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Urdu phrasebook: 12 phrases and numbers
Urdu is an Indo-Aryan language written in a Persian-style Arabic script from right to left. It is the national language of Pakistan and widely spoken in India.
- In its own name: اردو
- Writing system: Arabic script (written right to left)
- Family: Indo-European, Indo-Iranian
- Official language in: Pakistan
Essential Urdu phrases
| English | Urdu | Romanisation |
|---|---|---|
| Hello | سلام | salaam |
| Goodbye | خدا حافظ | khuda hafiz |
| Good morning | صبح بخیر | subah bakhair |
| Good night | شب بخیر | shab bakhair |
| Thank you | شکریہ | shukriya |
| Sorry | معاف کیجئے | maaf kijiye |
| Yes | ہاں | haan |
| No | نہیں | nahin |
| My name is ___ | میرا نام ___ ہے | mera naam ___ hai |
| What is your name? | آپ کا نام کیا ہے؟ | aap ka naam kya hai? |
| How are you? | آپ کیسے ہیں؟ | aap kaise hain? |
| I love you | میں تم سے محبت کرتا ہوں | main tum se mohabbat karta hoon |
2 more phrases are held back until a second source or a native speaker confirms them. Phrases are cross-checked against independent sources but still await a native-speaker review.
Numbers 1 to 10 in Urdu
| # | Word | Romanisation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ایک | aik |
| 2 | دو | do |
| 3 | تین | teen |
| 4 | چار | chaar |
| 5 | پانچ | paanch |
| 6 | چھ | chhe |
| 7 | سات | saat |
| 8 | آٹھ | aath |
| 9 | نو | nau |
| 10 | دس | das |
Pronunciation
Urdu shares most of its everyday sounds with Hindi but borrows more vocabulary and sounds from Persian and Arabic. The nastaliq script slopes down from right to left.
Good to know
Polite address uses آپ (aap), and Urdu is rich in courteous phrases. Urdu and Hindi sound almost identical in casual speech.
Mini quiz
A quick check of what you just read.
Play with Urdu
Meet Urdu in Mystery Phrase, Listen and Guess and Memory Match.
Questions
How do you say hello in Urdu?
سلام (salaam).
What writing system does Urdu use?
Urdu is written in Arabic script.