hindi: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
B1Formal/Neutral
Quick answer
What does “hindi” mean?
The official language of India, belonging to the Indo-Aryan group of the Indo-European language family.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
The official language of India, belonging to the Indo-Aryan group of the Indo-European language family.
Relating to the Hindi language, its speakers, or its culture.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant differences in usage or meaning. Both varieties use the term identically.
Connotations
Neutral and factual in both regions, referring to the language or its associated cultural context.
Frequency
Slightly higher frequency in the UK due to historical ties and a larger South Asian diaspora, but common in both varieties.
Grammar
How to Use “hindi” in a Sentence
[Subject] speaks Hindi.[Object] is translated into Hindi.[Adjective] Hindi filmVocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “hindi” in a Sentence
adjective
British English
- She is taking a Hindi course at university.
- The Hindi translation was provided below the English text.
American English
- He enjoys watching Hindi films with subtitles.
- The restaurant menu had a Hindi section.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Used in contexts of localization, translation services, and operations targeting the Indian market.
Academic
Used in linguistics, South Asian studies, anthropology, and comparative literature departments.
Everyday
Common when discussing languages, travel to India, cinema (Bollywood), or cultural heritage.
Technical
In computing for localization/Internationalization (l10n/i18n) and font/script rendering.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “hindi”
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “hindi”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “hindi”
- Using 'Hindi' to refer to all Indian languages (e.g., 'She speaks Hindi' when she speaks Tamil).
- Misspelling as 'Hindu' (which refers to the religion).
- Incorrectly stating it is India's 'national' language (it is an 'official' language).
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
In their spoken, colloquial forms, Hindi and Urdu are largely mutually intelligible and are considered registers of the same Hindustani language. However, they differ in formal vocabulary (Hindi draws from Sanskrit, Urdu from Persian/Arabic) and script (Hindi uses Devanagari, Urdu uses Perso-Arabic).
Hindi is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world, with approximately 600 million speakers, including both first and second language speakers, primarily in India and Nepal.
It is considered a Category III language by the US Foreign Service Institute, meaning it presents significant linguistic differences from English. Challenges include a new script (Devanagari), different sounds (like retroflex consonants), and grammatical gender.
No. 'Hindi' refers to the language or things related to it. A person from India is 'Indian'. Someone whose native language is Hindi might be called a 'Hindi speaker'.
The official language of India, belonging to the Indo-Aryan group of the Indo-European language family.
Hindi is usually formal/neutral in register.
Hindi: in British English it is pronounced /ˈhɪndiː/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˈhɪndi/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “It's all Hindi to me. (A play on 'It's all Greek to me', meaning something is incomprehensible)”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Hint: The word 'Hindi' contains 'hind', relating to 'Hindustan', a historical name for India.
Conceptual Metaphor
LANGUAGE IS A COUNTRY (e.g., 'She speaks fluent Hindi.' implying mastery over a domain).
Practice
Quiz
What is the primary script used for writing Hindi?