I was at a child’s birthday party recently and a group of people, including me, were gathered in their living room when I overheard someone say, “What’s the difference between shukriya and dhanyavaad?” I didn’t chime in immediately because I didn’t know her and other people within proximity did. But when nobody said anything, I did respond, “Urdu vs. Hindi. Shukriya is Urdu”. She and a few others, “Ohhhh…”.
At the party, I left my answer at that. But, here, I will go into more detail. Shukriya and Dhanyavaad both mean thank you. But they differ in tone and flavor.
Shukriya
Shukriya is actually Urdu but used in everyday conversational Hindi as well as our ever-important Bollywood songs. The root is Shukr = gratitude.
Shukriya is the equivalent of “thanks” and “thank you”. Thanking Uncle at the Indian grocery store, thanking your friend for bringing a cake to your party = shukriya.
Dhanyavaad
Dhanyavaad comes from Sanskrit and = dhanya + vaad
Dhanya = blessed
Vaad = speech/words
Dhanyavaad is more formal and pure Hindi; so it’s used in speeches, Hindi news, formal settings or when you want to sound extra polite or respectful.
Dhanyavaad is the equivalent of “thank you so much” and “My sincere thanks”.
Thanking the audience at the end of a speech = dhanyavaad.
What about thanking an elder? You can go either way. If you want to be very formal, very polite go with dhanyavaad as shukriya is generally considered comparatively informal.
Uses of Shukriya vs. Dhanyavaad
You may have heard variations of Shukriya i.e.
- Shukar hai ke hum baarish se bach gayye = Thank goodness we were saved from the rain.
- Main aapka shukriyada karna chahta hoon = I want to thank you.
- Shukravaar = Friday in Hindi.
At first you might think that makes sense because…thank God it’s Friday! But that’s not where it comes from. Shukravaar = Shukra + vaar
All 7 days of the week are named after planets and celestial bodies. Shukra = Venus. So Shukravaar (not Shukarvaar) is the day of Venus.
Th fact that Shukra and Dhukar sound so similar and Shukar happens to be Friday are totally, 100% coincidental.
Hindi vs. Urdu
Hindi and Urdu are like cousins. They both grew out of the same old Indian language family but Urdu borrowed its writing and many words from Persian and Arabic BUT its base is still Indian whereas Hindi comes from Sanskrit.
Hindu and Urdu have the same basic grammar, sentence structure and everyday words. But the written scripts are different and Hindi pulls its fancy words from Sanskrit whereas Urdu pulls from Persian and Arabic.
You will find that a lot of everyday conversational Hindi uses many Urdu words.
Example: Dvar vs. Darwaaza
Dvaar comes from Dvaara in Sanskrit = door, gate, entrance.
Darwaaza = Persian adopted into Urdu = door/gate
In everyday conversation, we say, “darwaaza”. It would sound odd/dramatic to say “Dvaar band karo” (close the door).
Example: Prashn vs. Sawaal
Prashn = pure Hindi = question
Sawaal = Persian/Arabic origin, adopted into Urdu = question
Example: Uttar vs. Jawaab
They both mean, “answer”. Uttar is Hindi and jawaab is Urdu. In everyday conversation people say, “jawaab” and uttar is used in formal settings.
More examples:
| Hindi | Urdu | |
| City | Nagar | Shahar |
| Human being | Manav | Insaan |
| Land/Ground | Prithvi/Bhumi | Zameen |
| Heart | Hriday | Dil |
| Book | Pusthak | Kithaab |
| Guest | Atithi | Mehmaan |
Why are modern conversational Hindi and modern conversational Urdu inter-intelligible?
Because they’re two styles from the same underlying language: Hindustani. Modern Hindi and modern Urdu are two standardized styles of that same base.
Ok what?!? What’s Hindustani? It’s a lingua franca – a common language that is adopted amongst speakers whose native language is different. Hindustani originated in northern India during the Mughal Empire when Persian had an immense influence on Hindi. People from the Middle East and South Asia were brought together for commerce and needed a common language to communicate – and so Hindustani was born.
So the everyday conversation we speak is actually Hindustani. If you want to hear pure Hindi watch Mahabharat, Ramayan, the recent Kurukshetra series on Netflix or a Modi speech.
Summary and Recap
So now you know Shukriya vs. Dhanyavaad in Hindi as well as how to use them. We also touched on why modern conversational Hindu and Urdu are so similar and speakers of each can understand each other. There are also some examples of words that you might have thought are Hindi but are actually Urdu!
Fun Conversational Hindi Classes for Kids and Adults Outside India
Sent. Thank you!
Have you ever watched a Bollywood movie and everyone else was laughing and…you didn’t understand the joke? Or maybe your grandparents speak to you in Hindi…and your response is a sweet smile and “theek hain” to everything?
That was me too.
Growing up in Orange County, California, I understood Hindi long before I confidently spoke it. But over time, I became curious. Friday nights became “Hindi movie nights” with my mom — parathas, Bollywood movies, and LOTS of questions.
Eventually, I started speaking more Hindi at home.
One of my favorite memories was visiting family in Delhi when my Chachi said: Tumhari Hindi bahut achi hai.
That was a moment for me.
I started Virtual PreSkool to make learning Hindi accessible to children and adults residing outside India. To build confidence speaking Hindi and feel more connected to their family, culture, and heritage.
One of the best parts of teaching is hearing students excitedly share:
- “My Nani cried when I said “pranam”!
- “When we were in India my dad didn’t know how to ask for directions, but I did!”
After graduating from UC Irvine and earning my MBA from USC Marshall, I spent years as an entrepreneur before creating Virtual PreSkool.
When I’m not teaching Hindi, I’m usually exercising, cooking vegan meals, or planning my next trip. I look forward to seeing you in class!
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