· 7 min read
Arabic vs Hindi: Which Should You Learn?
By Language Lab editorial team
Arabic vs Hindi compared with official figures: 88 weeks against about 44 for English speakers. See scripts, grammar, where each is spoken and tests.
For an English speaker, Hindi takes about half as long as Arabic. The US State Department lists Hindi in Category III at about 44 weeks, or 1,012 class hours, and Arabic in Category IV, its hardest group, at 88 weeks, or 2,200 class hours. Both have their own script. Hindi is written left to right and spelled as it is pronounced; Arabic is written right to left and has sounds produced at the back of the throat. Their grammar pulls in opposite directions: Hindi puts the verb last, Arabic puts it first. Arabic is the official language of the 22 countries of the Arab League. Hindi is an official language of India, with nearly 425 million first-language speakers by the BBC guide's figures. Choose by region.
Side by side
| Arabic | Hindi | |
|---|---|---|
| State Department category | Category IV, super-hard languages | Category III, hard languages |
| Class time | 88 weeks (2,200 class hours) | About 44 weeks (1,012 class hours) |
| Script direction | Right to left | Left to right |
| Spelling and sound | Some letters produced at the back of the throat | Words written as they are pronounced |
| Word order | The verb comes first | The verb goes at the end |
| Gender | Not covered in the sources used here | All nouns masculine or feminine; adjectives and verbs agree |
| Articles | Not covered in the sources used here | None: no words for the or a |
| Where it is official | The 22 countries of the Arab League | India, alongside English |
| Official test | CIMA: one test, levels A1 to C2 | Central Hindi Directorate: Certificate, Diploma, Advance Diploma |
Which is harder?
Arabic, on the official figures: twice the weeks of classes. The State Department describes Category III as hard languages with significant linguistic or cultural differences from English, and Category IV as super-hard languages that are exceptionally difficult for native English speakers. At 10 hours a week, Hindi's 1,012 hours come to about 101 weeks and Arabic's 2,200 to 220.
Where Arabic is hard
- Sounds. The BBC's guide says some letters may take time to master because they are produced right at the very back of the throat.
- Direction. Arabic is written from right to left.
- Word order. The verb comes first, and adjectives follow the noun.
- Many Arabics. Classical Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic and the spoken dialects differ; dialects can be mutually hard to understand.
Where Hindi is hard
- Gender. All nouns are masculine or feminine, and adjectives and verbs change to match. The BBC's guide calls this usually one of the most difficult steps.
- Word order. Verbs always go to the end of the sentence.
- Formal and informal forms of address, which change the words you use for you.
Where each is kind to learners
- Hindi: it is fairly easy to read, because words are written as they are pronounced; it has no articles; and it uses many English words such as doctor, station and train.
- Arabic: it uses the same punctuation marks as English, though some are inverted or reversed, and English has borrowed Arabic words such as cotton, sugar and lemon.
Where each is spoken
- Arabic: the official language of the 22 countries of the Arab League, from Southwest Asia to Northwest Africa, and, by the BBC guide's figures, the native language of over 200 million people in that region. It is also the liturgical language of over a billion Muslims.
- Hindi: the BBC's guide gives nearly 425 million first-language speakers and around 120 million second-language speakers. It is the main language of states across north and central India and is also spoken in Mauritius, Fiji, Suriname, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago and Nepal.
- Both sets of figures come from an archived BBC guide, so treat them as orders of magnitude, not current counts.
First phrases compared
| English | Arabic | Hindi |
|---|---|---|
| Hello | marhaban | Namaste |
| Thank you | shukran | Dhanyavad |
| Yes | na’am | Haan |
| No | la’a | Nahin |
| My name is ... | ana ismee... | Mera naam ... hai |
| I need help, please | ahtajoo ilal musa’ada raja’an | Mujhe madad chahiye, dhanyavad |
These are written in English letters, as the BBC gives them. Look at my name is: the Hindi sentence ends with the verb, hai, as Hindi word order requires.
Tests and free courses
| Arabic | Hindi | |
|---|---|---|
| Certificate | CIMA, from the Institut du monde arabe: four papers, about three hours, a level from A1 to C2 | Central Hindi Directorate: three one-year correspondence courses, each ending in an examination |
| When | Two sessions a year, spring and autumn | Sessions begin every July |
| Free study | Al Jazeera's Learning Arabic, a free site with seven levels | A fully funded one-year course in Agra for foreign students; LILA self-study packages |
| Low-cost study | Check with accredited centres | US$50 a session for foreign students on the Certificate or Diploma course |
How to choose
- Your work, study or travel is in the Middle East or North Africa: Arabic.
- Your work, study, travel or family is in India: Hindi.
- You have limited time: Hindi, at half the official weeks of classes.
- You want one language across many countries: Arabic, in its standard form.
- You are drawn to both: take one to a solid level first. Together they are 3,212 class hours on State Department figures.
Language Lab offers both. Its Arabic and Hindi courses are built around voiced real-life scenarios with an AI tutor.
Frequently asked
Is Arabic harder than Hindi?
For English speakers, yes. The US State Department lists Arabic at 88 weeks, or 2,200 class hours, and Hindi at about 44 weeks, or 1,012.
Are Arabic and Hindi written in the same script?
No. Arabic is written from right to left in the Arabic script. Hindi is written from left to right in its own script, with words spelled as they are pronounced.
Which has more speakers, Arabic or Hindi?
The BBC's archived guides give over 200 million native speakers for Arabic in the Arab League region and nearly 425 million first-language speakers for Hindi.
Is the grammar similar?
No. Arabic puts the verb first; Hindi puts it last. Hindi gives every noun a gender and has no articles.
Which is easier to read?
The BBC's guide calls Hindi fairly easy to read because words are written as they are pronounced. Arabic adds right-to-left direction and unfamiliar sounds.
Are there official tests for both?
Yes. CIMA certifies Modern Standard Arabic from A1 to C2, and India's Central Hindi Directorate awards a Certificate, a Diploma and an Advance Diploma in Hindi.
Sources: US Department of State, National Foreign Affairs Training Center, Foreign Language Training; BBC Languages, A Guide to Arabic and A Guide to Hindi: 10 facts and Key phrases (archived pages); Institut du monde arabe, CIMA; Al Jazeera Media Network, Learning Arabic; Central Hindi Directorate, Correspondence Courses; High Commission of India, Port of Spain, Hindi learning facilities and LILA. Checked on 13 October 2026. Photo: Clock tower and rooftops of Casablanca, Morocco, elmadani / CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons).
