Many people have debated the differences (and similarities) of Hindi and Urdu. Some people believe they should be considered separate languages, while others are of the opinion that the two languages are essentially the same in terms of basic vocabulary and grammar; their differences lie only in their writing systems (Hindi is written in the Sanskrit-derived “Devanagari/देवनागरी” and Urdu is written in the Arabic-derived “Nastaliq/नसतालीक़/نستاليق) and high-register (or formal) vocabulary. Whatever your opinion, this is a highly relevant issue in the worlds of Hindi and Urdu and therefore may be of interest to you as you learn Hindi.

Another important thing to know while learning Hindi is that it, like most if not all South Asian languages, has different registers or styles, depending on whether one wants to speak formally or informally. English has different registers as well, but in Hindi these registers may seem more pronounced in certain contexts. Usually, in the case of Hindi, one will choose a Sanskrit or Sanskrit-derived word to sound more formal and an Arabic-, Persian- (often called “Urdu” words) or even Portuguese- or English-derived word to sound more informal or colloquial.

Read the dialogue below carefully to pick up on the mind-boggling diversity of Hindi word origin (details included in the word list at the bottom) and the nuances of the debate over whether Hindi and Urdu are the same or different languages:

रशमी जी: आपको क्या लगता है, आमिर साहब: हिंदी और उर्दू अलग अलग भाषाएँ हैं या एक ही भाषा ?

Rashmi ji: Aapko kyaa lagta hai, Aamir Sahab: Hindi aur Urdu alag alag bhashae hain ya ek hi bhasha?

Rashmi ji: What do you think, Aamir (sir): are Hindi and Urdu different languages or one language?

 

आमिर साहब: मुझे बिल्कुल भी नहीं लगता कि वे अलग अलग ज़बानें हैं; मेरे ख़याल से, आम बोलचाल में उनके लफ़्ज़ और व्याकरण बहुत समान है ।

Aamir Sahab: Mujhe bilkul bhi nahin lagta ki ve alag alag zabaane hain; mere khyaal se, aam bolchaal me unke lafz aur vyaakaran bahut samaan hai.

Aamir Sahab: I absolutely do not think they are different languages; in my opinion, their words and grammar in the common speech are very similar. 

 

रशमी जी: लेकिन आपकी राय में, कुछ संदर्भों में उनके बीच बहुत सारे अंतर हो सकते हैं, ना?

Rashmi ji: Lekin aapki raay me, kuch sandarbho me unke beech bahut sare antar ho sakta hain, na?

Rashmi ji: But, in your opinion, there can be many differences between them in some contexts, right?

आमिर साहब: हाँ हाँ कुछ फ़र्क तो होंगे ही। मिसाल के तौर पर, जब उर्दूवाले किसी ख़ास बात के बारे में बात करना चाहते हैं, जैसे कि अदब या तारीख़, ज़्यादा फ़ारसी और अरबी लफ़्ज़ों (यानी, ज़्यादा formal लफ़्ज़) का इस्तेमाल करेंगे ।

Aamir Sahab: Haan, haan kuch fark to honge hi. Misaal ke taur par, jab urduvaale kisi khaas baat ke bare me baat karna chahte hain, jaise ki adab ya taarikh, zyaada faarsi aur arabi lafzon (yaani, zyaada formal lafz) ka istemaal karenge.

Aamir Sahab: Yes, yes, there will (of course) be some differences. For example, when Urdu speakers want to talk about some special (particular) topic, like literature or history, they will use more Farsi (Persian) and Arabic words (that is, more formal words).

 

रशमी जी: हाँ, और हिंदी में भी यही होता है । हिंदीवाले जब किसी विशेष बात के बारे में बातचीत करते हैं, तो वे अधिक संस्कृत शब्दों का प्रयोग करते हैं ।

Rashmi ji: Haan, aur Hindi me bhi yahi hota hai. Hindivale jab kisi vishesh baat ke bare me baatchit karte hain, to ve adhik Sanskrit shabdon ka prayog karte hain.

Rashmi ji: Yes, and in Hindi the same thing happens. When Hindi speakers talk about (converse on) some particular (or special) topic, they use more Sanskrit words.

 

आमिर साहब: हाँ, इस हिंदी-उर्दू की बहस का तारीख़ बहुत ही दिलचस्प है । हमेशा ऐसा नहीं था कि कोई एक ज़बान किसी ख़ास समुदाय से जुड़ी थी । लोग पुराने ज़माने में सारे शब्द मिलाके बोलते थे ।

Aamir Sahab: Haan, yah Hindi-Urdu ki behes ka taarikh bahut hi dilchasp hai. Hamesha aisa nahin tha ki koi ek zabaan kisi khaas samudaay se juri thi. Log puraane zamaane me sare shabd milaake bolte the.

Aamir Sahab: Yes, the history of this debate between Hindi and Urdu is very interesting. It was not always the case that any one language was associated with (or tied to) a particular community. In early times, people would speak by mixing all of the words.

रशमी जी: मैं आपसे बिल्कुल सहमत हूँ । और मुझे यह भी लगता है कि हिंदी सीखने के लिये हिंदी और उर्दू, दोनों की ज़रूरत है । कोई भाषा नहीं है जिसे हम “शुद्ध हिंदी” कह सकते हैं; सब भाषाअों की तरह, हिंदी भी मिली-जुली, खिचड़ी ज़बान है ।

Rashmi ji: Main aapse bilkul sehmat huun. Aur mujhe yah bhi lagta hai ki Hindi sikhne ke liye Hindi aur Urdu, dono ki zaroorat hai. Koi bhasha nahin hai jise ham “Shuddh Hindi” keh sakte hain; sab bhashaon ki tarah, Hindi bhi mili-juli, khichri zabaan hai.

Rashmi ji: I completely agree with you. And I also think that, to learn Hindi, one needs both Hindi and Urdu. There is no language that we can call “Pure Hindi;” like all languages, Hindi, too, is a mixed, “khichri”* language.

*Hindi and other languages are sometimes called “khichri” (the name of a dish that is a mixture of lentils, rice, ghee or clarified butter and spices) to reflect the fact that they are actually combinations or mixtures of other languages in terms of grammar and vocabulary. Similarly, English, for example, is a mixture of French, Greek, Latin, (even) Hindi, etc.!

शब्दावली की सूची या लफ़्ज़ों की फ़ेहरिस्त:

1. भाषा/ज़बान (Bhasha/Zabaan, both feminine nouns): language. The first word is from Sanskrit, the second from Persian.
2. मेरे ख़्याल से/मेरी राय में (Mere khyaal se, masc. noun/Meri raay me, fem. noun): in these contexts, the words “khyaal” and “raay” mean opinion. The first word is from Arabic, the second from Persian.
3. शब्द/लफ़्ज़ (Shabd, masc. noun/Lafz, masc. noun): word. The first word is from Sanskrit, the second from Arabic.
4. अंतर/फ़र्क़ or फ़रक़ (Antar, masc. noun/Fark or Farak, masc. noun): difference. The first word is from Sanskrit, the second from Arabic.
5. मिसाल के तौर पर/उदाहरण के तौर पर (Misaal ke taur par/Udaaharan ke taur par): for example (adverb). The first word, “misaal,” is from Arabic and the second, “udaaharan,” is from Sanskrit.
6. ख़ास/विशेष (Khaas/Vishesh): special or particular. The first word is from Arabic, the second from Sanskrit.
7. अदब/साहित्य (Adab, masc. noun/Saahitya, masc. noun): literature. The first word is from Arabic, the second is from Sanskrit.
8. तारीख़/इतिहास (Taarikh, masc. noun/Itihaas, masc. noun): history. The first word is from Arabic, the second is from Sanskrit.
9. X का इस्तेमाल करना/x का प्रयोग करना (x ka istemaal karna/x ka prayog karna): to use or employ (something). The first word, “istemaal,” is from Arabic, while the second word, “prayog,” is from Sanskrit.
10. ज़्यादा/अधिक (Zyaada/Adhik): more, greater. The first word is from Arabic, and the second from Sanskrit.