.svg)
Hindi vocabulary
Hindi, often referred to as Hindustani, like all languages within the Indo-Aryan family, has a foundational vocabulary rooted in Sanskrit, which it acquired through Prakrit. Hindi, along with its various dialects such as Urdu, shares a significant amount of vocabulary, particularly in everyday speech. However, in more formal situations, Hindi tends to incorporate more Sanskrit-derived words, while Standard Urdu, which is predominantly used by Pakistan's Islamic government, leans towards Persian and Arabic influences. This distinction can be traced back to history, as Hindi, serving as a lingua franca, began to absorb a greater number of Persian and Arabic terms in urban centers like Delhi, Lucknow, and Hyderabad during the era of the Delhi Sultanate. The dialect that emerged during this period became known as Urdu because the ruling class spoke Persian, and local elite class adapted their language to include Persian and Arabic elements to align more closely with the ruling class.
During the colonial period in India, Hindi and its dialect adopted vocabulary that was introduced by Christian missionaries, which came from Germanic and Romance languages. An example of this is the word pādarī (Devanagari: पादरी), derived from the term "padre", meaning pastor.
Some borrowed words[edit | edit source]
Hindi has incorporated a vast array of words from various foreign languages due to centuries of interaction with Europeans, Turkic peoples, Arabs, Persians, and East Asians, often fully assimilating these borrowings into its core vocabulary. The primary sources of borrowed terms arise from three distinct types of contact. Close relations with neighboring populations led to the adoption of words from other Indian languages, as well as from Chinese, Burmese, and several Austroasiatic languages in North India. Following centuries of Islamic invasions from Persia and the Middle East, especially during the Mughal Empire, numerous Turkish, Arabic, and Persian terms became part of the language. Additionally, the period of European colonialism introduced vocabulary from Portuguese, French, Dutch, and most notably, English. Examples of these common borrowings can be found below.
Borrowings from neighboring languages[edit | edit source]
Other Indo-Aryan languages[edit | edit source]
| Word | Meaning | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| चड्डी caḍḍī | underwear | Punjabi ਚੱਡੀ caḍḍī |
| खट्टा khaṭṭā | sour | Punjabi ਖੱਟਾ खट्टा khaṭṭā |
| कुञ्जी kuñjī | key | Punjabi ਕੁੰਜੀ कुञ्जी kuñjī |
| लफडा / लफड़ा laphaḍā/laphaṛā | fight, love affair (originally Bombay Hindi) | Marathi लफडे laphaḍe or Gujarati લફડો लफडो laphaḍo |
Dravidian languages (द्राविडी भाषाएँ Drāviḍī)[edit | edit source]
| Word | Meaning | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| कबड्डी kabaḍḍī | kabaddi | Tamil கை பிடி kai piṭi ("to hold hands") |
| वड़ा vaṛā | vada | Tamil வடை vaṭai |
| अगर agar | agarwood | Tamil அகில் akil |
| चप्पल cappal | sandals | Telugu చెప్పులు ceppulu ("shoes, footwear") |
Austroasiatic languages[edit | edit source]
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| आलू ālū | potato |
| खोज khoj | discovery |
| चावल cāvala | rice grains |
| चूल्हा cūlhā | oven, stove |
| झोल jhōla | gravy |
| टाँग ṭām̐ga | leg |
| ढोल ḍhola | dhol, drum |
| पेट pēṭa | belly |
Chinese (चीनी Cīnī)[edit | edit source]
| Word | Meaning | Original form |
|---|---|---|
| चाय cāya | tea | 茶 chá |
| चीनी cīnī | sugar/Chinese | 秦 qín |
| लीची līcī | lychee | 茘枝 lìzhī |
Borrowings from the Persianate era[edit | edit source]
Arabic (अरबी Arbī)[edit | edit source]
All Arabic loanwords in Hindi-Urdu are through Classical Persian.
| Word | Meaning | Original form |
|---|---|---|
| अक्ल/अकल akla/akala | wisdom | عقل ‘aql |
| इलाका ilākā | area | علاقة ‘alāqa "relationship, connection" |
| वजन vajana | weight | وزن wazn "scale" |
| कब्र/कबर kabra/kabara | grave | قبر qubr |
| खबर kaabara | news | خبر ḫabar |
| खाली خالی k͟hālī | empty | خالي ḫāliyy |
| ख्याल/खयाल khyāla/khayāla | consideration | خيال ḫayāl " imagination" |
| गरीब garība | poor | غريب ġarīb "strange" |
| जवाब javāba | answer | جواب jawāb |
| सवाल savāla | question | سؤال su‘āl |
| जमा جمع jamā | collect | جمع jam‘ |
| तारीख tārīkha | date | تاريخ tārīḫ "history, date" |
| दुनिया duniyā | world | دنيا dunyā |
| नकल nakala | fake | نقل naql |
| फकीर/फ़कीर Phakīra/fakīra | poor person | فقير faqīr |
| बदल بدل badal | exchange | بدل badl |
| बाकी bākī | remaining | بقي baqīy |
| साहब sāhaba | sir | صاحب ṣāḥib "friend" |
| हिसाब hisāba | calculation | حساب ḥisāb |
| मालिक mālika | owner | مالك mālik "owner, proprietor, holder" |
| लजीज lajīja | delicious | لذيذ laḏīḏ "tasty" |
| किताब kitāba | book | كتاب
kitāb "book" |
| एहतियात ēhtiyāta | precaution | احتياط
iḥtiyyāt "precaution, reserve" |
| शख्स śakhsa | person | شخص šaḫs "person" |
| शहीद śahīda | martyr (for Islam) | شهيد šahīd "martyr" |
| हद hada | limit | حد ḥadd "limit" |
| सेहत sēhata | health | صحة ṣiḥa "health" |
Persian (फारसी)[edit | edit source]
| Word | Meaning | Original Form |
|---|---|---|
| खुश khuśa | happy | خوش xwaš |
| दर्द darda | pain | درد dard |
| बदन badana | body | بدن badan |
| शायद śāyada | maybe | شاید šāyad |
| हमेशा hameśā | always | همیشه hamēša |
| साल sāla | year | سال sāl |
| गर्म/गरम garma/garama | warm | گرم garm |
| आसमान āsamāna | sky | آسمان āsmān |
| जमीन jamīna | land | زمین zamīn, "the earth" |
| रोज़ा rozā | fasting | روزه rōza, "a fast" |
Turkic languages (तुर्की Turkī)[edit | edit source]
Almost all Turkic loans in Hindi-Urdu have been borrowed via Classical Persian.
| Word | Meaning | Original form |
|---|---|---|
| उर्दू Urdū | Urdu | Ultimately from Proto-Turkic *ordu ("army") (via Persian اردو urdū; language sense is shortened from Persian زبان اردوی معلی zubān-i urdū-yi mu‘allā, "language of the exalted camp"; see more at Urdu § Etymology) |
| कैंची قینچی kaim̐cī | scissors | kaïcï in Chagatai/Proto-Mongolic (via Persian قینچی qaynčī) |
| कोरमा kōramā | korma | Ottoman Turkish قاورمه kaverma ("roasted meat") (via Persian قورمه qōrma) |
| बावरची bāvaracī | cook, chef | Ottoman Turkish via Persian باورچی bāwarčī |
| बेगम bēgama | lady | Chagatai بیگم begim (via Persian بیگم bēgum) |
| कुली kulī | laborer, porter | Chagatai قلی quli ("slave of") |
Borrowings from the Colonial Era[edit | edit source]
Portuguese (पुर्तगाली)[edit | edit source]
Portuguese borrowings mostly describe household items, fruits, and religious concepts dealing with Catholicism:
Household
| Word | Meaning | Original form |
|---|---|---|
| अलमारी alamāri | closet, cupboard | armário |
| आलपीन ālapīna | safety pin | alfinete |
| इस्तरी istarī | to iron | estirar (means to lengthen a cable) |
| इस्पात ispāta | steel | espada "sword" |
| गमला gamalā | basket | gamela "wooden trough" |
| चाबी cābī | key | chave |
| जङ्गला jaṅgalā | window-railing | janela |
| तम्बाकू tambākū | tobacco | tabaco |
| तौलिया tauliyā | towel | toalha |
| फीता phītā | lace, ribbon | fita |
| बरामदा baramadā | verandah | varanda |
| बाल्टी bālṭī | pail | balde |
Food
| Word | Meaning | Original form |
|---|---|---|
| अनानास anānāsa | pineapple | ananás |
| काजू kājū | cashew | caju |
| गोभी gōbhī | cabbage, cauliflower | couve |
| पाउ रोटी pāu roṭī | sliced bread | pão "bread" (generic name for bread) |
| पपीता papītā | papaya | papaia |
| साबूदाना sābūdānā | sago | sagu |
| सलाद salāda | salad | salada |
Religion
| Word | Meaning | Original form |
|---|---|---|
| क्रूस krūsa | cross | cruz |
| गिरजा girajā | church | igreja |
| पादरी pādarī | Christian priest/minister | padre |
Other
| Word | Meaning | Original form |
|---|---|---|
| अँग्रेज am̐grēja | English | inglês |
| ओलन्देज ōlandēja | Dutch | holandês ("Hollander") |
| अस्पताल aspatāla | hospital | espital |
| पिस्तौल pistaula | pistol | pistola |
| फालतू phālqtū | useless | falto |
French (फ़रासीसी فراسیسی Farāsīsī)[edit | edit source]
Only a handful of French borrowings are still used in Hindi-Urdu today.
| Word | Meaning | Original form |
|---|---|---|
| cartridge | cartouche | |
| अटैची aṭaicī | suitcase | attaché |
| रेस्त्राँ rēstrā̃ | restaurant | restaurant |
English (अँग्रेजी Am̐grējī)[edit | edit source]
Most borrowed words of European origin in Hindi were imported through English and involve civic and household concepts:
Civic life
| Word | Original form |
|---|---|
| अफसर/अफ़सर aphasara/afasar | officer |
| जेल jēla | jail |
| डॉक्टर ḍôkṭara | doctor |
| पुलिस pulisa | police |
| बैङ्क baiṅka | bank |
| वोट voṭa | vote |
| स्कूल skūla | school |
Household
| Word | Original form |
|---|---|
| कप kapa | cup |
| गिलास گلاس gilāsa | glass |
| टेबल ṭebala | table |
| बॉक्स bôksa | box |
| लालटेन lālaṭēna | lantern |
| कनस्तर kanastara | canister |