Paheli Time
Grandparents in India have asked paheliyan, riddles, for generations. Read one out, let everyone guess, then flip the card. Try the classic Hindi ones, new riddles about India, or guess what old Hindi sayings (muhavare) mean.
Hindi paheliyan with answers
Classic Hindi paheliyan (riddles) that grandparents ask, with an English meaning and the answer under each one. Read the paheli out loud, let everyone guess, then tap to see the answer.
एक थाल मोती से भरा, सबके सिर पर औंधा धरा। चारों ओर वह थाल फिरे, मोती उससे एक न गिरे।
A plate full of pearls, held upside down over everyone’s head. The plate turns all around, yet not one pearl falls.
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आकाश और तारे – The sky and the stars
हरी थी मन भरी थी, लाख मोती जड़ी थी। राजा जी के बाग़ में दुशाला ओढ़े खड़ी थी।
She was green and full, studded with a hundred thousand pearls, standing in the king’s garden wrapped in a shawl.
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भुट्टा – A corn cob
काला घोड़ा सफ़ेद सवारी, एक उतरा तो दूसरे की बारी।
A black horse with a white rider. When one gets off, it is the next one’s turn.
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तवा और रोटी – The tawa and the roti
बीसों का सिर काट लिया, ना मारा ना ख़ून किया।
Cut the heads of all twenty, yet no one was hurt and no blood was spilled.
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नाख़ून काटना – Cutting your nails
हरी डिब्बी, लाल मकान, उसमें बैठे काले मियाँ।
A green box, a red house, and little black gentlemen sitting inside.
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तरबूज़ – A watermelon
एक गुफा के दो रखवाले, दोनों लंबे, दोनों काले।
One cave with two guards, both long and both black.
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मूँछें – A moustache
पानी से निकला पेड़ एक, पात नहीं पर डाल अनेक। इस पेड़ की ठंडी छाया, नीचे बैठ न कोई पाया।
A tree rose out of water, with many branches but no leaves. Its shade is cool, yet no one can sit under it.
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फ़व्वारा – A fountain
एक राजा की अनोखी रानी, दुम से पीती है वह पानी।
A king has a strange queen: she drinks with her tail.
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दीया (बाती तेल पीती है) – An oil lamp: its wick drinks the oil
New riddles about India
Fresh English riddles about Indian food, festivals, animals and everyday things.
I go into the hot oil flat and thin, and come out round, puffed up and golden. What am I?
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A puri
I have no feet but I dance in the sky every January, and I only stay up while someone holds my string.
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A kite (patang)
I am made of dots and lines, I sit at the door every morning, and the ants are happy to eat me.
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A kolam made of rice flour
I have a long neck, six or seven strings to play, and many more that hum along by themselves. Who am I?
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A sitar
I am a festival where everyone gets messy, nobody gets scolded, and every face turns pink, green and yellow.
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Holi
I have a trunk but no suitcase, big ears but no earrings, and I love modaks. Who am I?
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Ganesha (or an elephant who loves sweets!)
You will find me in every kitchen. I am yellow, I make dal golden, and grandmothers put me in warm milk.
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Turmeric (haldi)
I am a bridge built by monkeys and bears, from the tip of India to an island across the sea. In which story am I?
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The Ramayana (Rama Setu)
I come with 16 beats, I go round and round, and tabla players say Dha Dhin Dhin Dha. What am I?
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Teentaal
Two brothers live on either side of a hill. They never meet, but they always see the same thing.
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Your two eyes (the hill is your nose)
I am white like salt because I am salt. I glow silver under the full moon in Gujarat.
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The Rann of Kutch
The more you take from me, the bigger I get. What am I?
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A hole (a gaddha)
I am the king of summer fruits. I am green when I am young and golden when I am ripe, with one big flat stone inside. What am I?
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A mango
I open like a flower when it rains, but I am not a flower. I fold up when the sun comes out. You hold me by my handle. What am I?
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An umbrella
I have a very long body with many rooms, I whistle loudly, and I roll along two iron lines that never meet. What am I?
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A train
I sit on the stove and whistle when the rice is ready, but I am not a bird. I keep my lid on tight. What am I?
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A pressure cooker
I wear a hairy brown coat over a hard shell, I have three little “eyes”, and there is sweet water inside me. What am I?
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A coconut
I come from the sea on the wind and turn the sky grey. When I arrive, many people say “Finally!” and splash in the puddles. What am I?
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The monsoon rains
I have three wheels, I go beep-beep, and I zip through narrow streets. You put out your hand to stop me. What am I?
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An auto-rickshaw
I am one tree that looks like a forest. My branches drop roots that touch the ground and grow into new trunks. What am I?
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A banyan tree
I am India’s national bird. When the rain clouds come, I spread my shimmering tail like a fan and dance. Who am I?
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A peacock
There are eleven players on each side. One holds a bat, one throws the ball, and wickets stand at each end. What game is this?
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Cricket
Hindi muhavare and their meanings
Old Hindi sayings (muhavare) with what they mean, and the English saying that matches.
नाच न जाने आँगन टेढ़ा
Someone who can’t dance blames the courtyard for being crooked.
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A bad workman blames his tools.
ऊँट के मुँह में जीरा
A single cumin seed in a camel’s mouth: far too little to make a difference.
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A drop in the ocean.
दूर के ढोल सुहावने
Drums sound sweet from far away.
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The grass is always greener on the other side.
अधजल गगरी छलकत जाय
A half-filled pot splashes the most: those who know a little show off a lot.
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Empty vessels make the most noise.
घर की मुर्गी दाल बराबर
The chicken at home feels as ordinary as dal: we don’t value what we already have.
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Familiarity breeds contempt.
एक अनार सौ बीमार
One pomegranate and a hundred patients who want it.
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Too many people chasing one thing.
अब पछताए होत क्या जब चिड़िया चुग गई खेत
What use is regret once the birds have eaten the crop?
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No use crying over spilt milk.
बंदर क्या जाने अदरक का स्वाद
What does a monkey know of the taste of ginger?
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Casting pearls before swine.
जल में रहकर मगर से बैर
Living in the river and picking a fight with the crocodile.
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Don’t bite the hand that feeds you.
आँख का तारा
The star of someone’s eye: a person who is dearly loved.
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The apple of my eye.
थोथा चना बाजे घना
An empty gram pod rattles the loudest.
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All bark and no bite.
जैसी करनी वैसी भरनी
As you act, so you will receive.
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You reap what you sow.