Find below a complete list of cereals names (a.k.a names of grains) in English, Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada. This is basically a cereal list that also contains the names of millets in some Indian languages.
This exhaustive cereals list contains names of various grains or cereals in English and some more Indian languages. I have also listed the names of the cereals flour as well as the other products derived from these cereals. Smaller images of these cereals are also displayed in this glossary list.
Cereals are an integral part in Indian cuisine. Cereals are called as anaj in Hindi. Both various type of grains and millets fall in the broad category of cereals. Millets, amaranth, quinoa are generally seeds and are called as pseudo grains.
In India, we make so many dishes with a variety of cereals. While rice and wheat form the bulk of the grains that are consumed, millets are also eaten for their health benefits.
Many of the cereals and millets like wheat, rice, finger millet, pearl millet, sorghum etc are ground to flour. Many varieties of flatbreads are made from these flours. Roti or chapati is a staple made from whole wheat flour in many Indian kitchens. Other than we also make flatbreads with sorghum flour, finger millet flour, rice flour, pearl millet flour, buckwheat flour etc.
In fact, many dishes are made like puddings, fried breads, halwa, ladoo, idli, dosa, uttapam etc. Cereals are high in carbs wheres millets are a good source of proteins, carbs and fiber. Do include them in your meal for their health benefits and also to support the local farmers.
While buying grains or cereals, ensure that they are in their shelf-period and are free of any insects or fungi like moulds etc. When possible buy organic if you can.
You can also make your own homemade flours by grinding these grains in a domestic flour mill. Homemade flours are so good and much better than packaged flours.
Store the grains and their flours in dry containers. Ensure that the grains and the flours are moisture-free and dry. Placing a few leaves of tej patta (Indian bay leaf), some cinnamon sticks and a few cloves to reduce the risk of infestation by insects. This helps the grains and flour to be preserved for a longer period of time.
In the table below, the first column consists of the picture of the cereal. The remaining columns are for the names of cereals in the various languages.
I have also mentioned if the grain or seed is gluten free. The cross (X) indicates that the grain is not gluten-free. Tick mark (√) indicates that the grain is gluten-free.
The English, Hindi, Marathi, Tamil translations have been done by me. For more names in other languages, I have referred the book – Modern Cookery by Thangam Philip.
Please do read the comments section for more information. This cereal list is best viewed in a laptop browser. When browsing in a mobile, scroll the table from left to right.
Cereals Names
| Cereal | English | Hindi | Marathi | Tamil | Telugu | Kannada | Gluten free |
 | Wheat | Gehun | Gahu | Godumai | Godhumai | Godi | X |
 | Broken wheat, Cracked wheat | Dalia | Lapsi | Godumai ravai | Godhuma rava | Kuttida godi, godi rave | X |
 | Whole wheat flour | Atta | Kaneek | Godumai maavu | Godhuma pindi | Godi hittu | X |
 | All purpose flour, Refined flour | Maida | Maida | Maida maavu | Maida pindi | Maida hittu | X |
 | Cream of wheat, semolina | Sooji, suji | Rava | Ravai | Rava | Rava | X |
 | Vermicelli | Seviyan, sevai, sev | Shevaya | Semiya | Semiya | Semige | X |
 | Noodles | Noodles | – | – | – | – | X |
 | Pasta | Pasta | – | – | – | – | X |
 | Corn, maize | Makai, bhutta | Makka | Makka cholam | Mokkajona | Mekke jola | X |
 | Dried corn | Makai ka dana | – | – | – | – | X |
 | Corn meal, polenta | Makai ka dalia | Makka rava | Cholam rava | Mokkajona rava | Mekke jola rava | X |
 | Maize flour | Makai ka atta | Makyache Peeth | Makka cholam maavu | Mokkajona pindi | Mekke jola hittu | X |
 | Cornstarch | Cornflour | – | – | – | – | X |
 | Barley | Jav | Jau | Barli arisi | Yavam | Barli | X |
 | Rice | Chawal | Tandool | Pacha arisi | Biyyam | Akki | √ |
 | Parboiled rice | Ukda chawal, sela chawal, arwa chawal | Ukda tandool | Puzhungal arisi | Uppudu biyyam | Kusubalakki | √ |
 | Beaten rice, parched rice, rice flakes | Poha, chiwra, chidwa | Pohe | Aval | Atukulu | Avalakki | √ |
 | Puffed rice | Murmura, | Kurmura Murmure | Arisi pori | Borugulu, murmuralu | Mandakki, kurlari | √ |
 | Rice flour | Chawal ka atta | Tandlache peeth | Arisi maavu | Biyyappu pindi | Akki hittu | √ |
 | Tapioca, sago | Sabudana | Sabudana | – | – | – | √ |
 | Cassava or tapioca flour | Cassava | – | Maravalli kizhangu mav | Karapendalam | Marageanasu | √ |
 | Amaranth seeds | Rajgira, ramdana | – | – | – | – | √ |
 | Amaranth flour | Rajgira atta | – | – | – | – | √ |
 | Buckwheat | Kuttu, kootu | Kuttu | Kotu | – | – | √ |
 | Buckwheat groats | Sabut kuttu | – | – | – | – | √ |
 | Buckwheat flour | Kuttu ka atta | – | – | – | – | √ |
 | Quinoa | – | – | – | – | – | √ |
 | Oats | Jai, javie | – | – | – | – | √ |
 | Pearl millet | Bajra | Bajri | Kambu | Sajjalu | Sajje | √ |
 | Sorghum, milo | Jowar, juar, | Jwari | cholam | Jonnalu | Jola | √ |
 | Finger millet | Mundal, makra, mandua | Nachni | Kizhvaragu | Ragulu | Ragi | √ |
 | Foxtail millet | Kangni | Rala | thinai | Korra | Navane | √ |
 | Little millet | Kutki | Sava, halvi | Samai | Saama | Saame | √ |
 | Barnyard millet | Sama, samvat, swang, vrat ke chawal | Varai, vari, | Kuthiravaali | Odalu | Oodhalu | √ |
| Kodo millet | Kodon | Kodra | Varagu | Arikelu | Harka | √ | |
| Arrow root flour | Arra root, araruta, paniphal | – | – | – | – | √ | |
| Water chestnut flour | Singhare ka atta | – | – | – | – | √ | |
| Foxnuts | Makhana, phool makhana | – | – | – | – | √ |
Related culinary posts
This cereals names post from the blog archives (first published in September 2009) has been updated and republished on 23 June 2021.
Very nice info
thanks.
comprehensive coverage!!!!!!
Nice article, thank you.
What is jowar called in hindi
jwar or juar.
Hi , can anyone tell me indian name for teff….or what can I use instead of teff flour (used in Ethiopia dish)
Thanks 🙂
no idea monica.
Hi what is spelt bread in Hindi . CAN anyone please help
what is tikhud or tikhur flour in India
its arrowroot.
Very helpful.
Hello, the table is no longer visible.
thanks david for pointing this out. we will fix it.
i cannot see any table here.
corrected and thanks for letting us know.
Madam
Please update your article as barley is not gluten free grain.
thanks for the info. will update.
Hello Amit Dasanna,
It has been long since I commented on your blog. However, not a single new dish I make unless I visit your blog. Do you know what do we call Rye in any Indian language.
thank you,
Sandy
welcome back sandy. hope you are doing good. rye is not native to india. so it does not have any indian name. we only get imported rye or rye flour and that too in superstores in big indian cities or metros.
My dear friend rye is not imported…mustard seed is known as rye in punjabi and hindi
thankyou jitinder 🙂
sir jee this not that rai they r talking about. The one u r talking is a spice and the the one they r talking about is a flour(Rye). It is not found in India.
Isn’t Rye called Sarsoon in Hindi? That’s what I remember.
the spice ‘mustard’ is called as rai/rye/sarson in hindi. what is referred here is ‘rye’ which is cereal grain.
I read it that In india, Rabi crops are:
1. Wheat
2. Barley
3. Oats
4. Chickpea
5. Linseed
6. Mustard.
Can u tell me what is Oat and Barley called in Hindi?
oats is called as jai ((pronounced ja-ee) and barley is called as jau.
I am having a hard time finding english names for the following pulses/cereals please help:
a. Moong
b. Udad/Orid
c. Vatana (those green colored dry, hard rounded shaped cereals….I guess india imports it from canada cz on the bags its inscribed that its from canada)
moong – is mung beans or mung lentils
urad – black gram
dry vatana – dried green peas
I don’t think Bajra and Jowar are tamil words…we in Maharashtra have been using these words to refer to Pearl Millets and Sorghum respectively. I suspect these are Hindi or Marathi words
bajra is called as kambu in tamil and jowar is called as cholam in tamil. its mentioned in the post.
Good one !
verkadalai or nilakkadalai(in tamil)means ground nut(in english).
Let me know what is RYE called in Hindi.
amee, rye is a grain and not grown in india. no hindi name for it. at least i don’t know.
Rye is mustard seeds
aniiata, rai is mustard seeds. rye is different.
thanks for your such a wonderfu page..:-) I usually try dishes from your page. plz make category for gluten free dishes for main course; bcoz my husband has severe allergy from gluten and for past few years he has suffered alot. If you do so it will be very helpful for me ..ones again thank you so much god bless you.
thanks krishna ji. i already have a category of gluten free food. its displayed on all the pages. what i will do is i will add it in the top menu bar. just a reminder. i don’t know if you are aware of that asafoetida/hing has wheat particles in it. so skip it completely. a few readers had informed me about this and then checked online too. here’s the link of the gluten free category – https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/recipe/gluten-free/
Thanks for your such a wonderfu page..:-) I usually try dishes from your page. plz make category for gluten free dishes for main course; bcoz my husband has severe allergy from gluten and for past few years he has suffered alot. If you do so it will be very helpful for me ..ones again thank you so much god bless you.
welcome shweta. there is already a category names gluten free. its displayed on right hand side of page below “quick and easy”. please check this link – https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/recipe/gluten-free/
keep me informed
Thank you
welcome seema
Hi, Do you know the indian name for Einkorn and rye grains. I have been searching for a long time and nobody seems to know it.
I would really appreciate it if you know it and can tell me.
Thank you.
i don’t know what is einkorn. but rye i have seen in india in super markets. there is no indian name i suppose. all the packets or rye and rye flour i have seen are imported from europe and america.
Awesome page
Hi Aarthi,
Einkorn was the first strain of wheat which was cultivated 10,000 years ago by Neolithic Homo Sapiens. There is a foreign website which sells this variety, I can’t remember the name. The positive thing is that Einkorn variety is non GMO & non hybridized compared to today’s wheat.
nice to know this info. thanks koria
I would be also very interrested to know the name of the Einkorn in traditional Indian language!
awesome work…
awesome page . i just turned gluten free so wanted to make parathas with jowar atta or singhare atta . this is great. i can now buy all these from Patel Brothers here in New York !
appreciate it 🙂 and blessings to you
welcome naini and thanks for your blessings.
Dear Dassana, I am having troubles understanding a flour at my local bazaar. It is called “Charri” flour.
I was hoping you would know what grain it comes from. I thought maybe Sorghum?
I thought you would be the perfect person to ask….
Nolan
thanks nolan. actually, i googled as this word does not come in my mother tongue language. my results told me its sorghum or jowar. a reader has mentioned below as sabudana, but its not sabudana or tapioca pearls.
Thanks for this, really helps people with dietary restrictions because of blood sugar and bp problems.
welcome anjali
Do oats have gluten?
hi ruby, pure oats do not have gluten. but when processed, they might get mixed with wheat etc. read more here – http://celiacdisease.about.com/od/glutenfreegrains/f/Is-Oatmeal-Gluten-Free.htm
give me some time to reply to your other comment.
I have gluten allergy. Following are grains i can have. What are their indian names?amaranth
arrowroot
buckwheat
cassava
millet
quinoa
rice
sorghum
soy
tapioca
Also, what are oats?
Thnx
updated on the post.
Kuttu ka atta or Flour for fast food in north india in English ?
Kuttu Ka Atta in english is buck wheat flour.
“..OAT= JOI,
BARLEY= JOB,
CORN=BHUTTA / MOKAI…”
thanks partho. you have cleared the confusion. even i did not know what oats or barley are called in bengali. i will update the post.
Hi D…
As far as I know that the scientific name of Oat and Barley is different but some sites posted that the bengali name of Oat is Jav and the bengali name of Barley is also Jav… !
Plz clear the matter with reference.
Its nice collection, no doubt will help too student
thanks for providing an easy access .
welcome manpreet
1. You forgot to mention:
Oat- jai ( pronounced ja-ee)
2. You have mentioned sabudana as both Sago and Tapioca pearls. The two are not the same but Sago pearls are similar in appearance to tapioca pearls and the two may be used interchangeably in some dishes.
3. Otherwise you have done a good job, thank you.
okay. will update the oats part. i know sago and tapioca are technically different. in india, though sabudana is called as sago. its actually the linguistic term used for sabudana in india. i will mention a small note. thanks.
Please say about “quinoa”. What is the name is quinoa in hindi.
i don’t know. quinoa is not grown in india and hence there is no hindi term for it. it is basically grown in chile and not in india.
its to nice it helped me in my project
what we called oat cereal in punjabi ?
sajad, i don’t know what we call oat cereal in punjabi.
In Punjabi, Oats are called “Jawie” or ‘javie”. Not commonly eaten as a cereal, but the oat plant is generally fed to animals in Punjab.
Can you tell me whats the “RYE”?
rye is a cereal grain like wheat or jowar or bajra. rye flour is used to make rye breads. not used in india. i have never heard any recipe calling for rye flour in india. please don’t confuse it with rai or mustard seeds that is used in indian cuisine.
can you suggest some dishes made from jau atta.
hi surjeet, jau atta or barley flour can be used to make rotis. you can even mix atta, besan and jau atta and make missi rotis. theplas can be made with jowar, bajra and jau atta. its also used to make sattu – a flour made from roasted kala chana and other cereals. sattu is very popular in bihar. in fact the organic multi grain flour which i use, has jau in it. you can also add some of it to pancakes or dosa or idli.
Please let me know the English name of Chari ( a small grain in white color ) mostly used by Tamilians.
hi arun. i don’t know what is the english name of chari.
sabudana
🙂 will update soon
pls let me know in english, what we call jawar ka atta.
sorghum flour
Is jawer and quinoa same or different
both are different.
Its useful information…. thanks…
Hi Dassana ! actually i was trying to find out the proportion of different grains used in making MULTI GRAIN FLOUR. Secondly,is the proportion and grains used in making multigrain flour different for DIFFERENT TYPES OF BLOOD GROUPS. Thirdly, which grains/cereals are used for making flour for REDUCING WEIGHT & in what PROPORTION? Can you help me in solving these problems of mine? Hope to receive your reply very soon. Thanks.
hi rewa. i do not know the proportion of grains used for making multi grain flour. i would just go by andaz and make the flour. i also don’t know anything about the blood groups and its correlation with the grains. neither i can help you in grains for reducing weight and their proportion. i think these questions require an expert advice from a nutritionist or a physician. they will be able to guide you better.
thankyou
Please update the names of grains (english-tamil) also and if images are there it would be useful.
thanks for your suggestion subha. i will try to accomplish this mission with images as well as tamil names.
Thanks for information, I ended up searching for the name of Jau in english. I thought Oats was the english name for jau. Is Barley & Oats some what similar or same. Are Oats grown in india also.
Barley and Oats are different cereals. Oats are grown in India, especially in the North but are mainly fed to the cattle. Not all info one finds on search results are correct. Even I have read oats called as jau on some sites.
Can I know hindi of Oat and picture of that also?
oats are called as jaee/jai/जई in hindi. on google search you can see the pics of oats.
please specify grains names separately.n add as much as possible
thanks for the constructive feedback. when i get time, i will update this post.
i want to see the pictures of jav and javas . also what is called in english for that.
what is the difference between jav and javas?
I know for sure that Jau/Jav is the Hindi name for barley. I have seen barley grains in mumbai in the grocery stores.
I do not know what javas is.
I do not currently have any pictures of barley.
Javas is flaxseed.
thanks
Flax seed as far as I know are called Alsi. …came across this blog/site just now. ..haven’t explored fully yet …but really liking it…Keep up the great work…
thankyou so much annu yeah flaxseed are known as alsi in marathi.
what we call beaten rice in hindi
Beaten rice is called “poha” in Hindi. It is also known as flattened rice.