Hindko language

Indo-Aryan language

Also known as: Northern Lahnda

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

July 21, 2026

Quick Summary

Hindko is a group of Indo-Aryan dialects spoken in Pakistan, primarily in the northwestern districts of Punjab province and adjacent regions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. These dialects were historically referred to as "Northern Lahnda" by linguist Sir George Grierson, distinguishing them from "Southern Lahnda," which is now recognized as the Siraiki language.1

Hindko dialects are less standardized than Siraiki and are typically written using the Urdu script. They are characterized as being linguistically intermediate between Punjabi and Siraiki. In areas where Hindko is spoken, there is a historical pattern of diglossia with Pashto. The Devanāgarī script, along with the Perso-Arabic script, is used for writing Hindko.12

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

2 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

Lahnda language
Hindko (Northern Lahnda)
The local varieties of Grierson’s “Northern Lahnda” are less homogeneous than Siraiki and have been less cultivated for writing. As yet, they have accordingly rather less claim to be recognized as any sort of separate language. When they are written, the Urdu…
Read More
The local varieties of Grierson’s “Northern Lahnda” are less homogeneous than Siraiki and have been less cultivated for writing. As yet, they have accordingly rather less claim to be recognized as any sort of separate language. When they are written, the Urdu…
Read More