EkGuru › Learn Hindi › Topics › Hindi and Urdu
Two scripts, two vocabularies, one spoken language.
At the level of ordinary conversation, Hindi and Urdu are the same language. A Hindi speaker from Delhi and an Urdu speaker from Lahore discussing the weather, food or directions are not translating; they are talking.
The differences are real and they sit in two places. The script: Hindi uses Devanagari, left to right, with vowels written explicitly; Urdu uses a Perso-Arabic script in the Nastaliq style, right to left, with short vowels usually omitted. And the formal vocabulary: as the register rises, Hindi reaches for Sanskrit and Urdu for Persian and Arabic. A Hindi news bulletin uses प्रदेश, कार्यक्रम, राष्ट्रपति; an Urdu one uses different words entirely for the same ideas.
The practical consequences are worth spelling out. An Urdu speaker learning Hindi is not learning to speak — they are learning a script and a formal vocabulary, which is a much shorter project than any course will tell them. A learner who only wants to speak can pick either and be understood across both. And a learner who wants to read must choose, because the scripts share nothing.
The linguistic term for the shared spoken language is Hindustani.
Reading gets you the grammar. Speaking is the part that only happens with another human. EkGuru tutors are native Hindi speakers in India who teach one to one over video — no group classes, no subscription.
Find a Hindi Guru Free Hindi guides