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Home » Most Spoken Languages » 🇮🇳 Bhojpuri #36 Most Spoken Language (53M speakers)

🇮🇳 Bhojpuri #36 Most Spoken Language (53M speakers)

Bhojpuri — Learn grammar, postpositions, and everyday phrases (Devanagari + romanization)

Indo-Aryan • Devanagari (historically Kaithi) • SOV
Number of Speakers (est.)
Native ~50–60M • Wider diaspora communities in Nepal, Mauritius, Fiji, Suriname, the Caribbean
Uttar Pradesh & BiharTarai (Nepal)Mauritius • FijiSuriname • Guyana • Trinidad
Family / Branch
Indo-European → Indo-Aryan → Eastern Hindi zone (Bihari cluster) → Bhojpuri
Close to Magahi & MaithiliHigh Hindi intelligibility (context-based)
Writing System
Devanagari today; Kaithi historically. Casual romanization appears online and in messaging.
Retroflex ṭ/ḍ/ṛNasalization “˜”Vowel length ā/ī/ū
Typical Word Order
SOV with postpositions; light-verb compounds are common (de denā, le le debā).
ke (of/to)se (from/with)me (in)par (on)
ISO Codes
ISO 639-1: — • 639-2: bho • 639-3: bho
Standard label: “Bhojpuri”
Difficulty (for English speakers)
Medium–Hard: new sounds + postpositions + aspect system; patterns click with phrase drilling.
Transparent scriptShared Hindi vocabulary
Quick Overview

Bhojpuri is a lively Indo-Aryan language with a strong oral tradition, famous songs, and a global diaspora. Grammar centers on postpositions (ke, se, me, par), aspect + auxiliary combinations (habitual/progressive/perfective + forms of “to be”), and expressive possessives like hamār/hamaar “my”, tohār “your”. Tone is not phonemic, but vowel length and nasalization change meaning.

Sound & Spelling Tips
  • Retroflex vs dental: keep ṭ/ḍ/ṛ distinct from t/d/r (tip curled back vs flat).
  • Nasalization: a tilde or anusvāra marks it in romanization; contrast na vs nā̃.
  • Schwa rhythm: like Hindi, unstressed inherent “a” can drop in fast speech; careful reading helps.
  • Loanwords: Persian/Urdu and English items are everyday (station, ticket, baṛiā “great”).
Grammar Snapshot
  • Postpositions: ke (of/to), se (from/with), me (in), par (on/at). Example: Rām ke kitāb “Ram’s book”.
  • Possessives: hamār my, tohār your (sg), u/humar/okar his/her/their—forms vary by region and register.
  • Pronouns: ham I/we, tū̃/rāū you (sg, informal), rāūwā/āp polite you, u he/she/that, oo those.
  • Aspect + auxiliary (simplified): habitual -ta + ba/baa/bāni; progressive -rahe + auxiliary; perfective kaile/kail + auxiliary.
  • Negation: na before the verb: ham na jāi “I don’t go”.
Dialects & Variation

Bhojpuri spans a continuum (Shahabad, Gorakhpuri, Northern, Southern, Western). Auxiliaries (ba/bā/bāni) and endings shift by region; diaspora varieties (Mauritius, Fiji, Suriname) preserve older forms and add local flavor.

History (Very Short)
  • Rooted in Eastern Indo-Aryan (Magadhan) with centuries of contact with Urdu/Hindi and Persian.
  • Indenture-era migrations spread Bhojpuri across the Indian Ocean and the Caribbean, creating vibrant heritage speech.
Samples & Breakdown

आज हम बजार जात बानी। / āj ham bazār jāt bāni
“Today I am going to the market.” Habitual/progressive + auxiliary (1st sg).

रउआ कहाँ से आईल? / rauwā kahã̃ se āil?
“Where did you come from?” Ablative se “from”.

राम के किताब / Rām ke kitāb
“Ram’s book.” Possessive linker ke.

हमार नाव सोनू बा। / hamār nāv Sonū ba
“My name is Sonu.” Possessive adjective hamār + copula.

Common Phrases
नमस्ते / namaste (Hello) का हाल बा? / kā hāl ba? (How are you?) ठीक बा / ṭhīk ba (I’m fine) धन्यवाद / dhanyavād (Thanks) कृपया / kripayā (Please) फेर मिली / pheri milī (See you)

तोहार नाव का ह? / tohār nāv kā ha? (What’s your name?) • हम भोजपुरी सीखत बानी। / ham Bhojpurī sīkhat bāni (I’m learning Bhojpuri.)

SEO-Friendly Notes
  • Keywords: Bhojpuri language, learn Bhojpuri, Bhojpuri phrases, Bhojpuri grammar, Bhojpuri postpositions, Devanagari, Kaithi, Bhojpuri vs Hindi.
  • Search intent hooks: “How to say hello in Bhojpuri”, “Bhojpuri basic sentences”, “Bhojpuri ke/se/me/par usage”.
  • Use cases: travel in Purvanchal, heritage learning, Bollywood/Bhojpuri cinema & music, family communication.
Quick FAQ
  • Is Bhojpuri different from Hindi? Yes—sound patterns, auxiliaries, and vocabulary differ, but there’s high overlap and mutual understanding in context.
  • Which script should I learn? Devanagari is standard today; Kaithi is historical. Romanization helps beginners and searchability.
Bhojpuri Wizard (ke / se / me / par + possessives)

Type a noun (romanized is fine) and choose a postposition or a possessive pattern. The wizard builds simple, SEO-friendly examples like ghar me, Lakhnau se, Rām ke kitāb, or hamār ghar.

This is a lightweight model. Regional forms vary (hamār/hamaar, tohar/tohār); spacing and vowel length are simplified for readability.

Learning Tips
  • Learn postposition chunks: ghar me (at home), dost se (from/with a friend), mez par (on the table).
  • Pair aspect + auxiliary early: karat bāni / rahe bā / kail ba in natural phrases.
  • Shadow songs and dialogues—Bhojpuri rhythm makes grammar stick.
Numbers (1–10)

ek, do, tīn, chār, pā̃ch, chhe, sāt, āṭh, nau, das
Devanagari: एक, दो, तीन, चार, पाँच, छः, सात, आठ, नौ, दस

Mini “Mind-the-Gap”

Rām ke ghar (Ram’s house) • Patna se āil (came from Patna) • kitāb par (on the book) • bazār me (in the market) • tohār dost (your friend).