Spices are the backbone of Indian cuisine. Indian food relies on the addition of a few spices or many spices. These are added sparingly to the food while cooking. Below you will find a list or glossary of spices with their English names and in some more Indian languages.
Not only the spices, add a ton of flavor to the dish, but some of the spices like cumin, carom seeds, fennel seeds help in digestion. For this reason, they are added to many recipes to aid digestion.
A few spices like green chillies or red chili powder add some pungency and heat to the dish. Depending on the recipe, the spices are added whole or in their powdered/ground form to the food.
There are many spice blends made by grinding whole spices in the Indian cuisine. Many families make their own spice blends like the essential garam masala, coriander powder, cumin powder, sambar powder, rasam powder etc.
Although you can buy the spice mixes from outside but homemade is always better. As they are free from fillers, additives and preservatives. Homemade spice blends have more intense flavors and a great fragrance.
Spices can be stored easily in a cool dry place in an air tight jars or containers. Sometimes a few spices can have mold or fungal growth on them depending upon the climate conditions. In this case you have to discard these spices.
You can also store spices for a longer time in the refrigerator in an air-tight container. Lastly, when buying spices it is better to buy organic spices and check the expiry date on the package. Make sure to finish the spices within their shelf period.
Get the names of spices, in English, Hindi and some more Indian regional languages in the table below. I hope these translations of the names of the spices in various Indian languages is useful to you.
I am also thankful to all the readers who have shared the name of spices in these regional languages through emails and the comments below. It is because of their contribution we have been able to expand this list and make it bigger.
Note that if you are using mobile phone or tablet then scroll the below table from left to right to see all the names.
List of Spices Names
| English | Hindi | Tamil | Kannada | Marathi | Konkani | Gujarati |
| Aniseeds, fennel seeds | Saunf | Sombu | Badishep | Variyali | ||
| Asafoetida | Hing | Perumkayam, perungaya | Hingu | Hing | Hingu | Hing |
| Basil seeds, sweet basil | Sabja seeds, subja, falooda seeds, tukmaria | Sabja | Tukmariya | |||
| Indian Bay Leaf | Tej Patta | Brinji elai | Tamalpatra, Tej Paan | Tamal patra | ||
| Big mustard seeds | Sarson | Sarsav | ||||
| Black cardamom | Badi elaichi | Periya elakkai | Mothi Ilaichi | Elcho | ||
| Black cumin seeds | Kala jeera | Karung seeragam | Kale Jeere | |||
| Black mustard seeds | Rai | Kadughu | Mohri | Rai | ||
| Black pepper | Kali mirch | Milagu | Menasinkalu | Kalimiri | Mari | |
| Black salt | Kala namak | Kale Meeth | Sanchal | |||
| Caraway seeds | Shahijeera | Perum seeragam | Shahajire | Shahjeera | ||
| Carom seeds, Thymol seeds, Bishops weed | Ajwain | Omam | Owa | Owa | Wonwo | Ajmo |
| Chilli powder | Lal mirch powder | Milagai tool | Lal Mirchi Powder, Tikhat | Marchu powder | ||
| Cinnamon | Dalchini | Lavanga pattai, pattai | Dalchini | Dalchini | Dalchini | Taja |
| Clarified butter | Ghee | Nei | Tup, Shuddha Toop | Ghee | ||
| Cloves | Laung, lavang | Krambu | Lavang | Laving | ||
| Coconut desiccated | Sukha nariyal ka choora/boora | Thuruvina thengai | Sukhe Khobre | Topranu khaman | ||
| Coconut dry | Sukha nariyal | Ularndha thengai | Sukhe Khobre | Copra, khopru | ||
| Coconut fresh | Nariyal | Thengai | Naral | Khopru, topru | ||
| Coriander powder | Dhania powder | Dhaniya podi | Dhane pood | |||
| Coriander seeds | Sabut dhania | Kottumalli Vidai, dhaniya | Dhane | Kothmir na dana | ||
| Coriander Leaves, Cilantro | Dhaniya, dhania | Kothamalli ilai | Sambhar, Kothimbir, Kothmir | Kothmari/kothmir | ||
| Cumin seeds | Jeera | Jeerakam | Â Jeere | Jeeru | ||
| Curry leaves | Kari patta, kadipatha | Karuveppilai | Kadi Patta, Godlimba | Limda, mitho limbdo | ||
| Dry fenugreek leaves | Kasoori methi | Kaaindha vendhaya ilaigal | Kasuri Methi | |||
| Dry ginger | Saunth, sounth, soonth | Sukku | Sunthi | Sunth | Sunthi | Sunth |
| Dry mango powder | Amchur | Mangai podi | Mavinkai Churu | Aamchur | Amchur | Amchur |
| Fenugreek seeds | Methi ke dane | Menthiyam, Vendhayam | Methya dane | Methi dana | ||
| Fenugreek Leaves | Methi | Vendhaya Keerai | Methi | |||
| Garlic | Lasan, lahsun, lahsan | Poondu | Lasun | Lasan | ||
| Fresh ginger | Adrak, adhrak | Inji | Ala | Adu | ||
| Dry ginger | Saunth, sonth | Sukku | Sunth | Sunth | ||
| Green cardamom | Hari elaichi, choti elaichi | Elakkai | Veldoda, Velchi | Elchi | ||
| Green chilli | Hari mirch | Pachai milagai | Hirvi mirchi | Chidiya marcha/lilu marchu | ||
| Ground nut, peanuts | Moongphalli, mungphali | Nila kadalei | Sheng dane | Shing | ||
| Holy basil | Tulsi | Tulasi | Tulas | Tulsi | ||
| Jaggery | Gur | Vellam | Bella | Gul | God | Gol |
| Palm jaggery | Tara gura, sharkara tada | Pana vellam | ||||
| Lime | Nimboo, nimbu | Elumichai | Limbu | Limbu | ||
| Cocum, kokum | Bhirinda, bhirnda | Kokam, aamsul | ||||
| Lime peel | Nimbu ka chilka | Elumichai thol | Limbachi Saal | |||
| Mace | Jayitri, javitri, javntry | Jaipatri | Jaipatri | Jaipatri | Jaipatri | Javintri |
| Mint | Pudina, podina | Pudina, pudhina | Pudina | Phudino | ||
| Nutmeg | Jaiphal | Jhadhikkai | Jaiphal | Jaiphal | ||
| Onion seeds, Nigella | Kalonji, kalaungi | Kalonji | Kalonji | |||
| Pine nuts | Chilgoze, nioze | |||||
| Dry pomegranate seeds | Anardana | Kaaindha maadhulai vidhaigal | Dadum na dana | |||
| Poppy seeds | Khus khus | Khasa khasa | Khas Khas | Khas khas | ||
| Raisins | Kismish | Kaindha dratchai / ularndha dratchai | Bedane | Suki draksh | ||
| Red chilli | Lal mirch | Milakai Vatral | Lal mirchi | |||
| Rock salt | Sendha namak | Kal uppu | Sendhe laun | Sindhalu Mithu | ||
| Rock flower, Stone flower | Pathar phool | Kalpaasi | Dagad phool | |||
| Salt | Namak | Uppu | Meeth | Mithu | ||
| Sesame seeds | Til | Ellu | Til | Tul | ||
| Saffron | Kunkuma, kesar, zafran | Kumkumappu | Keshar | Kesar | ||
| Screwpine, pandanus | Kewra | Rambai ilaigal | ||||
| Sichuan pepper, Szechwan pepper | Timur, tirphal, tephal, teppal | |||||
| Star anise | Chakriphool | Lavanga poo | ||||
| Sultanas | Munakka | Manuka | ||||
| Tamarind | Imli | Puli | Chincha | |||
| Turmeric | Haldi | Manjal | Halad | |||
| Vetiver | Khus | |||||
| Vinegar | Sirka | |||||
| Water melon seeds | Tarbuj ke beej | Tharboosani vidhaigal | Kalingad Bee |
Few More Similar Posts:
This Spices List post from the archives (first published in April 2009) has been republished and updated on 13 June 2021.
dill is sowa or surwa,
marjoram is marwa,
celery is Shalari, Ajmud, Randhuni
liquorice is mulethi
thanks roop. i will for sure update the post in a day or two 🙂
love you….thanks for the grtttt help…cooking for my mom today…
good to know that you are cooking for your mother. nice gesture.
what do you call “sendha namak” in English? its different from common salt and rock salt.
Suchita, sendha namak is rock salt and is used mainly during religious fasting or vrat. sendha namak is different from common salt or black salt. you can get it big grocery or super stores in india.
Sendha namak is also called sindhu salt or saindhava lavanam(Sanskrit) or indu uppu(Tamil). It is called Himalayan pink salt in English. When in crystal form, they look pink. When powdered they look white.
thanks for the info harini.
Thanks a lot for this helpfull information !
welcome shri chand
Hi .. this was cool.. the holy basil is different from normal basil ?
for a long time . i used tulsi for basil in my dishes and it came real yuck 🙂 thanks for clarifying !
i still cant find basil (normal ones) anywhere !
basil is usually available in cities like mumbai, bangalore etc. tulsi cannot be substituted for basil.
This was quite helpful. However, I could not find the Indian names of Marjoram,Liquorice, DILL, Celery Seeds. If you may send to my above e mail ID , I will be obliged. Thanks once again.
Anurag, i will update in the post in some days. i don’t send emails.
thank u so much… for this update:-)
welcome uzma
Thanks for this piece of important information pertained to names of food ingredients in Hindi. Like one reader here said, I knew most ingredient names in English,but least in Hindi. Thanks once again.
welcome shweta
hey.thanks very useful!!!
Update the same with theire pictures,so it will be more uselful.. 🙂
welcome pradnya. i agree with your suggestion but practically it will make the page lot of time to load and will become very slow.
thnks for helping out , I think I knw most of them but their English translations is good n I swear I knw the Hindi names only thnkuuu for getting me the proper names…..traditional spices traditional India…:)
welcome.
english and hindi translation are very good I liked it a lot. Thanks 🙂 🙂 🙂
Ur information about spices are toooo gud thanxxx alot 4 dis
welcome nikita
thanks for The help
welcome runu
Good help. Thank u.
welcome manisha.
what is Rock flower .in hindi or english . . it is a spice . it looks like the root of a plant
nalini, rock flower is also called as stone flower. in marathi it is known as dagad phool. (in marathi dagad means stone). in hindi it is called as pathar phool and in tamil it is called as kalpaasi. its a lichen and is used as a spice. i also add these to the kormas or pulaos sometimes. they have a strong aroma and flavor. these are also used in making the maharashtrian goda masala and in some recipes in the chettinad cuisine.