Home ／ Insights on entering the Indian market
2026.03.24
India is one of the world's most linguistically diverse countries. In addition to the 22 Scheduled Languages recognized by the constitution, more than 1,600 languages are actually spoken. As of 2025, Hindi has more than 500 million speakers, and online Hindi content has grown 66%, accelerating language diversification in the digital space. For Japanese companies to succeed in business in India, correctly understanding this linguistic diversity and responding to it strategically is essential.
The 22 Scheduled Languages listed in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution are as follows: Hindi, Bengali, Telugu, Marathi, Tamil, Urdu, Gujarati, Kannada, Odia, Malayalam, Punjabi, Assamese, Maithili, Santali, Kashmiri, Nepali, Sindhi, Konkani, Dogri, Manipuri, Bodo, and Sanskrit. These are officially used in administration, education, and the judiciary at the union and state levels.
India's languages are broadly divided into two families: the Indo-Aryan family (Hindi, Bengali, Marathi, Gujarati, and others), spoken mainly in North India, and the Dravidian family (Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam), spoken in South India. This north-south linguistic divide also carries important implications for business, since imposing Hindi in South India can provoke local backlash.
Hindi is India's largest language, spoken by more than 500 million people, having grown 25% since 2001. It is used as an everyday language across a wide swath of North India, including Delhi and the states of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Bihar. Demand for Hindi content is also surging in the digital space, recording 66% growth among CSA Research's top 100 online languages.
English is one of India's official languages and is widely used, especially in business, law, higher education, and the IT industry. However, in the 2011 census, only about 128 million people (about 10.6% of the population at the time) reported being able to speak English, meaning the majority of the population does not speak English. English is sufficient for meetings with the urban business elite, but reaching the broader consumer market requires local-language support.
Tamil (about 75 million speakers), Telugu (about 81 million), Kannada (about 44 million), and Malayalam (about 34 million) are essential languages in South India's economic centers of Chennai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and Kochi. In these areas, a bilingual setup of English and the local language is more common than Hindi.
Bengali (about 97 million speakers within India, or about 260 million including Bangladesh) matters for business in Kolkata and West Bengal, Marathi (about 83 million) in Mumbai and Maharashtra, and Gujarati (about 55 million) in Ahmedabad and Gujarat. Punjabi is used in Punjab and Chandigarh.
インドで消費者向けマーケティングを行う場合、ヒンディー語と英語だけでは不十分です。インド人口の約9割が英語を話さず、北インドでもヒンディー語以外の方言や言語を母語とする人口が多いためです。効果的なマーケティングには、ターゲット市場の主要言語でのコンテンツ制作が必要です。多くのグローバル企業は「英語＋ヒンディー語＋ターゲット地域の現地語」の3言語戦略を採用しています。
About 57% of India's internet users consume content in Hindi, while English content accounts for only about 30% of consumption. Platforms such as Google, Facebook, and Instagram are also strengthening their support for India's major languages, making multilingual SEO and multilingual social media operations a source of competitive advantage.
At the Indian subsidiaries of Japanese companies, official internal communication is typically in English, but Hindi or the local language is needed at the operational level (factories, stores, warehouses, and so on). Preparing manuals, safety instructions, and training materials in the local language greatly improves operational efficiency and safety.
In 2025-2026, AI technology is significantly changing how multilingual needs are handled in India. AI tools such as Google Translate and ChatGPT support India's major languages, greatly cutting the cost and time of basic translation work. The Indian government is also promoting the development of AI translation platforms through Bhashini, the National Language Translation Mission. However, native-speaker review remains essential for important business documents such as contracts, legal documents, and brand copy.
A practical approach is to first establish a bilingual English-plus-Hindi setup, then add South Indian languages, Bengali, and others as the business expands into those regions.
Staff fluent in local languages should be placed in marketing, customer support, and HR. In customer support especially, whether local-language support is available directly affects customer satisfaction.
Handling India's multilingual requirements entirely in-house is inefficient. Companies should secure a trustworthy translation and localization firm as a partner to achieve scalable multilingual support while maintaining quality.
India's linguistic diversity can be either a "barrier" or an "opportunity" in business. Twenty-two official languages, more than 1,600 languages, a north-south linguistic divide, and rapid growth of Hindi in the digital space — only companies that correctly understand these factors and respond to them strategically can unlock the true potential of the 1.4-billion-person market. It is time for Japanese companies to move away from relying on English alone and build a language strategy that turns India's linguistic diversity into a competitive advantage.
The Indian Constitution lists numerous Scheduled Languages, and the number of languages actually spoken is even larger. These are officially used in administration, education, and the judiciary at the union and state levels. India is one of the world's most linguistically diverse countries.
English is widely used in business, law, and the IT industry, but only a portion of the population speaks it fluently. While English is fine for meetings with the urban business elite, reaching the broader consumer market requires supporting local languages. Relying on English alone is an approach worth reconsidering.
North India is centered on the Indo-Aryan language family and South India on the Dravidian family, and this north-south divide has important implications for business as well. Imposing Hindi in South India can provoke local backlash. Companies need to respond in a way that takes regional language characteristics into account.
Many global companies adopt a multilingual strategy combining English, Hindi, and the local language of the target region. Content consumption online skews heavily toward Hindi, and multilingual SEO and social media operations are a source of competitive advantage. Producing content in the main language of the target market is essential.
Official internal communication at Japanese companies is typically in English, but Hindi or the local language is needed at the operational level. Preparing manuals, safety instructions, and training materials in the local language greatly improves operational efficiency and safety. Placing staff with local-language skills is also effective.
A practical approach is to first set up an English-plus-Hindi system, then add South Indian languages and others as the business expands into those regions. Use AI translation to streamline basic tasks, while having contracts and brand copy checked by native speakers. Also consider choosing a trustworthy translation and localization partner.
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