I watched the newly released film Lion last week, and found that my ears perked during the scenes with Hindi dialogue. "Qamees" ... "Kitab"? These hindi words sound just like Arabic. 

I looked into the history shortly after (thanks Wiki), and there were no surprises there. Islamic empires were steeped in cultural exchanges with India for hundreds of years. It is a process known as syncretism , or the blending of cultures. 

As The Economist puts it, Arabic and Hindi seem to be "joined at birth."

Here are some Hindi words that are also Arabic. 

1. Waqt (time): वक़्त

Although there are various ways "time" can be said in Hindi, there is one particular case that sounds exactly like the Arabic word for time: waqt (وقت). 


2. Qamees (shirt): क़मीस

In Hindi, "qamisa" is a slight variation of the Arabic word for shirt, qamees (قميص). 

3. Kitaab (book): किताब

The word for book in both Arabic and Hindi sound exactly the same. They are in fact pronounced the same way, too. 

4. Naseeb (fate): नसीब

I wonder if single Indian ladies also resort to saying there's no "naseeb" when they're pestered with questions about their relationship status. 

5. Kursee (chair): कुर्सी

The word "kursee" is pronounced slightly different in Arabic and Hindi. That doesn't mean the similarity will go unnoticed. 

6. Hisab (calculation): हिसाब

Hisaab! It's not a surprise that India and Arabs have this word in common. 

After all, Persian mathematician Al-Khawarizmi made legendary achivements during his lifetime in the field. 

Important contributions in the past were also made my Indian scholars including Aryabhata and Nilakantha Somayaji. 

In more recent history, Indian Srinivasa Ramanujan made substantial contributions to mathematics as a whole during his short lifetime before he died at the age of 33. 

7. Qanoon (law): क़ानून

When it comes to the law, there's no messing around. There is no difference in pronunciation between Arabic and Hindi when it comes to "qanoon."

8. Akhabar (news): ख़बर

9. Dunya (world): दुनिया

Between India and the Arab world, there's a whole "world" of cultural overlap that goes far beyond these nine words!