Hindi Diwas 2022: 8 Hindi words that are now part of Oxford Dictionary

Hindi is a versatile language and is often hailed for its simplicity and spontaneity. Several Hindi words, as well as other Indian words, are now a part Oxford dictionary. On Hindi Diwas 2022, we take a look at such Hindi words which are now in the English dictionary.

Pic: Pixabay (representational purposes)

New Delhi: 'Hindi Diwas' is being celebrated today (September 14, 2022)  as Prime Minister Narendra Modi greeted people on the occasion and highlighted how the language attracts so many people because of its simplicity and spontaneity. Well, we think so too. There are so many words that people who don't even speak the language have picked up and used on a regular basis. That's probably why there are many Hindi words that have been added to the Oxford Dictionary! Here's a list of a few of them:

Jugaad

In 2017, the word was added to Oxford Dictionary. The dictionary describes the word as "a flexible approach to problem-solving that uses limited resources in an innovative way". Well, isn't it our favourite word?

Dadagiri

This popularly used word was also added to the Oxford Dictionary in the same year. The Oxford dictionary translates the meaning of this word to "the act of using strength and power to frighten or hurt weaker people."

Jungle

One of the most commonly used words in Hindi and English is Jungle, which was one of the very few first words to be picked up from India by the Oxford dictionary. The word originated from Sanskrit and came to the English language via Hindi.

Chamcha

Well, this one is everyone's favourite, it's a very regularly used Hindi word and has been described by the dictionary as "a person who tries too hard to please somebody, especially somebody who is important".

Chakka Jam

This one was also added to the dictionary in 2017. The dictionary describes the word as "a protest in which people block a road or cause a traffic jam."

Didi

Another word we commonly use as Hindi speakers! Oxford describes it as simple as it gets - "older female cousin".

Achcha

Oxford added this word among 90 other words it picked from various languages in India in 2017. The dictionary describes the word as "used to show that the speaker agrees with, accepts, understands, etc. something."

Timepass

To all those who thought it was an actual English word, you're wrong! There wasn`t any such English word in the dictionary until 2017. The dictionary describes the word as "the action of spending time doing something, especially something that has no aim or is not very useful".

Few other words that the English dictionary picked are - Bas, Jhuggi, Funda, Nivas, Gully, Natak, Sevak, Sevika, Chup, Surya Namaskar, Desh, Diya, Bada Din among many others.