If you are visiting Hyderabad for a work trip, planning a holiday, or moving to the city permanently, you might be wondering what languages are actually spoken here, and which one you should learn to settle into the city better.
The short answer: Telugu is the main local language and Urdu (spoken in the Dakhni dialect) is a major minority language. But Hyderabad is a very diverse city. Think of it like its biryani - layers of different spices, cooked together slowly over centuries. Telugu is the heart of the city. Urdu is the second official language of Telangana. Standard Hindi is widely understood, thanks to its similarity with Dakhini Urdu and people who have moved here from across the country. English runs the offices of this tech city, in its own Indian English flavour. And you'll also hear Marathi, Kannada, Tamil, Malayalam and many more.
Here is a breakdown of the linguistic landscape of Hyderabad to help you navigate the city better.
What Is Hyderabad's Main Local Language?
Telugu is the predominant local language of Hyderabad. It's the official language of the state of Telangana (and of Andhra Pradesh), and it is spoken by roughly 100 million people worldwide, making it the fourth most spoken language in India. It belongs to the Dravidian family of languages, alongside Kannada, Tamil and Malayalam, and it is recognized as a classical language of India. It has a rich literary tradition stretching back over a thousand years, and it is often called the "Italian of the East" because almost every Telugu word ends in a vowel, which gives it a musical flow.
The city's own history is tied to Telugu too. Hyderabad was founded by the Qutb Shahi dynasty in 1591, and the Qutb Shahi rulers supported Telugu poets alongside Persian and Dakhini. Today, Telugu is the language of the city's schools, government offices, cinema (Tollywood) and everyday life, and it functions as a link language for the many communities who have lived in Hyderabad for generations.
The Telugu You'll Hear in Hyderabad
The Telugu spoken in Hyderabad is the Telangana dialect. It has its own accent and vocabulary, and it borrows a lot of words from Urdu, Hindi and English. Telugu has other regional dialects too, in coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema, but speakers of all of them understand each other.
Telugu has also borrowed words from Persian and Urdu for centuries, and some are so common you'd never guess. A few examples: rōju (day), jēbu (pocket), kāgitam (paper) and sarkāru (government).
How to Speak Telugu: Essential Words and Phrases for Getting Around Hyderabad
A small set of everyday words and phrases covers most of what you'll need as a visitor.
Greetings
- Namaskāram - Hello or Greetings
- Ela unnāru? / Bāgunnārā? - How are you?
- Bāgunnānu - I'm fine
- Dhanyavādālu - Thank you
Getting Around
- Enta? - How much? (Final price enta? - Useful for bargaining)
- Ekkaḍa? - Where? ("Metro station ekkaḍa?" - Where is the metro station?)
- Anna - Brother (Default polite word for calling a man - to an auto driver, bus driver, waiter, etc.)
- Akka - Sister (Default polite word for calling a woman)
- Ikkaḍa - Here
- Akkaḍa - There
Commuting (Auto / Cab)
- [Location] ki vastārā? - Will you come to [Location]? (Essential for auto rickshaws)
- Meter vēyanḍi - Please turn on the meter
- Enta avutundi? - How much will it cost?
- Ikkaḍa āpanḍi - Please stop right here
- Left tīskōnḍi / Right tīskōnḍi - Take a left / Take a right
- OTP cheppanḍi - Tell the OTP
Ordering Food
- Ivvanḍi - Give. "Oka plate idli ivvanḍi" (Give me one plate of idli)
- Kāvāli - Want
- Waddu - Don't want
- Chālu - Enough
At a Hotel or With Staff
- Chēyanḍi - Please do (Attach it to common English verbs to express a request)
- Wait chēyanḍi - Please wait
- Call chēyanḍi - Please call
- Avunu - Yes
- Ledu - No
Telugu Slang You'll Hear Around Hyderabad
Once you're past the basics, here are a few words that make you sound like you belong:
- Anna - Brother, but also a friendly way to address any man around your age or a bit older
- Māma - Dude, between close friends
- Mastugunnāvā? / Manchigunnāvā? - How are you? (the Hyderabadi way of asking the standard Telugu "Bāgunnāvā?", with the Urdu word mast mixed into Telugu)
- Ēndi muchchaṭa? - What's up? What's the news? (the Hyderabadi way of asking the standard Telugu "Ēnṭi sangatulu?")
- Paisalu - Money (Hyderabadi alternative to Telugu "dabbulu")
- Mass - Awesome, cool (straight out of Telugu cinema)
- Jabardast - Fantastic (a word borrowed from Urdu)
- Chinta waddu - Don't worry
Is Urdu Spoken in Hyderabad?
Yes, very much. Urdu is the second official language of Telangana, and it is part of what makes Hyderabad feel so different from other southern cities. For centuries Hyderabad was ruled by the Nizams, and Urdu was the language of the royal court, administration and education. Osmania University was set up with Urdu as its medium of instruction. That history still shows today in the Old City around Charminar, where you'll find Urdu signboards, Urdu newspapers, poetry gatherings (mushairas) and a culture of courtesy and hospitality that Hyderabadis are proud of.
Urdu is spoken mostly by the city's Muslim community, though plenty of Hyderabadis of all backgrounds use Urdu words and phrases in daily life. The Urdu you'll hear on the streets is usually not textbook Urdu but Dakhini, the local dialect, which we'll look at below.
Urdu Words and Phrases of Courtesy
- Adaab - Hello, a polite and graceful greeting
- Assalamu alaikum - Peace be upon you (a greeting among Muslims, answered with "Wa alaikum assalam")
- Shukriya - Thank you
- Janab - Sir, a respectful way to address someone
- Zaroor - Certainly, of course
- Inshallah - God willing
- Khuda hafiz - Goodbye
- Aao jao ghar tumhara - Come and go, the house is yours (the famous Hyderabadi way of saying make yourself at home)
- Khaana khaake jaana - Have a meal before you leave (a classic bit of Hyderabadi hospitality)
What Is Dakhini, or Hyderabadi Hindi/Urdu?
Dakhini (also called Deccani) is the dialect of Urdu and Hindi that has been spoken in the Deccan region for centuries. In Hyderabad, it's what most people mean when they say "Hyderabadi Hindi". It's mutually intelligible with Standard Hindi and Urdu, so if you know either, you'll understand most of it. But it has its own flavour, with plenty of Telugu (and Marathi) words and a relaxed, playful style of speaking.
Dakhini Slang and Phrases You'll Hear in Hyderabad
- Hau - Yes
- Nakko - No, or I don't want it
- Kaiku? - Why?
- Mereko / Tereko - To me / To you (the Hindi mujhe / tujhe)
- Kya miya? - What's up, dude? (miya is a friendly way to address someone)
- Kirrak - Awesome, cool
- Baigan - Idiot, a friendly insult (and nothing to do with the vegetable)
- Kya karre? - What are you doing?
Is Hindi Spoken in Hyderabad?
Hindi is widely spoken in the north of India, but in South India each state has its own language that's given more importance. Telugu is the main state language of Telangana, the state Hyderabad is the capital of. That said, Hindi goes further in Hyderabad than in most other southern cities. Part of this is Hyderabadi Hindi (Dakhini), which many locals speak every day. And part of it is the large number of people who have moved here from Hindi-speaking parts of the country for IT jobs, education and business, which means Standard Hindi is understood in many IT-heavy and college-heavy neighbourhoods and in a lot of shops and offices. Bollywood has also done its share for Hindi, as it's popular here.
Knowing Hindi will help you in many everyday situations in Hyderabad, and it's genuinely useful if your visit involves travelling across India. But if you're picking a language to learn specifically for Hyderabad, Hindi isn't the main choice, especially if your goal is to explore the culture of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, or to talk to older people and people outside the main city areas. If you already know Hindi, it can serve as a very handy link language while you learn Telugu.
Is English Widely Spoken in Hyderabad?
Yes. Hyderabad is one of India's biggest IT and pharma hubs, with a very large number of English-medium schools and colleges, and English is the language of most offices, especially around HITEC City, Gachibowli and Madhapur. You can survive in the city with English alone. English in Hyderabad also comes in its own Indian flavour, shaped by Telugu, Hindi and Urdu.
Hyderabadi English Quirks
A few things you'll hear in everyday English around the city:
- Only / Itself - Placed after a word for emphasis. Telugu uses the ending -ē for this (ikkaḍē means "right here"), so you'll hear "I told you yesterday itself" or "He is sitting here only".
- No? - A tag at the end of a sentence, like "It's good, no?". It comes from Hindi and Urdu "na" and Telugu "kadā".
- Full - An intensifier, like "full tension" or "full mass".
- Scene - A situation or plan. "What's the scene?" means "What's going on?", and "Scene set" means the plan is fixed.
- Pakka - Definitely, for sure. "Pakka I'll come."
Indian English You'll Hear in Hyderabad Offices
Hyderabad's offices run on English, and it's Indian English, which comes with a few phrases you might not have heard before:
- 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
- Timepass - Something you do to kill time
- Cousin brother / Cousin sister - A male or female cousin
- Pass-out - Graduate, as in "I passed out in 2018"
- What's your good name? - What's your name? (a very polite way to ask)
- Eat my head - To keep annoying someone with talk
And if you work in tech, you'll pick up some IT jargon quickly too:
- Bench - Between projects, waiting for the next assignment
- Onsite - Working at the client's location, often abroad
- Offshore - Working from India for a client elsewhere
What About Other Languages?
Hyderabad's melting-pot flavour goes beyond these. Parts of the Nizam's old state are now in Maharashtra and Karnataka, so Marathi and Kannada are part of the city's mix, along with Tamil, Malayalam, Odia, Bengali and more from people who have moved here over the years. Marwari and Gujarati merchant communities have also been part of Hyderabad's markets for generations. You'll find speakers of almost every major Indian language here, and most will switch easily between their own language, Telugu, Hindi and English.
So, What Language Should You Actually Learn?
If you're visiting or moving to Hyderabad and want a language that genuinely helps you across the whole city and the whole of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, Telugu is the clear answer. It's the state's main language and the city's historical and cultural backbone, and it's the language you'll need once you step out of the main city areas, whether you're in a small town in Telangana or visiting Andhra Pradesh. English will get you by almost anywhere in the city, and Hindi and Urdu will help in specific pockets and with many conversations, especially around the Old City. But Telugu is what really opens up daily life in Hyderabad, and the region around it.
If you want to progress from phrases and words to having real conversations in Telugu, a bit of structure makes a big difference. Start with Bhashafy's Complete Telugu Course for Beginners and see how far a little consistency can take you.
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