Arey is a Hindi/Urdu exclamation similar to "hey" or "oh," used in Indian English for surprise, irritation, or attention-getting. Not concerning, just bilingual vocabulary. If your kid uses it constantly, ask them where they first heard it, not to police their speech but to understand which online community they are in. Most slang of this kind moves through TikTok and group chats, so seeing it in your child's vocabulary just means they are plugged into normal teen internet culture.
arey
Hindi/Urdu exclamation: "hey!" or "wait!" Expresses surprise, mild protest, or getting someone's attention.
Seen in the wild
Definitions
IN
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#1·Apr 24, 2026IN
Hindi/Urdu exclamation: "hey!" or "wait!" Expresses surprise, mild protest, or getting someone's attention. "Arey, what are you doing?" Works across South Asian languages and has entered Indian English as a complete utterance on its own.
"Arey, what are you doing?"
Origin: Ubiquitous across South Asian languages.
For parents
Arey is a Hindi/Urdu exclamation similar to "hey" or "oh," used in Indian English for surprise, irritation, or attention-getting. Not concerning, just bilingual vocabulary. If your kid uses it constantly, ask them where they first heard it, not to police their speech but to understand which online community they are in. Most slang of this kind moves through TikTok and group chats, so seeing it in your child's vocabulary just means they are plugged into normal teen internet culture.
For ESL learners
Arey (sometimes spelled "arrey" or "are") is a Hindi/Urdu discourse marker imported into Indian English, used as an exclamation meaning "hey," "oh," or "come on." Use in South Asian contexts. Formal equivalents: "hey," "oh," "come now." Common non-native mistake: pronouncing all letters; pronounced "ah-ray." Read or listen to the word in context several times before trying it yourself; the right register is harder to learn than the dictionary meaning.
Cluster: greeting
Heard in the wild
“Saint-Arey (French pronunciation: [sɛ̃.”
“It borders the communes of Marcieu to the west, Saint-Arey to the east and Prunières to the north.”
“Mayres-Savel is separated from Saint-Arey by a large ravine.”
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For specific readers
Why is this section here?
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
Used in
IN
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🗺️About Regional & Other slang
Regional slang from around the English-speaking world — British, Australian, Irish, Caribbean, Nigerian, Filipino, AAVE, and the hyphenated-English dialects that make the internet sound local.
See all Regional & Other slang on Slangora.
Other words near "arey" (A)
area pilledarea rugarea sznareawayArelyAresarey codedarey corearey energyarey modeargie bargieargle-bargle
Browse all slang words starting with A.
Related terms
Semantically related
- arrey81%
(India) Expressing surprise or alarm; hey.
- arre80%
A multipurpose exclamation expressing surprise, emphasis, mild reproach or affectionate exasperation. From Hindi अरे, also written 'arrey' or 'are'. Often doubled or tripled for stronger effect ("arre arre arre!" to flag escalating disbelief). In South Asian English speech and code-switched chat it functions like "hey", "oh come on" or "good grief" depending entirely on tone. Comfortable at the start of a sentence ("Arre, you came!") or as a standalone reaction. One of the most recognisable particles of Hindi-English code-switching and instantly read as "this speaker is desi".
- arey mode72%
A state of heightened, expressive exasperation where someone is reacting to everything with vocal disbelief, dramatic sighs, and rapid-fire commentary — essentially operating with full arey energy at all times. When someone is in arey mode, they're not just occasionally surprised or annoyed; they've committed to performing their reactions out loud, loudly, to everyone around them. It's the vibe of a South Asian auntie who has opinions about everything, or a group chat that will not let a single thing slide without a chorus of 'AREY.' Both chaotic and deeply entertaining.
- yaar66%
Hindi / Urdu for "friend, buddy, man." Sprinkled into Indian English casually the way "mate" or "bro" is — "come on yaar, let's go." Works as address, filler, or emphatic closer. Ubiquitous across South Asian English.
- kya65%
Hindi क्या meaning "what", but in South Asian English it survives as an emphasis particle and rhetorical opener rather than a literal question word. Often paired with "yaar" or "bhai" to register exasperation ("Kya yaar!"), surprise ("Kya bolti tu?") or mock outrage ("Kya scene hai?"). Can also appear sentence-finally to convert a statement into a tag question, similar to English "right?" or "no?". Heavily code-switched into Indian English speech and chat; reading the tone matters more than translating the word literally.