Having worked with many people from India and Pakistan in the 1990s, I was often fascinated by words that sounded Arabic in origin. When asking about the meaning, they were indeed Arabic. And I could detect more words in the few Hindi Bollywood movies that I have seen as well.
Arabic influence on Hindi may have been via several avenues. One was via Farsi (Persian) as an intermediate, having been the language of the court for the Mughal emperors. Another was through Muslim scholars using these words from Arabic texts and they made their way into the vernacular.
Whatever the avenues are, here are some words that I did recognize, with the Arabic spelling and Arabic meaning, which the Hindi derives from, but may deviate somewhat from.
waqt = وقت = time
admi = آدمي = human being
insaan = انسان = human being
takriban = تقريبا = approximately, almost
leken = لكن = but
shaitan = شيطان = devil, satan
mabhoom = مبهوم = hidden, unknown future event
shukriya = شكر = thank you, not an exact copy, "ya" is added
khabar = خبر = news item
akhbar = اخبار = plural of above
ajab = عجب = wonder, strange occurrence
ajib = عجيب = strange, derived from above root
ajaib = عجايب = plural of ajab, same root. Punjabi/Sikh name
aql = عقل = mind, intellect
dimag = دماغ = intellect in Hindi, though the Arabic word could mean "head", "skull", and "brain" as well
azam = عظم = great
azmat = عظمة = greatness, derived from above root
silsila = سلسلة = chain, Hindi = series of events
mushkil = مشكل = problem, unclear
hal = حال = condition, state
mahabat = محبة = love
kharab = خراب = destruction
bilkol = بالكل = "all of it", derives from كل
ya3ni = يعني = which means, meaning, also a "conversation filler"
intezar = انتظار = waiting for
mohtaram = محترم = respected
mukarram = مكرم = from كرم karam, generosity
sahib = صاحب = companion, friend, used as Mister in Hindi
adab = آداب = good manners
adat = عادات = customs
aynak = عين = from eye (ain), means spectacles in Hindi
akhir = آخر = the end
alam = عالم = universe
alim = عالم = scholar, scientist, learned person
asal = أصل = origin
asali = أصلي = original
ashiq = عاشق = lover
aziz = عزيز = dear
filhal = فى الحال = currently, at the moment
marhoom = مرحوم = is often used when referring to people who have passed on not unlike allah yarhamuh. Same usage as in rural Egypt
kalam = كلام = speech, especially the words of a poet
qalam = قلم = pen
kursi = كرسي = chair
ijazat = اجازة = permission
hayat = حياة = life
Ishq = عشق = deep love, extreme passion
saltanat = سلطنة = kingdom
qubul = قبول = agree
matlab = مطلب = concern, meaning
mashhoor = مشهور = famous, known
hirasat = حراسة = guarding
khass = خاص = special, distinct
takleef = تكليف = orders given, mission
dunya = دنيا = world
Maut = موت = death
Dukaan = دكان = store
Jeeb = جيب = pocket
sahee = صحيح = correct/right
murabba = مربى = jam, fruit preserve
There are also words that are what language teachers call "false friends" :
gharib (غريب), for example, usually means poor and not "strange, foreign" though it can also mean the latter in certain contexts, e.g. عجيب و غريب.
This is not unlike in the Middle East where gharib also means "stranger, foreigner, wanderer, someone with unknown origin/domicile".
There is also a Hindi/Urdu to English dictionary which allows input in Arabic characters.
Thanks to Junaid Quadri and Prathibha Juturu for additional words (now included above).
If you know some more words in Hindi that are Arabic, please post them below in the comments ...
Comments
GIDEON (not verified)
Another word that originated from Arabic
Thu, 2020/08/20 - 12:14baad - بعد - after (बाद)
Gideon (not verified)
Another word that has originated from Arabic/Persian
Fri, 2020/08/21 - 10:12तारीख़ (tārīx) = Borrowed from Persian تاریخ (târix), from Arabic تَارِيخ (tārīḵ)
Anaya (not verified)
Language Origins
Mon, 2021/02/01 - 23:53Hindi is an entirely different language that DOES not include words from Arabic. What they are calling Hindi is actually Urdu. These words listed here are used in the Urdu language people refer to as Hindi which is not correct. Urdu is comprised or words from Arabic, Turkish, and Farsi. Most Definitely Farsi had a great influence on languages in India and particularly Urdu which is a popular and well known language spoken by many in India and in Pakistan. The languages and sings in Bollywood songs is actually Urdu not Hindi.
Pallav (not verified)
Exactly, and while people may
Fri, 2021/04/09 - 22:23Exactly, and while people may say that cultural exchange is a good thing for keeping a language lively. There could be a pitfall, when cultural exchange becomes one sided. It is clear that Arabic did not took any word in their own vocabulary, this shows their language bigotry back in middle ages, when they had close contacts with India and other nations through trade and travel. Today, if a linguistics expert tries to reaserch on foreign influence on Arabic language, he can find a sort of feeling of Bigotry and superiority in their mind. I am surprised even cloves, ginger, mango, and other spices and berries have different Arabic names. Means, they might have purged Hindi/Indian names of the objects of Indian origin and put their own labels. Such kind of Extremism is well observed in their medieval books. As One Aalim notes, "The Indian Zubaan defiles our Arabic Zubaan with which we can not even read holy Qur'an". So such was the bigotry back in their heydays. We must look at this dark side of Arabs, who in their fit of superiority feeling destroyed other developed cultures. Even for Persian, which sudden demise in 7th century was revived after 200 years with the efforts of Poets like Firdausi, Asjadi who purged out Arabic from their writings.
Now, to feel the side effects one must read Medieval Books written by Hindu written. You would surprise to know that many of the Hindi words are not spoken today, intact forgotten because these words are effectively replaced by their Arabic, Persian equivalents and hence, left in oblivion. So, bringing a new foreign word in your language at the cost of equivalent native word is definitely like supressing your language.
And that is why most Hindus have to check Sanskrit dictionary while reading Sanskrit texts.
Khalid
The bigotry is evident ... yours ...
Thu, 2021/04/15 - 23:34What is very clear is the bigotry that you show. You have invented a narrative that suits your bigotry, and seeking confirmation for it.
Your post is full of ignorance, and misinformation. I will not dignify it with an intellectual refutation.
Pallav Arora (not verified)
"The narrative that suits my bigotry"
Thu, 2023/01/05 - 14:201. The post is not full of ignorance, as you are trying to paint it :
When I say none of the Indian origin spices and fruits names were retained in Arabic language, no scientific terms, no technological things nothing was retained, then it is true. You may very well recall the names of those products to verify my statement. While at the same time, Ancient Greeks, Romans and Europeans retained Indian names or coined new name from India such as Cardamom, Pepper, ginger etc or sometimes Arabicized names such as saffron, tamarind etc were also borrowed. Even the Indian steel imported from south India was renamed as Damascus steel. Instead of noticing the bigotry of Arabs, you are blaming me for alluding to the genuine trait they continued to show through out entire medieval period. Have you ever asked yourself why were they doing so? its not about India alone, but China and South East Asia had faced same issue as well. Everybody knows that Arabs had firm control over entire maritime trade with the east at least unto 16th century, in such circumstances all exotic oriental products were passing through Arab hands and they were selling it with their own fabricated Arab names.
2. My earlier post was not intended to provide an information on the topic but to bring out other less talked side of the Arabic mindset to the attention of the readers. One may ponder why it happened that ancient Egyptian culture and its language all perished during Arab occupation? not only Egypt but Libya, Algeria had the same fate. The country of Berbers also left their own proud culture and language? why people of Morocco who were descendant of Phoenician merchants and had great impact on Mediterranean trade, all succumbed to the Arabic nomad culture? Why Persian language was on the verge of extinction in the core of Persia and why their own script is dead now?
It is always very easy to dive deep into the history and look into the only good influence of your culture over the others, while at the same time nobody wants to talk about the means of those influences because that is the dark and painful side which can give a hard time.
I do not blame Arabs for such heinous acts but faith they believed in. They truly brought havoc to the place they reached and promised a false aim to the newly converted population. As far as I remember, the first task of the Arabs after a victory was to convert locals to fortify their stronghold position. Umar did this in Persian heartland, Kasim did this in the Sindh region and others did this in Egypt, West African coast.The newly converted people were great resources to be recruited in frontier armies for further invasions in far distant lands. This is how Arab commanders could reached upto the Chinese borders. (one may notice Muslim natives of Xinjiang, the early converts of Arabs). Since the population of middle east and Arab has never been enough to support multiple expeditions at multiple fronts. When we appraise such acts everywhere we tend to attach this common trait with an ideology. In this case it is very clearly visible.
In my earliest post I talked about the denial mode most Muslims are possessed with, and I see you are one of them. Its almost 75 Years have passed since the Partition of India on the name of Islam, Most Muslims in Indian continent do not want to feel sorry for the evil deeds their ancestors had done on the name of their faith. In fact, many take great inspiration and great pride on those work and also want to repeat it. This is another example of Denial mode and why they do so? because if they deny one, there are numerous other acts they will have to deny which may raise a question, why there are so many examples of evil in a single faith.. and this is very hard to explicate. (In case you want to know how, read several Persian and Urdu poems on Somnath and Kaba).
I am sure you perhaps not dignify my reply with your intellectual refutation but in case you want to, please bring forth some more FACTS to justify your refutation.
Khalid
You are still an ignorant bigot ...
Sun, 2023/01/08 - 17:16Years pass, and your ignorance and bigotry still shows ...
You formed a narrative based on lies, and just parrot it like it is facts ...
Simple facts show that your basic premise is flawed, and based on false assumptions:
1. Arabic has borrowed from other languages.
Even the Quran itself has non-Arabic words, that were incorporated in Arabic before the time of the Quran. These include:
Sundus سندس and Istabraq استبرق (from Persian)
Dirham درهم and Firdaws فردوس (from Greek)
Taha طه (from Syriac)
And there is much more incorporated in everyday Arabic, and more making it into Arabic over the centuries ...
Borrowing from other languages always goes both ways.
Arabic is no exception, and neither is Hindi.
2. Languages that you claim do not exist are still in use today, many centuries after Arabic was introduced:
Egyptian still exists as Coptic (the liturgical language of the Coptic Orthodox Church). Like all languages, it changed over the centuries. It was a major tool in Francois Champollion's deciphering of hieroglyphs using the Rosetta Stone.
Languages of pre-Islamic native Libya, Algeria and Morocco still exist, and even see a revival in Morocco (where it is now recognized as an official language). Search for Berber Languages and inform yourself.
So as you see, simple facts contradict your ignorant and bigoted narrative.
I would provide more info, but you are not an open minded person looking for an intellectual discussion based on fact and logic. You are just a bigot going on a screed of perceived grievances with no basis in fact.
Anonymous (not verified)
Indian should should avoid
Tue, 2021/05/04 - 19:03Indian should should avoid using these word. As it promotes one religion and india is secular country
Imene (not verified)
How impressive , I've found
Fri, 2021/06/04 - 15:37How impressive , I've found an other word
Museebat
मुसीबत مصيبة in arabic and it means big problem.
Thank you
Sanyal (not verified)
बस! (enough!)
Sat, 2024/05/11 - 15:29बस! (enough!)
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