Page Type: languageHindi | Ethnologue

HIN ISO 639-3

Hindi

मानक हिन्दी‎ (Mānak Hindī), हिन्दी‎ (Hindī) Autonym

A language of India

hin
Modern Standard Hindi
मानक हिन्दी‎ (Mānak Hindī), हिन्दी‎ (Hindī)
596,000,000 in India, all users. L1 users: 339,000,000 in India (2011 census). L2 users: 257,000,000 (2019). Total users in all countries: 600,530,070 (as L1: 342,263,170; as L2: 258,266,900).
Widespread in north India: northern Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand states; Delhi.
1 (National). Statutory national language (1950, Constitution, Article 343), also statutory provincial language in Bihar State and 12 other jurisdictions.
Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Indo-Aryan, Western Hindi, Hindustani
Khari Boli (Dehlavi, Kauravi, Khadi Boli, Khari, Khariboli, Vernacular Hindustani). Formal vocabulary borrowed from Sanskrit, de-Persianized, de-Arabicized. Literary Hindi, or Hindi-Urdu, has 4 varieties: Hindi (High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, Literary Hindi, standard Hindi); Urdu [urd]; Dakhini; Rekhta. Hindustani, though not listed separately in India, refers here to the unofficial lingua franca of northwest India. Has a lexical mixture in varying proportions of Hindi (vocabulary derived from Sanskrit) and Urdu (vocabulary derived from Persian or Arabic).
SOV; postpositions; noun head final; content q-word in situ; gender (masculine/feminine); no articles; clause constituents partially indicated by case-marking (direct, oblique), postpositions, and word order; verbal affixation marks person, number, gender, and honorificity of subject; split ergativity; both tense and aspect; passives and voice; causatives; non-tonal; 30 consonants, 10 vowels, 2 diphthongs; stress linked to syllable weight.
Fully developed. Bible: 1835–2000.
OLAC resources in and about Hindi
Braille script [Brai]. Devanagari script [Deva], primary usage. Mahajani script [Mahj], no longer in use. Newa script [Newa], no longer in use, historic usage.
Hindi, Hindustani, Urdu could be considered co-dialects, but have important sociolinguistic differences. Hindu.
Hindi
160,000 in Australia (2016 census).
Unestablished
Non-indigenous.
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Hindi
13,600 in Belgium (2020 census). , based on nationality.
Unestablished
Non-indigenous.
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Hindi
3,900 in Brunei (2019).
Unestablished
Non-indigenous.
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Hindi
111,000 in Canada (2016 census).
Unestablished
Non-indigenous.
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Hindi
75,400 in Germany (2020 census). , based on nationality.
Unestablished
Non-indigenous.
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Hindi
2,370 in Finland (2018 census).
Unestablished
Non-indigenous.
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Hindi
45,800 in United Kingdom (2011 census).
Unestablished
Non-indigenous.
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Hindi
1,400 in Equatorial Guinea (2020 Joshua Project).
Unestablished
Non-indigenous.
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Hindi
6,700 in Kenya (2020 Joshua Project). , based on ethnicity.
Major towns.
Unestablished
Non-indigenous.
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Hindi
1,700 in Cambodia (2019 J. Leclerc).
Unestablished
Non-indigenous.
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Hindi
700,000 in Kuwait (2017 Gulf News).
Scattered.
5 (Dispersed)
Non-indigenous. Hindi speakers are part of the immigrant workforce in Kuwait (2019 J. Leclerc).
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Hindi
41,300 in Sri Lanka (2019).
Unestablished
Non-indigenous.
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Hindi
2,200 in Lesotho (Leclerc 2017f).
Unestablished
Non-indigenous.
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Hindi
1,200 in Luxembourg (2017 J. Leclerc).
Unestablished
Non-indigenous.
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Hindi
133,000 in Myanmar (Leclerc 2017d).
Unestablished
Non-indigenous.
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Hindi
36,000 in Mauritius (Leclerc 2018c).
Unestablished
Non-indigenous.
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Hindi
60,000 in Malaysia (2021 Joshua Project). , based on ethnicity.
Unestablished
Non-indigenous.
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Hindi
1,307,600 in Nepal, all users. L1 users: 77,600 in Nepal (2011 census), increasing. L2 users: 1,230,000 (2011 census).
Scattered throughout the Tarai (lowlands) and in major cities.
Khariboli.
3 (Wider communication)
Non-indigenous. Hindu, Buddhist, Christian, Muslim.
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Hindi
66,300 in New Zealand (2013 census).
Unestablished
Non-indigenous.
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Hindi
15,600 in Oman (2020).
Unestablished
Non-indigenous.
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Hindi
15,000 in Panama (2021 Joshua Project). , based on ethnicity.
Unestablished
Non-indigenous.
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Hindi
4,400 in Philippines (2020 Joshua Project). , based on ethnicity.
Unestablished
Non-indigenous.
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Hindi
3,670 in Puerto Rico (2020).
Unestablished
Non-indigenous.
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Hindi
4,100 in Portugal (2007 J. Leclerc).
Unestablished
Non-indigenous.
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Hindi
6,330 in Russian Federation (2012 UNSD).
Unestablished
Non-indigenous.
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Hindi
171,000 in Saudi Arabia (2020 Joshua Project). , based on ethnicity.
Widespread.
Unestablished
Non-indigenous. Hindi speakers are part of the immigrant workforce in Saudi Arabia (2019 J. Leclerc).
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Hindi
14,100 in Sweden (2020 census). , based on nationality.
Unestablished
Non-indigenous.
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Hindi
50,000 in Singapore (2017 The Straits Times), all users. L1 users: 13,100 (2010 census).
Scattered.
5 (Dispersed)
Non-indigenous.
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Hindi
15,000 in Sierra Leone (2019).
Unestablished
Non-indigenous.
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Hindi
2,000 in Sint Maarten (2011 SIL).
Unestablished
Non-indigenous.
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Hindi
8,200 in Eswatini (2019).
Unestablished
Non-indigenous.
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Hindi
22,900 in Thailand (2010 census).
Bangkok, Mookherji area.
Unestablished
Non-indigenous. Muslim.
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Hindi
5,300 in Uganda (2016 J. Leclerc).
Unestablished
Non-indigenous.
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Hindi
643,000 in United States (2015 census).
Unestablished
Non-indigenous.
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Hindi
316,000 in Yemen (2020 Joshua Project). , based on ethnicity.
Scattered.
Unestablished
Non-indigenous.
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Hindi
463,000 in South Africa (2020 Joshua Project). , based on ethnicity.
KwaZulu-Natal province.
5 (Dispersed)
Non-indigenous. Has Bhojpuri [bho] features in South Africa. Hindu.
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Location: Widespread in north India: northern Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand states; Delhi.