Words across Indian languages
No in Indian languages
The word for “no” in 5 Indian languages — native script, pronunciation and example sentences in each.
| Language | Native script | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Telugu (తెలుగు) | కాదు | kādu |
| Tamil (தமிழ்) | இல்லை | illai |
| Kannada (ಕನ್ನಡ) | ಇಲ್ಲ | illa |
| Hindi (हिन्दी) | नहीं | nahīṁ |
| Bengali (বাংলা) | না | na |
In Telugu
No in Telugu
కాదు
kādu
In Tamil
No in Tamil
இல்லை
illai
In Kannada
No in Kannada
ಇಲ್ಲ
illa
In Hindi
No in Hindi
नहीं
nahīṁ
Also: Nahi, Nahin
In Bengali
No in Bengali
না
na
Also: Na
No across Indian languages — frequently asked
How do you say "No" in Indian languages?
In Telugu: కాదు (kādu). In Tamil: இல்லை (illai). In Kannada: ಇಲ್ಲ (illa). In Hindi: नहीं (nahīṁ). In Bengali: না (na).
Is the word for "No" the same in all Indian languages?
No — each language has its own word and script. Telugu uses కాదు; Tamil uses இல்லை; Kannada uses ಇಲ್ಲ; Hindi uses नहीं; Bengali uses না. Some share roots (Hindi and Bengali both descend from Sanskrit) and others are completely independent (Tamil is from a different language family).
Which Indian languages share the word for "No"?
Each of the 5 languages we cover (Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Hindi, Bengali) has its own distinct word for "no".
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