Business Hindi and Indian English — The reality of the language used in Indian offices, from meetings to emails to accents

During nearly 200 years of British colonial rule, India absorbed English as the standard language for administration, judiciary, and education. Even after independence in 1947, it was used to coordinate the interests of the 22 official languages ​​specified in Article 8 of the Indian Constitution.Maintain English as an official language along with HindiAs a result, English is effectively the official language of urban white-collar workplaces. However, as India's unique pronunciation, word order, and idioms permeated over a long period of time,A unique dialect called Indian EnglishIt hardened into.

Three characteristics of Indian English

• The grammar framework is British English— Most of the spelling (colour, organization), date (DD/MM/YYYY), and floor number (Ground Floor = 1st floor below, 1st Floor = 2nd floor) follow the British style.
• Vocabulary and idioms evolved into those unique to India.— Expressions that are not commonly used in other English-speaking countries, such as prepone, do the needful, revert, and out of station are common office language.
• Free code switching with Hindi and local languages— ‘Hinglish’, where Hindi words pop out in the middle of a meeting, is natural. "Yaar(Friend), thisabhiSentences like “deal with it (now)” are common.

The practical conclusion for Korean expatriates is this.Don't judge it as 'wrong' from the American or British perspective, but learn the fact that it is written that way in India.You must do it. In particular, if you first learn 20 to 30 idioms that appear repeatedly in emails and meetings, communication stress in the first three months will be greatly reduced.

The following expressions are Indian English expressions that you will definitely encounter at least once a day wherever you go in Delhi, Gurgaon, and Noida offices. You must know exactly what it means to properly handle emails and meetings.

Numeric units - Memorize Lakh and Crore without fail

In India, large numbers are used instead of the Western-style million·billion.lakh and croreIt is written as . It comes up every day in budget, salary, and property price negotiations, so you must get a feel for it.

• 1 Lakh = 100,000 (100,000)— Approximately 1.6 million won in Indian Rupees
• 1 Crore = 100 Lakh = 10 million (10,000,000)— Appears most often in real estate and salaries
• The notation method is also unique. If you write 12,500,000 in Indian format,1,25,00,000 (=1.25 Crore). Put a comma between the last three digits and the next two digits.

In rent negotiation, if you say “Rent is 1.5 lakh per month”Monthly rent: 150,000 rupees (about 2.4 million won)This means, if “Property value is 3 crore”30 million rupees (about 480 million won)no see. Since the exchange rate changes all the time, the Korean Won conversion at the time of contract must be done.Reserve Bank of India (RBI)Check the reference exchange rate for .

The official language of the Indian office is English, but if you add a Hindi greeting at the beginning or end of a meeting, the other person's attitude will change dramatically. This is because the very fact that a foreigner is trying to learn Hindi is a big sign of goodwill. Following is the minimum set of expressions prevailing in Delhi NCR office.

‘Hinglish’ combination frequently used in conference rooms

In an actual office, code switching, mixing one or two Hindi words into an English sentence, is natural. Just know the following combinations and you won't miss the flow of the meeting.

• Kal— Yesterday/Tomorrow (depends on context). “Send it by kal EOD.”
• Abhi— Right now. “Can you share it abhi?”
• Baad mein- later. “Let’s discuss baad mein.”
• Jaldi (Jaldi)- hurry. “Please send it jaldi.”
• Bilkul— Absolutely. Absolutely. “Bilkul, no problem.”

The important thing isIt’s okay if your pronunciation isn’t perfectis. In India itself, Hindi pronunciation varies widely depending on the region, and there is no culture that regards foreigners' poor attempts as rude. Rather, it welcomes the effort itself. At our first meeting, “Namaste, aap kaise hain?” Just add one word.

Indian business emails are much more formal and lengthy than American ones, and there is a culture of expressing gratitude, understanding, and politeness in layers. It may seem exaggerated at first, but if you don't match this tone, you may be misunderstood as a 'cold and rude person'.

Email start/body/end cliche phrases

3 types of tone that Koreans often make mistakes with

• too short and dry— "Please send the file." If you send just one line, it will be read as a ‘command’. At least "Hope you are doing well. Kindly share the file at your convenience. Thanks." The standard is to wrap it around.
• Don't overuse Kindly— In Indian emails, kindly is very often used with a more polite nuance than please. Just adding kindly to a request or request sentence will soften the tone significantly.
• Revert is misunderstood— In Indian English, revert has come to mean ‘reply’. Please do not misunderstand this as American style ‘restoration to original condition’. “Please revert with your feedback” means ‘Please reply with feedback.’

Practical email template (request/reminder)

Dear Mr. Sharma,
Hope this email finds you well.

As discussed in yesterday's meeting, requesting you to kindly share the revised proposal by EOD Wednesday. Please find the attached reference file for your convenience.

Kindly do the necessary and revert at the earliest. Thanks in advance for your support.

Best Regards,
[Your Name]

This tone can also be used in other communication channels in the early stages of settlement (mobile phone activation, bank KYC, FRRO inquiries, etc.). Settlement process for the first month of arrival in IndiaChecklist for your first 30 days in IndiaThis was covered in detail.

The reason Indian English is difficult to hear at first is not a problem with the speaker.Because the phoneme and rhythm of English itself are different.no see. If you know this principle, your listening skills will greatly improve within a few days, and you can even adjust your pronunciation to better convey it to others.

Five characteristics of Indian English pronunciation

• Rhythm is ‘Syllable-timed’— While British and American English have a 'stress beat' that elongates stressed syllables and crushes the rest, Indian English has a 'stress beat' due to Hindi influence.Pronounce all syllables clearly and at approximately the same lengthdo. So at first it sounds ‘fast like a machine’.
• T·D is Kwon Seol-eum (Retroflex)— The unique Hindi sound, pronounced by rolling the tip of the tongue toward the back of the palate, is reflected in T·D. Representative examples include D for “Delhi” and D for “Modi”.
• The distinction between V and W is blurred.— Hindi has one consonant (व) that falls in the middle of the two sounds, so “vehicle” and “wheel” can sound similar.
• Th sound replaced by T or D— “three” often sounds closer to “tree” and “this” to “dis”.
• Different strength positions— “deVELopment” is sometimes fronted with “DEvelopment” and “perCENT” is fronted with “PERcent.”

3 practical tips to adjust your pronunciation

1. Again and again, slowly— If you slow down the fast speech rate typical of Koreans to match the syllable beat of an Indian speaker, the other person will understand you much better.
2. make the first syllable of a word stronger— Pronounced slightly forward, as in “MEEting” or “PROject,” the rhythm is familiar to Indian speakers.
3. Numbers and names are repeated twice— In particular, the habit of checking phone numbers, amounts, and names once again after pronouncing them for the first time by saying “That’s 1-2-3” reduces misunderstandings.

How to increase your listening skills quickly

How to get used to listening to meetings and phone callsEnglish broadcasts on Indian news channelsIt is most effective to listen to it for 15 minutes a day. The speech of anchors and guests on channels such as NDTV 24x7, WION and India Today TV is standard Indian English. Bollywood movies and cricket broadcasts contain a high proportion of slang and Hindi, so they can be a bit difficult for beginners.

Language is conveyed not only through sentences, but also through gestures, timing, and silence. The three most common misunderstandings among Koreans in Indian offices are:head bobble, meaning of silence, hierarchy and titlesno see.

Head Bobble — If you shake your head left and right, that means ‘Yes’

The Indian gesture of shaking the head left and right in the figure 8 path is typical of Indians.head bobbleorIndian head shakeIt's called. In Korea and Western countries, shaking it left and right means 'No', but in India, it has the following three meanings depending on the situation.

• Strong left and right shake – agree/affirm: “Yes” or “Understood”
• Gentle, slow rocking — “Okay, okay, go ahead.”: Signal to listen to the other person's remarks during a meeting
• Vaguely waving and smiling — euphemistic reservation/rejection: “Maybe, I’m not sure, but…” or a buffering signal to avoid a clear no.

When the other person makes a head bobble in a meeting, do not immediately interpret it as 'disagreement', but you need to train yourself to judge it based on facial expression and context. Conversely, nodding up and down in the Korean way is translated as 'Yes' in India as well.

Silence and euphemistic refusal

Indian business communicationCulture that avoids direct nois strong. When receiving unreasonable or difficult requests, Indian partners often respond with expressions such as “Yes, we will try our best,” “Let me check and revert,” and “Possible, but slightly difficult.” These expressions are actuallyEuphemistic refusal or buying timeSince this may be the case, it is safe to check the specific schedule and person in charge one more time.

Title and hierarchy — Sir and Ji

• For elders and superiors, after the name“Ji”It is polite to add . It is like “Sharma Ji”, “Rakesh Ji” and is used for both men and women.
• To those who are higher than you in the company"Sir"·"Ma'am"This is still the standard designation. The culture of calling people by their first names is becoming more and more widespread, but Sir/Ma'am is safer for first meetings and formal situations.
• The Korean manner of handing and receiving a business card with both hands leaves a very polite impression even in India. The business card isright hand or both handsPlease exchange with your left hand (excuse me if you use your left hand only).

Language learning in the early days of taking office is more than perfect.From daily brief, practical connectionsThis is the principle. The following is a three-month routine developed by actual Indian expatriates through trial and error.

30 minutes a day routine, 5 days a week

1. 10 minutes every morning — 5 Hindi greetings and situational expressions: Repeat today’s sentence out loud using apps such as Duolingo and Ling. Use it immediately as a greeting at the beginning of a meeting.
2. 15 minutes on the way to work — listen to English news from India: NDTV 24x7·WION live stream. Because the anchor speech is standard Indian English, listening skills develop the fastest.
3. 5 minutes at work — transcribe 3 clichés from an email I received today: If you move “Requesting your kind attention”, “Kindly do the needful”, etc. above your email draft signature, you will naturally reuse them in your next reply.

Weekend Enrichment Option

• Watch Bollywood/Cricket subtitles: If you watch Netflix's Indian originals or YouTube cricket highlights with English subtitles, you will become familiar with mixed slang and Hindi expressions.
• 15-minute Hindi conversation with local staff at lunch: Prepare “Today’s 5 Hindi Sentences” in advance and be sure to write them out loud. Pronunciation correction also happens naturally.
• Use a private tutor: You can hire a native English tutor for 5,000 to 15,000 rupees per month (approximately 80,000 to 240,000 won, varies greatly depending on class hours and instructor experience). You can also use online platforms such as Preply and italki.

Organizing learning priorities

Using grocery shopping and delivery apps in the early stages of settling down is also a practical language training ground. Expressions often used in markets and marts are:Korean Dining Table — Guide to Grocery Shopping in IndiaIt may be helpful to refer to it along with .