Hindi is a language — one of the most widely spoken in India, written in the Devanagari script. Hindu describes a person who follows Hinduism, or something relating to that religion. They are not connected in the way the spelling suggests: a Hindu need not speak Hindi, and millions of Hindi speakers are not Hindu.
The core difference
- Hindi — a language, written in Devanagari and spoken across much of northern India.
- Hindu — a person who follows Hinduism, or an adjective relating to that religion.
One names a language, the other a religious identity, and they do not map onto each other. Hindi speakers include Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians and others; Hindus live across India and worldwide speaking many different languages.
Why the words look alike
Both trace back to the river Indus and to Hind, the Persian name for the land beyond it. From that single geographical root the language name and the religious name developed separately — which is why they resemble each other without being related in meaning.
Related words
Hindustani refers to the shared spoken form underlying Hindi and Urdu. Hinduism is the religion itself. Indian is a nationality and is wider than either — it covers citizens of India of every faith and language.
Frequently asked questions
Do all Hindus speak Hindi?
No. Hindus speak many languages across India and around the world. Language and religion are independent here.
Is Hindi a religion?
No. Hindi is a language. The religion is Hinduism, and a follower of it is a Hindu.
Why do the two words look so similar?
Both go back to Hind, the Persian name for the land beyond the river Indus. The language name and the religious name grew from that same geographical root separately.