Nigella Seeds in Hindi: Kalonji, Kala Jeera and Which Is Which
If you are looking for the nigella seed in Hindi, the word you want is कलौंजी — kalonji, sometimes written kalaunji. That part is simple. The trouble starts with the phrase that often travels alongside it: काला जीरा, kala jeera, literally “black cumin”. In the Indian spice trade, kala jeera usually means a different seed from a different plant family. Yet the standard Oxford Hindi-English Dictionary glosses the same phrase as Nigella sativa. So when a Hindi recipe, a translation app or a grocery packet says kala jeera, it may mean either. This guide gives you the Hindi names in Devanagari, the botanical names as Kew's Plants of the World Online currently records them, and the one test that settles the question when the words do not.
For our own oil, pressed from kalonji, see our cold-pressed Ethiopian black seed oil.
The Short Answer
- Nigella seed in Hindi is कलौंजी (kalonji, also kalaunji). Botanically it is Nigella sativa L., in the buttercup family, Ranunculaceae.
- Older and regional Hindi names for the same seed include मँगरैला (mangraila) and मगरेला (magrela), both recorded in the Oxford Hindi-English Dictionary as black cumin.
- Kala jeera (काला जीरा) and shahi jeera (शाही जीरा) in the spice trade usually mean Elwendia persica, still widely written Bunium persicum — a cumin relative in the carrot family, Apiaceae.
- Ordinary cumin is जीरा (jeera), Cuminum cyminum L. Kala jeera is its relative; kalonji is not.
- The confusion is partly built into Hindi reference books themselves, so the seed's shape is a more reliable guide than its name: kalonji is angular and matte black, kala jeera is slender, curved and ridged.
- Black seed oil — कलौंजी का तेल, kalonji ka tel — is pressed from Nigella sativa. Sidr & Stone's black seed oil is independently verified at 2.67% thymoquinone per batch by Analytice, an ISO-accredited French laboratory.
Nigella Seed in Hindi: कलौंजी (Kalonji)
The Hindi word for nigella seed is कलौंजी, usually spelt kalonji or kalaunji in English. It refers to Nigella sativa, the small, angular, matte black seed scattered on naan and used in pickles. The Oxford Hindi-English Dictionary (McGregor) defines it as black cumin, Nigella.
A handful of related forms come up in searches, packaging and recipes. All of them point to the same seed.
| Hindi (Devanagari) | Transliteration | Literal meaning | What it refers to |
|---|---|---|---|
| कलौंजी | kalonji / kalaunji | — | Nigella sativa seed |
| मँगरैला | mangraila | — | The same seed; an older name the Oxford Hindi-English Dictionary equates with kalonji |
| मगरेला | magrela | — | The same seed, listed as black cumin, Nigella indica (an old synonym) |
| कलौंजी के बीज | kalonji ke beej | kalonji seeds | The whole seed |
| कलौंजी दाना | kalonji dana | kalonji grain | The whole seed — common on shop listings |
| कलौंजी का तेल | kalonji ka tel | oil of kalonji | Black seed oil |
If you only remember one word, make it कलौंजी. It is the name used almost universally on Indian spice packets, and the one least likely to be misread.
Kala Jeera in Hindi: Where the Two Answers Come From
काला जीरा means “black cumin”, from काला (kala, black) and जीरा (jeera, cumin). It is a descriptive phrase rather than a fixed name, and Hindi uses it in two ways.
In the spice trade, and in Kashmiri and North Indian cooking, kala jeera — also sold as शाही जीरा, shahi jeera, “royal cumin” — means Elwendia persica, a smoky, slender seed native from Iran to Central Asia and the western Himalaya. Bansal and colleagues, writing in Phytomedicine in 2018, describe Bunium persicum as “commonly called as Kala zeera” and note it is often adulterated with ordinary cumin, which they call safed zeera.
Yet the Oxford Hindi-English Dictionary (R. S. McGregor), the standard scholarly reference, glosses काला जीरा as “black cumin, Nigella sativa”. It also lists a third, unrelated seed, काली जीरी (kali jiri), as Vernonia anthelmintica — today Baccharoides anthelmintica, a daisy-family plant.
That is the honest position: in Hindi, kala jeera can mean nigella in dictionaries and some households, and a cumin relative in most spice shops. Neither usage is wrong. They are simply not the same plant, so the name alone cannot tell you which one you are holding.
Three Seeds, Three Plants: The Botanical Check
Kew's Plants of the World Online (POWO), the botanical register of record, settles the species and families. Checked on 1 October 2026, it lists Nigella sativa L. as an accepted name in Ranunculaceae, Elwendia persica (Boiss.) Pimenov & Kljuykov as the accepted name for the plant still widely called Bunium persicum, and Cuminum cyminum L. as accepted, both in Apiaceae.
| Kalonji | Kala jeera / shahi jeera | Jeera | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Devanagari | कलौंजी | काला जीरा / शाही जीरा | जीरा |
| Accepted botanical name (POWO) | Nigella sativa L. | Elwendia persica (syn. Bunium persicum) | Cuminum cyminum L. |
| Family | Ranunculaceae (buttercup) | Apiaceae (carrot and cumin) | Apiaceae (carrot and cumin) |
| Shape | Angular, wedge-like, flat-faced, no ridges | Slender, curved, ridged lengthwise | Slender, ridged, paler and straighter |
| Colour | Matte black | Dark brown to near-black | Greyish-brown |
| Aroma | Peppery, faintly oregano-like | Smoky, earthy, cumin-like | Warm, familiar cumin |
| Pressed for black seed oil? | Yes | No | No |
The aroma difference has a chemical basis. Khan MH and colleagues, in Molecules (2023), analysed kala zeera essential oil from north-west Himalayan accessions and found γ-terpinene averaging 32.08% and cumic aldehyde 25.07% — cumic aldehyde being the compound behind cumin's familiar smell. Nigella's chemistry is built around thymoquinone instead. For the full species story on the kala jeera side, see our page on jeera kala.
“Onion Seed” and “Black Cumin”: The English Labels on Kalonji Packets
If you shop in a UK or European South Asian grocer, kalonji rarely appears under its Hindi name alone. On 1 October 2026, a widely stocked TRS pack was listed by a UK retailer as “Onion Seeds (Black) (Kalonji / Nigella Seeds)”. The seed inside is Nigella sativa; it has nothing to do with the onion plant. The label is a long-standing trade name rather than a botanical description, and it has stuck.
“Black cumin” is the other common label, and it is the riskier one, because it is the literal English of kala jeera. A packet that says only “black cumin” could contain either seed. When reading a label, look for one of three things:
- The Devanagari कलौंजी or the word kalonji
- The botanical name Nigella sativa
- The English “nigella seed”
Any one of those is reliable. “Black cumin”, “kala jeera” and “shahi jeera” on their own are not. For the wider naming picture in English, see our explainer on whether black cumin and black seed are the same thing.
When “Kalonji” in a Hindi Recipe Is Not the Seed
One more wrinkle catches people out. The Oxford Hindi-English Dictionary gives कलौंजी three senses: the seed, a stuffed and spiced okra or aubergine dish, and a spiced mango chutney. A recipe titled “bhindi kalonji” or “baingan kalonji” is usually the stuffed vegetable dish, not a seed recipe — though such dishes may well include kalonji seed among the spices.
For translation tools, this means a Hindi page about kalonji may be about cooking rather than the seed itself. Read the ingredients, not the title.
The same naming problem runs through South Asian languages. Our companion guides cover black cumin seed in Urdu, where the script is different but the kalonji and kala zeera split is similar, and karunjeeragam, the Tamil name.
The Objections Worth Taking Seriously
“My family has always called kalonji kala jeera.” Plenty of families do, and the Oxford Hindi-English Dictionary supports that usage. Nobody is wrong. The point is narrower: a stranger selling you a packet, or a recipe from another region, may use the same words for the other seed. The shape of the seed resolves it when the name cannot.
“For cooking, does it really matter?” For a sprinkle on bread, you would notice the flavour and adjust. For a Kashmiri dish that calls for shahi jeera, substituting kalonji changes it markedly. For oil, it matters completely: black seed oil is pressed from Nigella sativa, and an oil from a cumin relative is a different product.
“This is an oil brand telling me which seed is the real one.” A fair suspicion. The check is that nothing here depends on trusting us. The families come from Kew's register, the dictionary entries are public, and the seeds look different on a plate.
Why Sidr & Stone
Once you know the seed you want is kalonji, the next question is whether a bottle of kalonji ka tel actually contains well-handled Nigella sativa oil. You cannot see that by looking at an oil, so we publish what we can show you.
- Sidr & Stone's black seed oil is independently verified at 2.67% thymoquinone, per batch.
- Each batch is tested by Analytice, an ISO-accredited French laboratory, with a Certificate of Analysis.
- It is pressed from organically grown Ethiopian highland Nigella sativa, chosen after a 36-supplier evaluation.
- It is cold-pressed below 40°C to protect the heat-sensitive thymoquinone.
- 100% pure — a single ingredient, Nigella sativa seed oil, nothing added.
- Unrefined and unfiltered, so it may show natural fine sediment.
- Bottled in matte black UV-protective glass.
- Halal certified.
- 10% of profits to charity.
- Fulfilment in the UK, EU, and US.
A thymoquinone figure works partly as a species check: thymoquinone is the compound black seed oil's research centres on, and it comes from Nigella sativa. Our guide to thymoquinone in black seed oil explains what the number means, and our guide to choosing a quality black seed oil covers the other checks worth making.
We will not tell you Sidr & Stone is the strongest or the best. What we will say is that our thymoquinone figure is 2.67%, independently verified per batch, and the evidence is there to see.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is nigella seed called in Hindi?
Nigella seed is called कलौंजी (kalonji or kalaunji) in Hindi. Older and regional names include मँगरैला (mangraila) and मगरेला (magrela). All refer to Nigella sativa.
Is kalonji the same as kala jeera?
Not usually. In the spice trade, kala jeera means Elwendia persica (syn. Bunium persicum), a cumin relative. Some dictionaries and households use kala jeera for kalonji too, which is why the seed's shape is the safer guide.
How do I tell kalonji from kala jeera by looking?
Kalonji seeds are angular, wedge-like and matte black, with flat faces and no ridges. Kala jeera seeds are slender, curved and ridged lengthwise, like a thin, dark cumin seed.
What is kalonji dana in English?
Kalonji dana (कलौंजी दाना) simply means kalonji seeds — nigella seeds in English, Nigella sativa botanically. दाना (dana) means grain, and बीज (beej) means seed.
Why is kalonji sold as “onion seed”?
It is a long-standing trade label, not a botanical description. The seed is Nigella sativa, a buttercup-family plant unrelated to onions. Check the pack for kalonji, nigella or Nigella sativa.
What is black seed oil called in Hindi?
Black seed oil is कलौंजी का तेल (kalonji ka tel), literally oil of kalonji. It is pressed from Nigella sativa seed, not from kala jeera.
Where can I buy kalonji oil I can trust?
Look for a seller who names Nigella sativa, states the pressing method and publishes a thymoquinone figure from a named independent laboratory. Ours is available directly, with fulfilment in the UK, EU, and US.
Is black seed oil a medicine?
No. Black seed oil is a food supplement, not a medicine. It has a long traditional history and an interesting body of research around thymoquinone, and can be a worthwhile part of a healthy routine — but it does not cure diseases and is not a substitute for medical care. Be cautious of any black seed oil marketed with specific disease-cure claims.
Final Thoughts
The nigella seed in Hindi is कलौंजी, and that word is about as reliable as food names get. The confusion comes from kala jeera, which Hindi uses for two different plants — the dictionary sense pointing to nigella, the spice-shop sense pointing to a Himalayan cumin relative.
The fix needs no language at all. Tip a few seeds onto a pale plate. Angular, matte and faceted is kalonji. Slender, curved and ridged is a cumin relative. The packet may be ambiguous; the seed is not.
When the seed becomes an oil, that species question stops being academic, because everything a good bottle of kalonji ka tel claims depends on it being Nigella sativa in the first place. Our cold-pressed Ethiopian black seed oil — independently verified at 2.67% thymoquinone — is available now, with fulfilment in the UK, EU, and US.
Our black seed oil is pressed from organically grown Ethiopian highland Nigella sativa, but it is not certified organic: formal organic certification is hard to obtain in the Ethiopian highlands, so we tell you how the seed is grown rather than claim a certificate we do not hold.
Shop Sidr & Stone Cold-Pressed Ethiopian Black Seed Oil — Verified 2.67% Thymoquinone →
Disclaimer: This article describes Hindi naming, botanical classification and product specifications at the time of writing; dictionary usage, taxonomic names, retailer labels and brand practices may change, and readers should check current sources. Black seed oil is a food supplement, not a medicine, and is not a substitute for medical treatment of any condition. For any health concern, consult a qualified medical professional.