Find below a complete list of cereals names (a.k.a names of grains) in English, Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada. This is basically a cereal list that also contains the names of millets in some Indian languages.
This exhaustive cereals list contains names of various grains or cereals in English and some more Indian languages. I have also listed the names of the cereals flour as well as the other products derived from these cereals. Smaller images of these cereals are also displayed in this glossary list.
Cereals are an integral part in Indian cuisine. Cereals are called as anaj in Hindi. Both various type of grains and millets fall in the broad category of cereals. Millets, amaranth, quinoa are generally seeds and are called as pseudo grains.
In India, we make so many dishes with a variety of cereals. While rice and wheat form the bulk of the grains that are consumed, millets are also eaten for their health benefits.
Many of the cereals and millets like wheat, rice, finger millet, pearl millet, sorghum etc are ground to flour. Many varieties of flatbreads are made from these flours. Roti or chapati is a staple made from whole wheat flour in many Indian kitchens. Other than we also make flatbreads with sorghum flour, finger millet flour, rice flour, pearl millet flour, buckwheat flour etc.
In fact, many dishes are made like puddings, fried breads, halwa, ladoo, idli, dosa, uttapam etc. Cereals are high in carbs wheres millets are a good source of proteins, carbs and fiber. Do include them in your meal for their health benefits and also to support the local farmers.
While buying grains or cereals, ensure that they are in their shelf-period and are free of any insects or fungi like moulds etc. When possible buy organic if you can.
You can also make your own homemade flours by grinding these grains in a domestic flour mill. Homemade flours are so good and much better than packaged flours.
Store the grains and their flours in dry containers. Ensure that the grains and the flours are moisture-free and dry. Placing a few leaves of tej patta (Indian bay leaf), some cinnamon sticks and a few cloves to reduce the risk of infestation by insects. This helps the grains and flour to be preserved for a longer period of time.
In the table below, the first column consists of the picture of the cereal. The remaining columns are for the names of cereals in the various languages.
I have also mentioned if the grain or seed is gluten free. The cross (X) indicates that the grain is not gluten-free. Tick mark (√) indicates that the grain is gluten-free.
The English, Hindi, Marathi, Tamil translations have been done by me. For more names in other languages, I have referred the book – Modern Cookery by Thangam Philip.
Please do read the comments section for more information. This cereal list is best viewed in a laptop browser. When browsing in a mobile, scroll the table from left to right.
Cereals Names
| Cereal | English | Hindi | Marathi | Tamil | Telugu | Kannada | Gluten free |
 | Wheat | Gehun | Gahu | Godumai | Godhumai | Godi | X |
 | Broken wheat, Cracked wheat | Dalia | Lapsi | Godumai ravai | Godhuma rava | Kuttida godi, godi rave | X |
 | Whole wheat flour | Atta | Kaneek | Godumai maavu | Godhuma pindi | Godi hittu | X |
 | All purpose flour, Refined flour | Maida | Maida | Maida maavu | Maida pindi | Maida hittu | X |
 | Cream of wheat, semolina | Sooji, suji | Rava | Ravai | Rava | Rava | X |
 | Vermicelli | Seviyan, sevai, sev | Shevaya | Semiya | Semiya | Semige | X |
 | Noodles | Noodles | – | – | – | – | X |
 | Pasta | Pasta | – | – | – | – | X |
 | Corn, maize | Makai, bhutta | Makka | Makka cholam | Mokkajona | Mekke jola | X |
 | Dried corn | Makai ka dana | – | – | – | – | X |
 | Corn meal, polenta | Makai ka dalia | Makka rava | Cholam rava | Mokkajona rava | Mekke jola rava | X |
 | Maize flour | Makai ka atta | Makyache Peeth | Makka cholam maavu | Mokkajona pindi | Mekke jola hittu | X |
 | Cornstarch | Cornflour | – | – | – | – | X |
 | Barley | Jav | Jau | Barli arisi | Yavam | Barli | X |
 | Rice | Chawal | Tandool | Pacha arisi | Biyyam | Akki | √ |
 | Parboiled rice | Ukda chawal, sela chawal, arwa chawal | Ukda tandool | Puzhungal arisi | Uppudu biyyam | Kusubalakki | √ |
 | Beaten rice, parched rice, rice flakes | Poha, chiwra, chidwa | Pohe | Aval | Atukulu | Avalakki | √ |
 | Puffed rice | Murmura, | Kurmura Murmure | Arisi pori | Borugulu, murmuralu | Mandakki, kurlari | √ |
 | Rice flour | Chawal ka atta | Tandlache peeth | Arisi maavu | Biyyappu pindi | Akki hittu | √ |
 | Tapioca, sago | Sabudana | Sabudana | – | – | – | √ |
 | Cassava or tapioca flour | Cassava | – | Maravalli kizhangu mav | Karapendalam | Marageanasu | √ |
 | Amaranth seeds | Rajgira, ramdana | – | – | – | – | √ |
 | Amaranth flour | Rajgira atta | – | – | – | – | √ |
 | Buckwheat | Kuttu, kootu | Kuttu | Kotu | – | – | √ |
 | Buckwheat groats | Sabut kuttu | – | – | – | – | √ |
 | Buckwheat flour | Kuttu ka atta | – | – | – | – | √ |
 | Quinoa | – | – | – | – | – | √ |
 | Oats | Jai, javie | – | – | – | – | √ |
 | Pearl millet | Bajra | Bajri | Kambu | Sajjalu | Sajje | √ |
 | Sorghum, milo | Jowar, juar, | Jwari | cholam | Jonnalu | Jola | √ |
 | Finger millet | Mundal, makra, mandua | Nachni | Kizhvaragu | Ragulu | Ragi | √ |
 | Foxtail millet | Kangni | Rala | thinai | Korra | Navane | √ |
 | Little millet | Kutki | Sava, halvi | Samai | Saama | Saame | √ |
 | Barnyard millet | Sama, samvat, swang, vrat ke chawal | Varai, vari, | Kuthiravaali | Odalu | Oodhalu | √ |
| Kodo millet | Kodon | Kodra | Varagu | Arikelu | Harka | √ | |
| Arrow root flour | Arra root, araruta, paniphal | – | – | – | – | √ | |
| Water chestnut flour | Singhare ka atta | – | – | – | – | √ | |
| Foxnuts | Makhana, phool makhana | – | – | – | – | √ |
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This cereals names post from the blog archives (first published in September 2009) has been updated and republished on 23 June 2021.
