu machhli ho to le lete hain.

    If they have rohu fish, we’ll take it.

This is a sample. In ChatPal you have this conversation out loud and get feedback on what you say.

Practice this conversation in ChatPal

"Fish" in other languages

FAQ

Common questions about "Fish" in Hindi

Food or animal?

मछली (machhli) covers both; context decides.

Gender?

Feminine: taazi machhli.

Plural?

मछलियाँ (machhliyaan).

Fish curry phrase?

Machhli kari / machhli ka jhol in some regions.

Learn a word, then use it out loud

  1. Step 1: See it in context
  2. Step 2: Say it out loud
  3. Step 3: Get feedback
  4. Step 4: Use it in real scenarios

Keep reading

Ready to say it out loud?

ChatPal is a voice-first app for practicing real conversations in Hindi. Try real scenarios and get personalized feedback on your speaking.

Start with 7 days free.