How do AI voice agents handle numbers in Hindi?
Good agents speak and understand Hindi numbers the way callers say them: 'dhai lakh', 'saadhe teen baje', 'pachchees hazaar'. Hindi number words are irregular up to 100 and callers mix in English numbers, so this is one of the harder parts of Hindi voice AI. Outpero's Hindi agents are built for mixed Hindi-English speech, but critical numbers should still be repeated back to confirm.
Why Hindi numbers are tricky
In English, numbers from 21 to 99 follow a pattern: twenty-one, twenty-two. In Hindi, almost every number up to 100 has its own word: ikkees, baaees, teis, chaubees. Several sound alike on a phone line, such as unchaas (49) and unsath (59), or chhiyaasi (86) and chhiyaanve (96).
On top of that, callers use fractions that English does not: sava (a quarter more), dedh (one and a half), dhai (two and a half), saadhe (a half more) and paune (a quarter less).
Where numbers show up on calls
| What the caller says | What it means |
|---|---|
| Dhai lakh down payment | ₹2,50,000 |
| Saadhe teen baje | 3:30 |
| Paune paanch baje | 4:45 |
| Dedh crore ka budget | ₹1.5 crore |
| Pachchees hazaar salary | ₹25,000 |
| Nine eight four, four five ... | A mobile number read in English digits |
Mixed-language numbers
Many Hindi speakers switch to English for numbers, especially phone numbers, PIN codes, flat numbers and large amounts. 'Budget fifty lakh tak hai' is normal. An agent has to understand both systems in the same sentence and reply in a way the caller recognises.
Indian place values
Lakh and crore matter. An agent that says 'two hundred fifty thousand rupees' to a home buyer in Lucknow sounds foreign. Write amounts in lakh and crore in the script, and use the ₹ format the caller expects.
Make numbers safe
- —Repeat back anything that matters: 'to aapka budget pachaas lakh hai, sahi?'
- —Ask for phone numbers in pairs or small groups of digits, not as one long string.
- —Capture amounts, dates and times as custom fields so they arrive structured in your dashboard and webhook.
- —Check transcripts from the first batch for misheard numbers before scaling.
Outpero sends every call's recording, transcript, summary and captured fields to the dashboard and your webhook, so a wrong number can be traced to the exact moment it was said.
Want to hear an AI voice agent handle this on a real call?