Phrases that matter
How to Say “How Are You?” in Hindi
आप कैसे हैं? looks like one phrase, but it carries two decisions: which “you” you’re using, and — here’s the catch most courses skip — the gender of the person you’re asking.
“How are you?” changes its ending depending on whether you’re asking a man or a woman. Most courses never mention it.
The respectful version: आप कैसे हैं?
To an elder, a stranger, anyone you’d treat with respect, you use आप (āp): आप कैसे हैं? (āp kaise haiṁ?) — “how are you?” The verb goes plural (हैं) because आप is grammatically plural, the way respect works in Hindi.
Now the part the textbooks gloss over: कैसे agrees with the gender of the person you’re asking. To a man, आप कैसे हैं? To a woman, आप कैसी हैं? (āp kaisī haiṁ?) — कैसे for him, कैसी for her. Get this one small ending right and you instantly sound like you actually speak the language.
The friendly version: तुम कैसे हो?
With friends, cousins, peers, and anyone around your own age, you switch to तुम (tum): तुम कैसे हो? (tum kaise ho?) to a man, तुम कैसी हो? (tum kaisī ho?) to a woman. The verb is हो here, matching तुम.
And the very intimate तू, for a sibling or a childhood-close friend: तू कैसा है? (tū kaisā hai?) to a man, तू कैसी है? (tū kaisī hai?) to a woman. Three levels of “you,” each with its own verb — आप … हैं, तुम … हो, तू … है — and कैसे / कैसी / कैसा tracking the gender underneath.
What your family actually says
In real conversation, almost nobody opens with the full textbook आप कैसे हैं? among people they know. It’s correct, but a touch stiff — more “how do you do” than “hey, how’s it going.”
What you’ll actually hear is क्या हाल है? (kyā hāl hai?) — “what’s the state of things? / how’s it going?” — or और सुनाओ (aur sunāo), literally “tell me more,” the warm “so what’s new?” that opens a thousand family phone calls. और बताओ (aur batāo) does the same job. With a grandparent you might still lead with the respectful आप कैसे हैं?, then soften into और सुनाओ, दादी — and you’re no longer a visitor, you’re family checking in.
Answering: “I’m fine”
The reply you’ll reach for most is मैं ठीक हूँ (maiṁ ṭhīk hūṁ) — “I’m fine / okay.” It doesn’t change for your gender (ठीक is invariable), which makes it a safe, easy anchor. For “I’m very well,” मैं बहुत अच्छा हूँ (a man) or मैं बहुत अच्छी हूँ (a woman) — here अच्छा / अच्छी does agree with you, the speaker.
And it’s polite to send the question back: आप सुनाइए (āp sunāiye) — “and you, tell me” — or just और आप? (aur āp?), “and you?” In a family, the real answer is rarely just “fine” anyway — the question is an invitation to actually talk.
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Learn to read & write it — free →Questions people ask
How do you say “how are you?” in Hindi?
Respectfully, आप कैसे हैं? (āp kaise haiṁ?) to a man or आप कैसी हैं? (āp kaisī haiṁ?) to a woman. Informally, with peers, तुम कैसे हो? / तुम कैसी हो?. The ending कैसे/कैसी agrees with the gender of the person you’re asking, and the verb (हैं / हो) matches the “you” you choose.
Does “how are you” in Hindi change for gender?
Yes — with the gender of the person you’re addressing. कैसे is used for a man, कैसी for a woman: आप कैसे हैं? to him, आप कैसी हैं? to her. This surprises many learners, because the English “how are you” never changes. Getting the ending right is a small detail that makes you sound fluent.
What’s a casual way to ask how someone is in Hindi?
क्या हाल है? (kyā hāl hai?) — “how’s it going?” — is the everyday casual version. और सुनाओ (aur sunāo) and और बताओ (aur batāo), both meaning roughly “so what’s new?”, are the warm openers families actually use on the phone. They’re friendlier than the textbook आप कैसे हैं?.
How do you reply to “how are you” in Hindi?
The simplest is मैं ठीक हूँ (maiṁ ṭhīk hūṁ), “I’m fine” — it doesn’t change for gender. For “I’m very well,” a man says मैं बहुत अच्छा हूँ and a woman मैं बहुत अच्छी हूँ. Then send it back with और आप? (aur āp?), “and you?”.
When do I use आप, तुम or तू for “you”?
आप is respectful — elders, strangers, anyone you honour (आप कैसे हैं?). तुम is friendly — peers, friends, cousins (तुम कैसे हो?). तू is intimate — a sibling or childhood-close friend (तू कैसा है?) — and should never be aimed at an elder, where it reads as rude. When unsure, start with आप.