Animals

1. কুকুর

   kukur

   Dog

   Usage

   Used for pets and street dogs alike. If you are bitten, rabies treatment is needed — show this at a clinic at once

2. রাস্তার কুকুর

   rastar kukur

   Stray dog

   Usage

   Literally "street dog". Present in every town and in packs at night — use it to ask your host whether a street has strays

3. বিড়াল

   biral

   Cat

   Usage

   For the cat at your guesthouse or a shop. In Bangladesh cats are considered clean and are kept fondly

4. গরু

   goru

   Cow

   Usage

   In Bangladesh it is livestock and beef is eaten, but for Hindus in West Bengal the cow is sacred and beef is best left unmentioned. In either place, never chase or hit a cow in the road

5. মহিষ

   mohish

   Water buffalo

   Usage

   The black, back-curved-horn animal that ploughs the paddies and gives both milk and meat. Named separately from the cow

6. ছাগল

   chhagol

   Goat

   Usage

   A common sight in villages and towns. Meat sold as "mutton" is usually goat

7. ভেড়া

   bhera

   Sheep

   Usage

   Not common on the Bengal plains, where goats dominate. You see them in the hills around Darjeeling

8. মুরগি

   murgi

   Chicken

   Usage

   Covers the live bird and the meat. At markets the bird is normally butchered in front of the customer

9. হাঁস

   hansh

   Duck

   Usage

   A familiar bird in a land of ponds and channels. Duck curry is a winter speciality

10. ঘোড়া

    ghora

    Horse

    Usage

    Pulls carriages in central Kolkata and at tourist spots. Agree the price before any ride

11. গাধা

    gadha

    Donkey

    Usage

    Seen as a pack animal in towns. Applied to a person it means "idiot", so keep it to the animal

12. হাতি

    hati

    Elephant

    Usage

    Wild herds survive in north Bengal and the Chittagong Hill Tracts, and they appear at festivals

13. বানর

    banor

    Monkey

    Usage

    Common at temples and around Darjeeling. They snatch food — avoid eye contact and keep bags closed. In speech people mostly say "bandor"

14. বাঘ

    bagh

    Tiger

    Usage

    The Sundarbans tiger is Bangladesh's national animal, sought on the mangrove boat tours

15. সাপ

    shap

    Snake

    Usage

    Met in paddies and long grass. If bitten, say "shape ketechhe" and get to a hospital immediately

16. গোখরো

    gokhro

    Cobra

    Usage

    The venomous snake most often met in Bengal. Use the word when asking a hospital whether antivenom is stocked

17. টিকটিকি

    tiktiki

    House gecko

    Usage

    Lives on guesthouse walls and ceilings, harmless and eats mosquitoes. Its clicking call is read as a good omen in local lore

18. গিরগিটি

    girgiti

    Garden lizard

    Usage

    The colour-changing lizard of gardens and walls — a different animal from the indoor gecko "tiktiki"

19. ইঁদুর

    indur

    Rat / Mouse

    Usage

    Seen at stations and markets. Spotting one in your room is a fair reason to ask for a change

20. মশা

    mosha

    Mosquito

    Usage

    Carries dengue, which flares in Dhaka every year. The key word for asking a guesthouse for a net — "moshari"

21. তেলাপোকা

    telapoka

    Cockroach

    Usage

    The reason you give when asking to change rooms. This is the Bangladeshi word; in West Bengal it is "arshola"

22. মাছি

    machhi

    Fly

    Usage

    Unavoidable at street stalls and markets — a useful cue for deciding which stall to skip

23. পিঁপড়া

    pipra

    Ant

    Usage

    A trail will find any open snack packet in your room — keep food sealed

24. মৌমাছি

    moumachhi

    Bee

    Usage

    Literally "honey fly". The Sundarbans honey gatherers are famous. If you are allergic to stings, show this at a clinic

25. মাকড়সা

    makorsha

    Spider

    Usage

    Common in the corners of budget rooms. Nearly all are harmless, but it works as a reason to ask for a clean-up

26. পাখি

    pakhi

    Bird

    Usage

    The general word for birds. Winter migrants are a highlight of the Bengal wetlands, and this word opens the conversation

27. কাক

    kak

    Crow

    Usage

    In every town and after your rooftop food. A Kolkata morning starts with their calling

28. মাছ

    machh

    Fish

    Usage

    The heart of Bengali cooking — there is even a saying, "machhe bhate bangali", the Bengali of fish and rice

29. ব্যাঙ

    byang

    Frog

    Usage

    They start up all at once in the monsoon, and sometimes hop into guesthouse courtyards

30. কচ্ছপ

    kochchhop

    Turtle

    Usage

    Kept in temple ponds, and sea turtles are protected on the beaches around Cox's Bazar

31. কুমির

    kumir

    Crocodile

    Usage

    Lives in the brackish channels of the Sundarbans. Use it when checking whether a riverbank is safe

32. খরগোশ

    khorgosh

    Rabbit

    Usage

    Comes up with children or at the zoo. You will rarely meet a wild one in town

33. বাদুড়

    badur

    Bat

    Usage

    Large fruit bats leave the town trees at dusk. Do not drink raw date-palm sap — bats can pass on infection through it

34. কাঠবিড়ালি

    kathbirali

    Squirrel

    Usage

    The striped palm squirrel is in every park. The word literally means "tree cat"

35. ময়ূর

    moyur

    Peacock

    Usage

    Wild birds survive in the drier forests of West Bengal, and the motif is everywhere in festival decoration and Bengali painting

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