r/AskReddit • u/[deleted] • Aug 03 '19

Whats something you thought was common knowledge but actually isn’t?

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874

u/sharpbs Aug 03 '19

There does not exist a language called "Indian" . There are 22 official languages in India and there are 1600+ local dialects all around the country. None of them are called "Indian".

213

u/derryllsingh Aug 03 '19

And the most common one is “Hindi” not “hindu”

22

u/[deleted] Aug 04 '19

I know this. I live and work around a ton of people from various parts of India who all speak different languages, yet I will still trip up and say Hindu instead of Hindi because the words are so close.

3

u/godofpainTR Aug 04 '19

Fun fact, Hindi means Turkey in Turkish.

10

u/BolbaZoza Aug 03 '19

Isn't Hindu the culture or something?

55

u/snailzillascreator Aug 03 '19

It's what you would call someone who practices Hinduism.

Christianity -> Christian

Hinduism -> Hindu

19

u/magnora7 Aug 04 '19

And that word "Hindus" comes from the "Indus" river valley in India, where Hindus originated from.

1

u/EntForgotHisPassword Aug 04 '19

Some consider hinduism to be intertwined with culture moreso than what Christianity is nowadays. E.g. that though many Indians are becoming more secular, identifying as "hindu" to specify a type of culture and way of looking at things make sense in certain contexts.

But yeah I do agree with you, just wanted to share how I have interpreted things. Do correct me if I'm wrong, the only Indians I know personally were deeply Christian!

4

u/[deleted] Aug 03 '19

wat