Linguists consider Hindi and Urdu to be dialects of the same language. Together Hindi/Urdu is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world.

Hindi is spoken by at least 350 million people as their first language and by about 600 million people in all, in India and also in diaspora, and Urdu is spoken by approximately 70 million people as their first language and by around 200 million people in all, in Pakistan and India as well as diaspora. Students of Hindi/Urdu will gain insights into culture and society in India and Pakistan, including South Asian music and cinema, traditional poetry, and modern writers.

UC Davis currently offers two years of Hindi/Urdu (elementary and intermediate level). Students of Hindi/Urdu will also find a wide range of courses on the cultures of South Asia at UC Davis. Learning Hindi/Urdu can be a rewarding and useful part of preparation for a wide range of careers in the private, public, or non-profit sectors.

Language Placement Exam

ME/SA Studies and the Hindi/Urdu program require that students who have not previously taken Hindi/Urdu at UC Davis, but have prior experience or study of Hindi/Urdu elsewhere, take the Hindi/Urdu Placement Test at the UC Davis Language Center (https://llc.ucdavis.edu). Students who have no experience of Hindi-Urdu or previous coursework do not need a placement test, and should simply enroll in Hindi/Urdu 001.

Grading in Beginning Language Courses