So you've moved to Bengaluru, or you're about to. Welcome! You've picked a city with year-round spring weather, great filter coffee, a bit of a traffic problem, and some of the friendliest people you'll meet anywhere.
This guide covers the everyday things nobody tells you before you land - getting around, eating out, working in an Indian office, getting along with your neighbours, and the festivals you'll see through the year. We've also added a few Kannada phrases to most sections, because a couple of words in the local language makes daily life here a lot smoother, and a lot more fun.
Bengaluru at a Glance
Bengaluru or Bangalore?
Both work. The city's official name changed to Bengaluru in 2014, but you'll hear both every day, and nobody will correct you either way. Locals tend to say Bengaluru when speaking Kannada and use both Bangalore and Bengaluru when speaking English.
The weather:
Bengaluru sits about 900 metres above sea level, so it stays pleasant for most of the year. Summer (March to May) gets warm, the monsoon brings heavy showers from around June, and winter mornings can be properly chilly. One tip: always carry an umbrella. The rain here does not believe in giving advance notice.
The city:
You probably know Bengaluru as India's tech capital, but there's a lot more to it. It's an old city of gardens, lakes, temples, old bakeries and leafy cantonment neighbourhoods, which is how it earned the nickname Garden City. And it's the capital of Karnataka, a state with its own language, food and culture that locals are very proud of.
What Languages Are Spoken in Bengaluru?
Bengaluru is one of the most multilingual cities in India. Kannada is the primary local language, English is everywhere, and you'll also hear plenty of Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, Urdu and Malayalam.
English will get you through most of your office work. Kannada is what gets you the smile, the fair auto fare and the extra chutney and sambar.
Getting Around Bengaluru
Autos:
Auto rickshaws are the city's go-to ride for short trips. You can book one on an app like Uber, Ola, Rapido or flag one down on the street. If you flag one down, tell the driver where you're going first, then ask him to put the meter on. Most drivers are friendly and helpful, and things go a lot more smoothly when you can say a few words in Kannada.
A little tip: start with Anna (brother) when talking to any driver. "Anna, Indiranagar-ge bartira?" sounds friendly, polite and very local.
Namma Metro:
The metro is clean, cheap and the best way to skip the traffic wherever it goes. If your home and office are both near a station, you've won the Bengaluru lottery.
Buses:
BMTC buses go almost everywhere in the city and cost very little. They take a bit of getting used to, since many of the route boards are in Kannada.
Cabs and bike taxis:
These work through the usual ride apps like Uber and Ola. You'll share an OTP with the driver at pickup, so it helps to know how to say the numbers.
The traffic:
Yes, it's as famous as you've heard. Plan around peak office hours in the morning and evening where you can, and take any "I'll be there in five minutes" with a pinch of salt - including your own.
Kannada for autos, cabs and public transport commutes:
- [Location]-ge bartira? - Will you come to [location]?
- Meter haaki - Please put the meter on
- Eshtu aagatte? - How much will it cost?
- Left tagoli / Right tagoli - Take a left / Take a right
- Munde hogi - Go straight ahead
- Illi nillisi - Stop here, please
- OTP heli - Tell me the OTP
Eating Out in Bengaluru
If there's one thing Bengaluru takes seriously, it's food. Here's what to know before your first meal.
Darshinis:
These are quick, no-frills, mostly standing restaurants, and they're where real Bengaluru breakfast happens - like idli, vade, masala dose, etc. You order and pay at the counter, take your token to the food counter, and eat standing at a table. Fast, cheap and delicious.
Breakfast is a big deal:
Try idli vade, masala dose, khara bhat, bisi bele bhat, or chow chow bhat - a plate of savoury khara bhat and sweet kesari bhat side by side. And of course, filter coffee in a steel tumbler.
Iyengar bakeries:
You'll find them in every neighbourhood. Go for the honey cake and the cream bun. Thank me later.
Meals on a banana leaf:
A traditional South Indian rice based (and often vegetarian) meal comes on a banana leaf, with servers coming around to refill everything until you tell them to stop. It's usually unlimited, so pace yourself.
Eating with your hands:
It's completely normal here, and honestly the best way to eat a lot of South Indian food. The correct etiquette is to only use your right hand.
For the meat lovers:
Try the numerous options of biryanis and kebabs. The popular local style of biryani is donne biryani, served in a cup made from dried leaves.
Kannada you'll need at the dining table:
- Ondu filter coffee kodi - One filter coffee, please
- Beku / Beda - I want / I don't want
- Chutney jaasti kodi - More chutney, please
- Swalpa - A little
- Saaku - Enough
- Parcel maadi - Please pack it to go
- Bill kodi - The bill, please
Shopping and Markets in Bengaluru
Malls and supermarkets have fixed prices, and these days most of your groceries will probably show up on an app within the hour. But to see the real Bengaluru, head to the markets.
- KR Market for flowers, fruit and vegetables, and one of the most colourful early mornings you'll ever have
- Gandhi Bazaar in Basavanagudi for flowers, snacks and an old Bengaluru feel
- Commercial Street for clothes, shoes and everything in between
- Chickpet for wholesale shopping and silk sarees
- MG Road and Brigade Road for big brands, malls, cafes and more upscale shopping
Haggling is expected in markets and small shops, and it's meant to be friendly. Ask the price, smile, offer a bit less and meet somewhere in the middle. Just go easy at the small vegetable carts, where prices are already low.
Worth taking home: Mysore silk, sandalwood products and a packet of good filter coffee powder.
Kannada for shopping and bargaining:
- Eshtu? - How much?
- Final price eshtu? - What's your final price?
- Tumba jaasti - That's too much
- Swalpa kammi maadi - Please reduce it a little
- Idu beku - I want this one
- Beda, dhanyavaadagalu - No thanks
A quick "Eshtu?" instead of "How much?" often gets you a better price than any amount of bargaining in English.
Want more words like these? Our free list of the 500 most common Kannada words comes with audio, so you can hear exactly how each word is said.
Working in Bengaluru: Office Culture and Jargon
The good news for you: Bengaluru offices run on English. The fun part is that it's Indian English, which comes with a few phrases you might not have heard before.
Indian English Phrases You'll Hear at Work
- Do the needful - Please take care of it
- Prepone - Move a meeting earlier (the opposite of postpone)
- Revert - Reply
- Out of station - Out of town
- Kindly adjust - Please manage with this
- I'll be there in five minutes - I've just left (probably)
- Timepass - Something you do to kill time
- Cousin brother / Cousin sister - A male or female cousin
Bengaluru also has its own flavour of English, borrowed straight from Kannada grammar. Once you start noticing these, you'll hear them everywhere:
- Only - used for emphasis. "That day only we met."
- It seems - used for gossip or something you heard. "The manager is resigning, it seems."
- And all - means "et cetera". "We had coffee, tea and all."
Office Etiquette
- Names. First names are normal in most tech offices. Sir and Ma'am are common for seniors, clients and older colleagues, and you may be called Sir or Ma'am yourself by subordinates, security staff and other support staff.
- The polite "no". "I'll try", "Let me see" or "It should be possible" can sometimes mean no. A friendly follow-up question usually gets you the real answer.
- The head wobble. That gentle side-to-side tilt is used to say something along the lines of "Okay" or "I'm listening", or depending on the context, "Sure, I'll do it". I bet you'll be doing it yourself within a month!
- Meeting times. Expect a bit of flexibility. Traffic is the city's universal excuse, and to be fair, it's usually true.
- Coffee breaks and team lunches. This is where friendships are made, so say yes as often as you can.
- Birthdays and festivals. In many Indian offices, the birthday person brings the treats. Around Diwali, expect boxes of sweets on every desk.
Kanglish You'll Hear Around the Office
Listen closely and you'll start catching some Kannada mixed into office chat too.
- Saar - Sir
- Guru - Buddy, boss
- Maga, or Macha - Dude (between friends)
- Sakkath - Awesome
- Bega - Quickly
- Swalpa adjust maadi - Please make a little room / manage a little
- Oota aaytaa? - Have you eaten?
Neighbours, Homes and Household Help
Shoes off:
Take your shoes off before entering someone's home, and always before entering a temple. If you see a pile of shoes at the door, that's your cue.
Anna, Akka, Uncle and Aunty:
People here rarely call strangers by their names. Anna (brother) and Akka (sister) work for anyone around your age, from the security guard to the shopkeeper. Older neighbours are usually Uncle and Aunty, even if you've never met them before.
Visiting someone's home:
You'll almost always be offered coffee or a snack. It's polite to accept something, even if it's just a little. And if you say no once, don't be surprised when they ask again. That's just how hospitality works here.
"Oota aaytaa?"
Your neighbours, your security guard and the person at the tea stall will all ask whether you've eaten, at any time of day. It isn't a lunch check. It's just the local way of saying hello. A cheerful "Aaytu" (I have) or "Aaytu, nimdu?" (I have, and you?) is all you need.
Household help:
If you hire a cook, cleaner or driver, there's a good chance they speak Kannada and not much English. This is where a few words of Kannada make the biggest difference to your day-to-day life.
Kannada to Speak to your House Help/ Maid:
- Banni - Please come in
- Swalpa wait maadi - Please wait a moment
- Idu clean maadi - Please clean this
- Naale banni - Please come tomorrow
- Naale bega banni - Please come early tomorrow
- Naale barbedi - Please don't come tomorrow
- Oota aaytaa? - Have you eaten? (a friendly hello)
- Tumba chennagide - It's very good (your cook will love hearing this)
Festivals and Local Culture in Bengaluru
There's a festival around almost every corner of the calendar here. A few you'll definitely run into:
- Sankranti (January). The harvest festival. Neighbours swap little packets of ellu-bella, a mix of sesame, jaggery and coconut.
- Ugadi (March or April). The Kannada New Year. Families eat bevu-bella, neem and jaggery mixed together, a small reminder that life comes with both the bitter and the sweet.
- Bengaluru Karaga (March or April). One of the city's oldest festivals, with a night-long procession through the old city.
- Ganesha Chaturthi (August or September). Ganesha, also called Ganapati and Vinayaka, is the elephant god in Hindu culture. Ganesha idols pop up on almost every street, along with music, sweets and a lot of celebration.
- Dasara (September or October). Hindu Festival of New Beginnings. Bengaluru celebrates, but the big show is in Mysuru, about three hours away, where the palace is lit up with thousands of lights. Worth the trip.
- Deepavali (October or November). Lamps, sweets and plenty of fireworks. Your colleagues will make sure you don't go home without a box of sweets.
- Kannada Rajyotsava (1 November). The day Karnataka was formed. You'll see red and yellow flags all over the city, and it's the perfect day to try out your Kannada.
- Kadalekai Parishe (November or December). A groundnut fair in Basavanagudi, near the Bull Temple, with stalls piled high with fresh peanuts.
- Ramzan (Date changes every year). If you are a foodie and want to try out South Indian Dakkhini food culture, be sure to check out Mosque Road in the evenings during the month of Ramzan/Ramadan for the iftar, or fast breaking.
Want to greet people on a festival day? Just say the festival's name followed by habbada shubhashayagalu - happy festival. "Ugadi habbada shubhashayagalu!"
Bengaluru Etiquette: Quick Checklist
- Take your shoes off at homes and temples
- Use your right hand to eat, and to give or take things
- Dress modestly when visiting temples
- Say yes to a cup of coffee when it's offered
- Try a few words of Kannada, even if you get them wrong
- Don't Assume everyone speaks Hindi
- Don't be surprised if people ask about your job, your family or whether you're married. It's just friendly curiosity
Do You Need Kannada to Live in Bengaluru?
Bengaluru is an easy city to settle into with English, so you can survive life here without knowing much Kannada. But that's just "survival", and picking up some Kannada makes life here not just more convenient, but a lot more interesting too.
Kannada is the language of the city's auto stands, darshinis, markets and festivals, and of the families who have called Bengaluru home for generations. With a bit of Kannada, you'll get the local jokes, the best food tips and real chats with your neighbours. You'll taste the city's real local flavour, instead of only seeing it through English. And people here absolutely love it when you try.
And when you're ready to go beyond a handful of phrases, a bit of structure makes all the difference. Bhashafy's Complete Kannada Course for Beginners teaches spoken, everyday Kannada through English, taught by native speakers, so you can actually use it around the city. Bhashafy is one of the most trusted sources to learn Indian languages, with more than 20,000 satisfied learners from 90+ countries.
Welcome to Bengaluru. Or as we say here - Bengalurige swaagata!
Dhanyavaadagalu!
