Sanskrit, often referred to as the mother of many Indian languages, has influenced numerous languages across the Indian subcontinent. Among these, Hindi and Marathi are considered to be the closest to Sanskrit in terms of vocabulary, grammar, and script.
Hindi, one of the most widely spoken languages in India, shares a significant amount of vocabulary with Sanskrit. Many Hindi words are derived directly from Sanskrit, and the grammatical structures of both languages are quite similar. For example, the word for ‘water’ in Sanskrit is ‘jala,’ and in Hindi, it is ‘jal.’
Marathi, spoken primarily in the state of Maharashtra, also has a strong connection to Sanskrit. The language retains many Sanskrit words and follows a grammatical structure that is closely aligned with Sanskrit. For instance, the word for ‘fire’ in Sanskrit is ‘agni,’ and in Marathi, it is ‘agni’ as well.
Both Hindi and Marathi use the Devanagari script, which is also used for writing Sanskrit. This script further strengthens the linguistic ties between these languages and Sanskrit.
In summary, while many Indian languages have been influenced by Sanskrit, Hindi and Marathi stand out as the closest in terms of vocabulary, grammar, and script.