A Guide to the Languages of India

The languages of India open a window into the culture, history, religions, and identity of over 1.4 billion people in one of the world’s most linguistically diverse nations. Walk through a bustling marketplace, and you’ll hear the melodic sounds of Bengali, the rolling cadence of Tamil, and the rhythmic flow of Hindi – all within the same city block.

The linguistic diversity is staggering. According to the 2011 Census, the nation is home to 1,369 recognized Indian languages, spoken with over 1,000 dialects across the country. And that’s just a fraction of the nearly twenty thousand linguistic affiliations reported. These linguistic affiliations reflect deep historical roots, diverse language families, and regional variations shaped by centuries of colonialism and cultural exchange.

Each Indian language tells its own story – forged by centuries of trade, migration, and empire-building. Today, this linguistic richness is woven into daily life, where neighbors, coworkers, or even family members often grow up speaking different native tongues.

With so many different languages in India, how does everyone communicate? Is there an official language of India? And what are the most spoken languages on the subcontinent?

Let’s dive in.

Understanding the Official Language of India

With so many languages spoken in India, how does a nation of over a billion people ensure smooth communication for the people’s business, such as government, law, and administration? When a country’s linguistic diversity confounds communication with the government, an official language is established to safeguard the clear exchange of vital information.

When India won independence from Great Britain in 1947, it was a vast, diverse, and fragmented nation – a mosaic of languages, religions, ethnic groups, and cultures all coming together under a newly sovereign state. Seeking to unify its disparate peoples, the constitution adopted in 1950 declared Hindi as the official language of India, with English as a secondary official language for no longer than fifteen years. The goal was to establish an indigenous Indian language as the primary medium of government and administration while gradually phasing out English and its colonial legacy.

Responding to growing unrest among non-Hindi-speaking states, the government passed the Official Languages Act of 1963, ensuring the continued use of English alongside Hindi as an official language of India. Today, major news organizations typically report in both Hindi and English to ensure greater coverage. Bollywood films and radio, however, frequently mix the two, reflecting the multilingual reality of daily life in India.

Is There a National Language of India?

So, since Hindi and English are the official languages, that must mean they’re also the national languages of India, right? Or maybe just Hindi, since it’s an indigenous Indian language, spoken by the largest segment of society and dominates Bollywood films?

Here’s the twist – there is no national language of India at all!

An official language is chosen for government, law, and administration so the wheels of bureaucracy turn smoothly. That’s why Hindi and English were chosen as the official languages of India. However, a national language is a symbolic choice meant to represent a country’s cultural or national identity. Valuing its linguistic diversity and cultural inclusion, India never declared one language to represent the entire nation.

When India gained independence, the movement to declare Hindi the national language of India sparked intense resistance from non-Hindi-speaking states. Many feared their own languages and cultures would be sidelined. Rather than forcing a single language on a country bursting with linguistic diversity, India ensures that all its major languages are recognized and valued.

So, while Hindi and English remain the official languages of India, the country has never defined itself so narrowly. Instead, the Indian people speak in a chorus of languages, reflecting its rich, complex, and beautifully diverse culture.

The Most Common Languages Spoken in India

With 1,369 recognized languages and over a thousand dialects, India boasts astonishing linguistic diversity. But not all languages are spoken equally, of course. Some are regional, some are fading, and others dominate daily life for millions.

According to the 2011 Census, Hindi is by far the most widely spoken of the languages of India, with over 43% of the population identifying it as their mother tongue. However, that still means more than half the nation speaks something else!

Several other Indian languages have tens of millions of speakers, while still others have far fewer speakers but retain a rich literary and cultural heritage. Therefore, the Indian Constitution recognizes 22 scheduled languages drawn from the most commonly spoken tongues and those with deep historical and linguistic significance.

The scheduled languages of India are:

Assamese
Bengali
Bodo
Dogri
Gujarati
Hindi
Kannada
Kashmiri
Konkani
Maithili
Malayalam
Manipuri
Marathi
Nepali
Odia
Punjabi
Sanskrit
Santali
Sindhi
Tamil
Telugu
Urdu

These Indian languages span multiple language families, including Indo-Aryan (the largest), Dravidian, Tibeto-Burman, and Austroasiatic.

While these 22 languages have official recognition, millions of Indians speak non-scheduled languages as well – from tribal dialects to regional languages that didn’t make the official list.

So, what are the most spoken languages of India?

Based on the 2011 Census, the top 10 most spoken languages in India by percentage of the population are:

Hindi – 43.63%
Bengali – 8.3%
Marathi – 6.83%
Telugu – 6.7%
Tamil – 5.7%
Gujarati – 4.58%
Urdu – 4.19%
Kannada – 3.61%
Odia – 3.1%
Malayalam – 2.88%

This ranking accounts only for native speakers of each Indian language. If we include those who speak each language as their second or third tongue, Hindi’s percentage would be even higher, as it is widely used as a lingua franca across much of India.

Embracing the Linguistic Diversity of India

The languages of India reflect the nation’s rich cultural heritage, history, and identity. Whether you want to connect with its people, explore its literature, or deepen your understanding of its culture and traditions, learning an Indian language is the perfect gateway.
With Pimsleur’s language courses, you can start speaking Hindi, Urdu, or Punjabi with confidence – using an immersive, conversation-based approach designed to help you learn naturally. After all, आज का किया गया प्रयास, कल की सफलता बनता है (aaj ka kiya gaya prayaas, kal ki safalta banta hai). Or, in English, today’s effort becomes tomorrow’s success!