Introduction

India is a country that is home to many languages. Because of its size and population, it is not surprising that there are hundreds of different languages spoken in India. Some of these include English, Hindi, and Bengali. However, there are also some lesser-known ones such as Punjabi and Kashmiri. The major languages of India can be broken into three categories: Indo-Aryan, Dravidian, and Sino-Tibetan. The first two are both Indo-European languages that are related to each other in some way—but their similarities end there.

What are the major languages of India?

The constitution of India recognizes 22 official languages. Of these, Hindi is the most widely spoken and understood by a large percentage of Indians. It is also one of the official languages used in India’s Parliament.

In this article we will explore 22 major languages spoken in India:

1. Hindi

Hindi is the most widely spoken language in India, with approximately 300 million native speakers. It is also the official language of the Indian government and one of the 22 official languages recognized by its constitution

Hindi uses the Devanagari script and belongs to the Indo-Aryan family of languages.

2. Bengali

Bengali is the third most spoken language in India, with about 200 million native speakers. It’s also the official language of West Bengal, Tripura, Jharkhand, and Bihar.

Bengali was originally written using a script derived from ancient Brahmi but later adapted to the Bengali alphabet. It’s written from left to right.

3. Telugu

Telugu is a South-Central Dravidian language spoken by about 70 million people in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Tamil Nadu. It’s the official language of the state of Andhra Pradesh and one of India’s 22 official languages. It is one of six classical languages, which means it has cultural significance in India (the others being Sanskrit, Pali, Prakrits, Tamil, and Kannada).

4. Marathi

Marathi is the official language of Maharashtra and is spoken by approximately 73 million people, making it the fourth most spoken language in India. It is written in the Devanagari script and has an extensive literary tradition dating back to at least the 12th century CE. The word “Marathi” means “of Maratha.”

In addition to being an official language in Maharashtra, Marathi is also considered a minority language under federal law across several other states including Karnataka (Kannada), and Chattisgarh (Chhattisgarhi), Madhya Pradesh (Malvi), and Goa (Konkani).

5. Tamil

Tamil is a Dravidian language and one of the oldest languages in India. It has a rich literary tradition, including epics like the Ramayana and Mahabharata, and many works of poetry by Sangam poets. Today, Tamil is spoken by over 70 million people in Southern India, as well as some speakers in Sri Lanka and other countries around the world. It is an official language of India (along with Hindi) and also serves as an official language for Tamil Nadu state.

6. Urdu

Urdu is an Indo-Aryan language that is spoken by over 120 million people in the country of Pakistan and India. It is a fusion of Persian and Arabic languages, with some Hindi influences as well. Urdu’s grammar, syntax, and script are similar to those of Farsi (Persian) but have more words than Arabic due to its Islamic origins. Urdu is written in the Arabic alphabet which consists of 28 letters plus short vowels.

7. Gujrati

Gujarati is a member of the Indo-Aryan group of languages, which also includes Hindi and Urdu. It is spoken mainly in the state of Gujrat, but it is also spoken in western India. Gujarati has about 44 million speakers worldwide.

Gujarati is the official language of Gujrat.

8. Kannada

Kannada is a Dravidian language spoken by about 70 million people. It’s the official language of Karnataka, one of India’s southern states and home to its capital city, Bangalore. The Kannada language has been spoken for more than 2,000 years and continues to evolve with new words being added each day.

Kannada is one of the most ancient languages in the world. It was spoken by people who lived in what’s now modern-day Tamil Nadu (the southeast coastal area) even before the Brahmi script was invented! Kannada was also used as a writing system for Sanskrit from around the 6th century CE until around the 10th century CE when other scripts such as Devanagari replaced it (nowadays many people still use Kannada along with Devanagari).

The beauty of this beautiful language lies not only in its rich history but also in its romantic tone.

9. Malayalam

Malayalam is a language spoken in the southern Indian state of Kerala and by the majority of the people in the state. Malayalam’s native speakers make up nearly 36 million people and those who speak it as a second language make up another 30 million, according to Ethnologue.

Malayalam is similar to both Tamil and Kannada, which are also Dravidian languages (the family of languages spoken by most people living in South India). All three languages have developed from Proto-Tamil-Malayalam, an old form of Tamil that was spoken 2,000 years ago. Malayalam has also borrowed words from other languages like Sanskrit, Arabic, and English over time.

10. Oriya

Oriya is spoken by about 44 million people, most of whom live in Odisha. It is an Indo-Aryan language, which means that it shares linguistic roots with Hindi and Bengali. Oriya is written in the Devanagari script and uses a number of diacritic marks to indicate stress and other nuances of pronunciation.

In addition to being an official language in Odisha, it’s also one of two official languages in Jharkhand (alongside Hindi) as well as one of several “scheduled” languages under Indian law (meaning that there are many more speakers than speakers who consider it their primary language).

11. Punjabi

Punjabi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken in Punjab, India, and Pakistan. It is the official language of Punjab, India, and is one of the 22 official languages of India.

 

12. Assamese

Assamese is a language spoken in the Indian states of Assam and Meghalaya. It is an official language of Assam and India, with about 12 million speakers. It is also one of the oldest languages of India, with written records dating back to the 8th century CE.

13. Kashmiri

Kashmiri is the official language of Jammu and Kashmir, a state in northern India. It is a member of the Indo-Aryan language family, which also includes Hindi and Punjabi.

Kashmiri is spoken by  Kashmiri Pandits (a Hindu caste), as well as Muslims of the state. The language has been strongly influenced by Persian and Arabic due to centuries of contact with Central Asia, particularly during Mughal rule in South Asia (1526–1857).

 14. Sindhi

Sindhi is a language of the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-Iranian group of languages. Written in Devanagari script, it’s spoken by over 35 million people in Pakistan and India. Sindhi gained its independence from Hindi during an earlier period than Urdu did; this has led to some differences between the two languages, though they’re still considered to be related.

Although many people speak other languages and dialects as well, Sindhi is widely regarded as one of the major languages of India and Pakistan—a status earned by its rich history dating back over 2,000 years.

15. Sanskrit

Sanskrit is the language of ancient India, used for religious texts in Hinduism and Buddhism. It has a rich literary history and it is often compared to Latin as one of the most important classical languages in the world.

In its heyday, Sanskrit had great influence over other languages in South Asia including Telugu, Tamil, and Hindi/Urdu (although these modern forms are not considered to be part of Classical Sanskrit).

16. Dogri

Dogri is a language spoken in the Jammu region of India and by some people who live in Pakistan. Dogri has two major dialects: Kangri and Jammu Dogri. The former is considered more literary while the latter is used for everyday communication. It is a Central Pahari language closely related to Punjabi.

There are about 2 million speakers of Dogri in India today. It is one of 22 scheduled languages spoken in India. It is also spoken by people outside of the country including Pakistan’s Azad Kashmir region. Dogri has some similarities with Punjabi, another language spoken in this area.

The language was recognized as an official language in India in 2011.

17. Maithili

Maithili is a language spoken in the Indian states of Bihar and Jharkhand. There are about 10 million speakers of Maithili worldwide. It is an Indo-Aryan language closely related to Bihari, another dialect used in this area. The script used for writing Maithili is Devanagari, which is also used for Hindi and Nepali.

18. Nepalese

Nepalese is an Indo-European language spoken in Nepal and parts of India, and Bhutan. There are about 13 million speakers of the language worldwide. The script used for writing Nepalese is Devanagari, which is also used for Hindi and Maithili. It is closely related to other languages spoken in this part of Asia including Tibetan, Chinese, and Assamese. Nepalese is one of the major languages of India and also the main language of Nepal.

19. Bodo

Bodo is an Indo-European language spoken by about 4 million people in the state of Assam in India. The majority of its speakers live in the districts of Kokrajhar and Bongaigaon, where it is considered to be a major official language. It is also spoken in parts of Bangladesh and Bhutan.

20. Manipur (also known as Meitei)

Manipur is a Sino-Tibetan language spoken by about 3 million people in the Indian states of Manipur and Mizoram. It is also used as an official language in both states. It is closely related to other languages spoken in this part of Asia including Tibetan, Chinese, and Assamese.

21. Santali

Santali is a language spoken by about 2 million people in India. It is mostly spoken in states of Jharkhand and West Bengal. It is also used as an official language in the state of Jharkhand, where it is considered to be one of two main languages along with Hindi. Santali belongs to the Munda family of languages, which includes other tribal vernaculars including Mundari, Ho, and Kurukh.

22. Konkani

Konkani is a language spoken by about 3.7 million people in India, mostly in the state of Goa. It is also spoken by some people in the nearby states of Maharashtra and Karnataka. The language belongs to the Indo-European family of languages and is closely related to Marathi, another Indo-Aryan language that is used widely throughout India.

Conclusion

There are many other languages spoken in India that aren’t included on this list. These are the most spoken and best-known ones, but don’t let that stop you from learning about others. Each of these major languages has a variety of different dialects, some written with different scripts or writing systems (such as Persian and Urdu). There are also alphabets associated with each language—for example, Hindi uses Devanagari script while Tamil uses Tamil script.

The major languages of India are not just the most spoken languages in the country, they represent a large part of India’s culture and history. They also help to define modern Indian society and politics.

 

We hope that this article has given you a good overview of the major languages of India.

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