Hindi

American  

[hin-dee] / ˈhɪn di /

noun

1. the most widely spoken of the modern Indic vernaculars, especially its best-known variety, Western Hindi.

2. a literary language derived from Hindustani, used by Hindus.

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Hindi British  

/ ˈhɪndɪ /

noun

1. a language or group of dialects of N central India. It belongs to the Indic branch of the Indo-European family and is closely related to Urdu See also Hindustani

2. a formal literary dialect of this language, the official language of India, usually written in Nagari script

3. a person whose native language is Hindi

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Etymology

Origin of Hindi

First recorded in 1790–1800; from Hindi, Urdu, equivalent to Persian Hind, Hindu (compare Sanskrit Sindhu “river,” specifically the Indus river, with the extended sense “region of the Indus; Sind”) + -ī a suffix indicating relationship or origin; replacing Hinduee, from Persian Hinduī; Sind

Compare meaning

How does hindi compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• Urdu vs. Hindi
• Hindi vs. Hindu
• Sanskrit vs. Hindi

Example Sentences

There’s a Hindi word called “dhamaka,” which translates to explosion — or intense and bold flavors when used in a culinary context.

From Salon • Mar. 28, 2026

Some are used by only a few remaining speakers, while others such as Chinese, English, Spanish and Hindi are spoken by billions.

From Science Daily • Feb. 20, 2026

She speaks Hindi and Spanish fluently, with working knowledge of French and Arabic.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 9, 2026

Akshaye Rathi, a prominent film exhibitor, predicted a 45–50 percent rise in net Hindi box-office collections and a 25 percent increase in young theatre-goers this year.

From Barron's • Jan. 25, 2026

He spoke Farsi with a thick, rolling Hindi accent.

From "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini