· 7 min read
Hindi vs Urdu: Which Should You Learn?
By Language Lab editorial team
Hindi vs Urdu compared: almost identical in everyday speech, written in different scripts. See vocabulary, speakers, official courses and how to choose.
Hindi and Urdu are closer than almost any other pair of languages you could compare. The BBC's guide to Urdu says spoken Urdu and Hindi are almost identical at the day-to-day functional level, apart from certain words. The difference is on the page. Hindi is written from left to right in the Devanagari script, with words spelled as they are pronounced; Urdu is written from right to left in a 52-character alphabet closely related to Arabic and Persian. The US State Department lists both in Category III, at about 44 weeks or 1,012 class hours for English speakers. Hindi is the official language of India, Urdu of Pakistan. So the real choice is which script, and which country, you need first. Learning one gives you most of the other's speech.
Side by side
| Hindi | Urdu | |
|---|---|---|
| State Department category | Category III, hard languages | Category III, hard languages |
| Class time | About 44 weeks (1,012 class hours) | About 44 weeks (1,012 class hours) |
| Script | Devanagari | An alphabet closely related to Arabic and Persian |
| Direction | Left to right | Right to left |
| Spelling and sound | Words written as they are pronounced | Pronunciation not always regular; short vowels often unmarked |
| Official language of | India, alongside English | Pakistan, alongside English |
| Speakers, by the BBC's guides | Nearly 425 million first-language speakers | Close to 100 million speakers worldwide |
| Noun gender | All nouns masculine or feminine | Each noun masculine or feminine |
How similar are they?
In speech, very. The BBC's guide to Urdu calls Hindi the closest relation of Urdu and says that after learning Urdu you will find it much easier to speak and understand Hindi. Its guide to Hindi says the same from the other side: it is easy for Hindi speakers to speak Urdu, but very difficult to read Urdu text, because of the script. Written Hindi, the Urdu guide adds, will remain a mystery to someone who has learned only Urdu.
Where they differ
Script
- Hindi is written from left to right. The BBC's guide calls it fairly easy to read, because each character has a different sound and words are written as they are pronounced.
- Urdu is written from right to left, with 39 basic letters and 13 extra characters. The placement of a dot can change one letter into another, and the marks for short vowels are often left off, so the reader works out the pronunciation from context.
- The Urdu script is over 90% similar to the Persian and Arabic scripts, so it also helps you read those alphabets. Hindi's script is shared with Nepali.
Vocabulary
- Hindi is described by the BBC's guide as a direct descendant of Sanskrit, enriched by Turkish, Persian, Arabic, Portuguese, English and South Indian languages.
- Urdu borrows about 40% of its vocabulary from Arabic and Persian.
- Both use many English words: doctor, station and train in Hindi; science, court and library in Urdu.
Politeness
Both separate formal from informal address. The BBC's guide to Urdu lists three words for you: tu, tum and the formal aap. The Hindi key phrases show the same pair in use: Aap kaise hain? is the formal how are you, and Tum kaise ho? the informal.
The same phrases in both
| English | Hindi | Urdu |
|---|---|---|
| Hello | Namaste | Assalam-o-Alekum |
| Thank you | Dhanyavad | Shukria |
| Yes | Haan | Jee haan |
| No | Nahin | Jee nahin |
| How are you? | Aap kaise hain? | Aap kaiseh hain? |
| My name is ... | Mera naam ... hai | Mera naam... hay |
| Pleased to meet you | Aapse milkar khushi huyee | Aap say milkar khushi hoee |
Both columns are in English letters, as the BBC's two guides give them, and each guide uses its own spelling. Read them aloud and the last three rows are plainly the same sentences. The first rows show where everyday words diverge.
Where each is spoken
- Hindi: the official language of India, with English. The BBC's guide gives nearly 425 million first-language speakers and around 120 million second-language speakers, and names Hindi as the main language of states across north and central India. It is also spoken in Mauritius, Fiji, Suriname, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago and Nepal.
- Urdu: the official language of Pakistan, a status it shares with English, and spoken by close to 100 million people around the world by the BBC guide's estimate. It is also spoken and understood in parts of India, including parts of Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Kashmir, Bhopal and Hyderabad.
- Both sets of figures come from archived BBC guides, so treat them as orders of magnitude, not current counts.
Courses and certificates
| Hindi | Urdu | |
|---|---|---|
| Official course in India | Central Hindi Directorate: Certificate, Diploma and Advance Diploma, one year each, by correspondence | National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language: One Year Diploma Course in the Urdu Language |
| Taught through | English, Tamil, Malayalam or Bangla for the Certificate course | Hindi or English |
| Starts | Each July | 1 April each year |
| Cost | US$50 a session for foreign students on the Certificate or Diploma course | Rs. 350 for a direct individual learner |
| School qualifications in the UK | Not covered in the sources used here | GCSE Urdu and A level Urdu |
How to choose
- Your work, study, travel or family is in India: Hindi.
- Your work, study, travel or family is in Pakistan: Urdu.
- You want a script that matches the sound: Hindi.
- You also want to read Arabic or Persian letters later: Urdu.
- You mainly want to speak and understand: either. Everyday speech is almost identical, so choose by the people you will talk to.
- You want both: learn to speak once, then add the second script. That is far less work than two separate languages.
Language Lab offers both. Its Hindi and Urdu courses are built around voiced real-life scenarios with an AI tutor.
Frequently asked
Are Hindi and Urdu the same language?
In everyday speech they are almost identical, by the BBC's guide to Urdu, apart from certain words. They are written in different scripts and are the official languages of different countries.
What is the main difference between Hindi and Urdu?
The script. Hindi is written left to right in Devanagari. Urdu is written right to left in an alphabet closely related to Arabic and Persian.
Is Urdu harder than Hindi?
The US State Department lists both in Category III at about 44 weeks. The BBC's guides suggest Hindi's script is easier for a beginner, because words are written as they are pronounced.
If I learn Hindi, can I understand Urdu?
Largely, in speech. The BBC's guide to Hindi says it is easy for Hindi speakers to speak Urdu but very difficult to read Urdu text.
Which has more speakers, Hindi or Urdu?
Hindi. The BBC's archived guides give nearly 425 million first-language speakers for Hindi and close to 100 million speakers for Urdu.
Should I learn Hindi or Urdu first?
The one whose script and country you need. Whichever you choose, most of the spoken language carries over to the other.
Sources: BBC Languages, A Guide to Hindi and A Guide to Urdu: 10 facts, Key phrases and The Urdu alphabet (archived pages); US Department of State, National Foreign Affairs Training Center, Foreign Language Training; Central Hindi Directorate, Correspondence Courses; High Commission of India, Port of Spain, Hindi learning facilities; National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language, Diploma in Urdu Language; AQA, GCSE Urdu 8648; Pearson, Edexcel A level Urdu. Checked on 13 October 2026. Photo: Gateway of the Bara Imambara, Lucknow, Divyansh.verma1 / CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons).
