Bengali Travel Phrases: Getting Around Bangladesh
Getting around Bangladesh runs on short spoken exchanges — a fare agreed before you sit down, a direction shouted from a moving bus. These are the phrases that do the work, plus the one negotiation nobody explains to visitors.
| English | Bengali | In English letters |
|---|---|---|
| Where is …? | … কোথায়? | … kothay? |
| How do I get to …? | … কীভাবে যাব? | … kibhabe jabo? |
| Is it far? | অনেক দূর? | onek dur? |
| Straight ahead | সোজা | shoja |
| Left / right | বাম / ডান | bam / dan |
| Stop here | এখানে থামুন | ekhane thamun |
| How much to …? | … কত? | … koto? |
| That is too much | অনেক বেশি | onek beshi |
| Will you go for fifty? | পঞ্চাশে যাবেন? | poñchashe jaben? |
| Please use the meterfor a CNG | মিটারে যান | meetare jan |
| I want to go to the airport | এয়ারপোর্ট যাব | airport jabo |
| Which bus goes to …? | কোন বাস … যায়? | kon bus … jay? |
| One ticket, please | একটা টিকিট দিন | ekta ticket din |
| What time does it leave? | কখন ছাড়বে? | kokhon chharbe? |
| Wait a moment | একটু দাঁড়ান | ektu darhan |
| I am lost | আমি পথ হারিয়েছি | ami poth hariyechhi |
| Can you help me? | একটু সাহায্য করবেন? | ektu shahajjo korben? |
What a phrasebook will not tell you
Agree the fare before you get in
For a rickshaw or a CNG auto, you name the destination, they name a price, you name a lower one, and you settle before sitting down. Getting in first and asking after is the one mistake that guarantees you overpay, and there is no recourse once you are at the other end. Koto? ('how much?') then onek beshi ('too much') then your number is the entire negotiation, and it takes ten seconds.
CNG meters exist and are mostly ignored
Three-wheeler autos are called CNGs after the fuel. They have meters, and drivers in Dhaka usually refuse to use them, quoting a fixed price instead. Meetare jan is worth saying; expect it to fail at busy times. Ride-hailing apps sidestep the negotiation entirely and are what most people in Dhaka now use.
'Bhai' will get you further than 'excuse me'
There is no natural equivalent of 'excuse me' to open a request with. Bengali speakers use a family term: bhai to a man roughly your age or older, apu to a woman, chacha or khala to someone your parents' age. Starting with bhai, … is warm and normal; starting with nothing at all sounds abrupt.
Directions come with landmarks, not street names
Most people navigate by mosques, markets, schools and bridges rather than road names, and many roads have an official name nobody uses. If you ask for an address, expect an answer built from landmarks — and if you are giving one, name the nearest recognisable building.
Questions
How do you ask where something is in Bengali?
Put kothay after the place: 'toilet kothay?', 'bus stand kothay?'. Bengali puts the question word at the end, not the beginning.
Should I bargain for a rickshaw?
Yes, and before you get in. Ask koto, say onek beshi, offer your own figure. It is expected and not rude — but agreeing after the journey is not possible.
What is a CNG?
A green three-wheeler auto-rickshaw, named after the compressed natural gas it runs on. It is the standard way to cross a city.
Do people speak English in Bangladesh?
In Dhaka and Chattogram, often — especially younger people, hotel staff and anyone in an office. Outside the cities, much less. A dozen Bengali phrases go a long way.