A natural Hindi introduction is more than translating “My name is...” It establishes a relationship through greeting, name order, titles or kin terms, जी jī, pronoun choice, honorific agreement, and the amount of directness appropriate to the setting. The same name can appear as plain आशा, respectful आशा जी, professional डॉक्टर वर्मा, or familial आशा दीदी, and each choice frames the next turn.
For the agreement system behind respectful आप, see आप as respectful you; this page concentrates on complete social exchanges.
Giving your name
The most broadly useful self-introduction is मेरा नाम ... है. मैं ... हूँ is shorter and natural when the context clearly asks who you are.
नमस्ते, मेरा नाम आरव मेहता है।
namaste, merā nām ārav mehtā hai.
Hello, my name is Aarav Mehta. (neutral/polite)
हाय, मैं सना हूँ। तुम नई इंटर्न हो न?
hāy, maĩ sanā hū̃. tum naī inṭarn ho na?
Hi, I'm Sana. You're the new intern, right? (informal/familiar, to a woman)
English हाय is common in urban informal Hindi, especially among younger speakers (informal). It does not determine the whole address level: the second example's तुम... हो and confirmation-seeking न create the familiar tone.
In a formal introduction, role and affiliation are often more useful than elaborate honorific vocabulary.
नमस्कार, मैं रचना सिंह हूँ और विश्वविद्यालय के हिंदी विभाग में पढ़ाती हूँ।
namaskār, maĩ racnā siṃh hū̃ aur viśvavidyālay ke hindī vibhāg meṃ paṛhātī hū̃.
Hello, I am Rachna Singh, and I teach in the university's Hindi department. (formal/professional)
This sentence is formal because of setting, full name, नमस्कार, and informative structure—not because every word is maximally elevated.
Asking someone's name
With an unfamiliar adult, आपका नाम क्या है? is grammatically and socially neutral-respectful. Adding जी can soften the response frame; adding a brief self-introduction first makes the question less abrupt.
नमस्ते, मैं कबीर हूँ। आपका नाम क्या है?
namaste, maĩ kabīr hū̃. āpkā nām kyā hai?
Hello, I'm Kabir. What is your name? (respectful)
माफ़ कीजिए, अपना नाम फिर से बताएँगी?
māf kījie, apnā nām phir se batāẽgī?
Sorry, could you tell me your name again? (respectful, to a woman)
The second request is indirect: future बताएँगी? asks willingness rather than issuing बताइए. A gentle rise keeps it a request. A sharp falling contour can make even respectful morphology sound impatient.
Textbooks sometimes teach आपका शुभ नाम क्या है?. It is understandable and still heard in some service or traditional settings, but it can sound formulaic or old-fashioned (formal/traditional). It is not required for respectful modern Hindi.
आपका शुभ नाम क्या है, महोदय?
āpkā śubh nām kyā hai, mahoday?
What is your good name, sir? (formal/traditional; marked in ordinary conversation)
Names with जी
जी after a name or kin term adds respect, warmth, or both: वर्मा जी, सीमा जी, दादी जी. It is especially useful when a bare first name feels too familiar but a title feels too institutional. It does not replace agreement: सीमा जी आई हैं, not सीमा जी आई है, when she is referred to honorifically.
वर्मा जी, ये मेरी सहकर्मी नीलिमा हैं।
varmā jī, ye merī sahkarmī nīlimā haiṃ.
Mr./Ms. Verma, this is my colleague Neelima. (respectful introduction)
नीलिमा जी, आप वर्मा जी से पहले मिल चुकी हैं?
nīlimā jī, āp varmā jī se pahle mil cukī haiṃ?
Ms. Neelima, have you met Mr./Ms. Verma before? (respectful, to a woman)
Here ये... हैं can respectfully present one person in conversational Hindi, and आप... चुकी हैं keeps feminine reference plus honorific agreement. जी by itself does not tell you a person's gender, rank, or preferred title.
Avoid attaching जी mechanically to every item. सर जी and मैडम जी occur in real speech (regional/informal: varies), but plain सर/मैडम or a professional title plus surname is often more natural in institutional settings. श्री and श्रीमती are common in written or ceremonial identification (formal/written), not everyday vocatives in all contexts.
Kin terms as respectful address
Hindi frequently uses kin terms beyond literal genealogy: भैया for a somewhat older man, दीदी for an older woman, अंकल/आंटी for older adults. These can sound warm in communities that license them, but they also assign age and relationship. A learner should not assume every stranger wants such a label.
दीदी, क्या यह सीट खाली है?
dīdī, kyā yah sīṭ khālī hai?
Excuse me, is this seat free? (respectful/familiar kin-style address to an older woman)
माफ़ कीजिए, क्या यह सीट खाली है?
māf kījie, kyā yah sīṭ khālī hai?
Excuse me, is this seat free? (neutral-respectful, no relationship label)
The second is safer when you do not know the local norm. Politeness is achieved through the apology formula and indirect question, even without a title.
Formal and familiar introductions
अधिकारी: नमस्कार, मैं अंजलि राव हूँ। आप श्री हसन हैं? — आगंतुक: जी हाँ। आपसे मिलकर खुशी हुई।
adhikārī: namaskār, maĩ añjali rāo hū̃. āp śrī hasan haiṃ? — āgantuk: jī hā̃. āpse milkar xuśī huī.
Officer: Hello, I am Anjali Rao. Are you Mr. Hasan? — Visitor: Yes. Pleased to meet you. (formal/professional)
The officer uses आप... हैं even though only one visitor is present. The reply जी हाँ accepts respectfully, and आपसे मिलकर खुशी हुई is a conventional polite response without an exact Hindi equivalent of English please.
रोहन: हाय, मैं रोहन। — अमन: अमन। तुम भी जयपुर से हो? — रोहन: हाँ, लेकिन मैं यहाँ नया हूँ।
rohan: hāy, maĩ rohan. — aman: aman. tum bhī jaypur se ho? — rohan: hā̃, lekin maĩ yahā̃ nayā hū̃.
Rohan: Hi, I'm Rohan. — Aman: Aman. Are you from Jaipur too? — Rohan: Yes, but I'm new here. (informal/familiar, male speakers)
Conversational Hindi can omit हूँ in the naming fragment मैं रोहन, and the second speaker can answer with the name alone. That brevity is warm and efficient among peers; it would be too clipped in some interviews or ceremonies.
Repairing an overly direct introduction
❌ नाम? क्या काम करते हो?
Abrupt with an unfamiliar adult: clipped questions plus तुम-level agreement can sound like an interrogation.
✅ नमस्ते, मैं माया हूँ। आपका नाम क्या है, और आप क्या काम करते हैं?
namaste, maĩ māyā hū̃. āpkā nām kyā hai, aur āp kyā kām karte haiṃ?
Hello, I'm Maya. What is your name, and what work do you do? (respectful, to a man)
The repair supplies reciprocity by giving the speaker's name first, changes तुम... हो to आप... हैं, and removes the clipped demand. If occupation is sensitive or irrelevant, the socially better repair is to omit that question entirely; grammar cannot make every question appropriate.
Common Mistakes
Using आप with singular agreement
❌ आप डॉक्टर वर्मा है?
Incorrect—respectful आप requires plural-honorific हैं.
✅ क्या आप डॉक्टर वर्मा हैं?
kyā āp ḍokṭar varmā haiṃ?
Are you Dr. Verma? (respectful)
Adding जी but keeping an intimate command
❌ मिश्रा जी, तू इधर आ।
Mismatched in the intended respectful relationship: जी clashes with intimate तू... आ.
✅ मिश्रा जी, आप ज़रा इधर आइए।
miśrā jī, āp zarā idhar āie.
Mr./Ms. Mishra, please come over here for a moment. (respectful)
Translating “What is your good name?” as universally necessary
❌ नए सहपाठी से: महोदय, आपका शुभ नाम क्या है?
Overformal and socially distant for an ordinary new classmate.
✅ नए सहपाठी से: हाय, मैं ईशा हूँ। तुम्हारा नाम क्या है?
nae sahpāṭhī se: hāy, maĩ īśā hū̃. tumhārā nām kyā hai?
To a new classmate: Hi, I'm Isha. What's your name? (informal/familiar)
Assuming a kin term is neutral for everyone
❌ हर अनजान महिला से: आंटी, आपका नाम क्या है?
Socially risky—आंटी assigns age and a kin-like relation that not every stranger welcomes.
✅ अनजान महिला से: माफ़ कीजिए, आपका नाम क्या है?
anjān mahilā se: māf kījie, āpkā nām kyā hai?
To an unfamiliar woman: Excuse me, what is your name? (neutral-respectful)
Key Takeaways
- मेरा नाम ... है is broad; मैं ... हूँ and name-only fragments are natural in clear, less formal contexts.
- आपका नाम क्या है? is fully respectful without ornamental शुभ नाम.
- जी, titles, and kin terms frame a relationship but never replace honorific agreement.
- Good introductions distribute politeness across reciprocity, pronouns, verb forms, wording, and tone.
Related Topics
- Greetings by time relationship and settingA2 — Choose Hindi greetings by relationship, community, and occasion rather than translating English time-of-day formulas mechanically.
- हाँ जी नहीं जी and responsive जीA2 — Use जी in answers and responses to signal attention, respect, warmth, or a polite conversational boundary.
- आप respectful youA1 — Use आप for respectful singular and ordinary plural address, with plural agreement, postpositional forms, and socially appropriate contrasts with तुम.
- Honorific plural for names and kin termsB2 — Use plural-honorific agreement with one respected person named by a proper name, title, जी-expression, or kin term, and continue with matching pronouns.
- Choosing तू तुम or आपA1 — Choose among intimate तू, familiar तुम, and respectful or plural आप while matching agreement, postpositional forms, and relationship-sensitive social meaning.
- Mixing highly formal and intimate registersC1 — Keep pronouns, agreement, titles, vocabulary, and conversational tone within one socially coherent Hindi register.