Urdu Alphabet

Alif is the backbone of Urdu writing. It carries hamza and serves as the seat for many diacritical marks.

Be represents 'b'. Urdu maintains the Arabic form while adding new letters for Indian sounds.

Pe is unique to Urdu/Persian, representing 'p' – a sound Arabic lacks. It has three dots below.

Te uses two dots above. It represents the dental 't' sound.

Ṭe is unique to Urdu, representing the retroflex 'ṭ' made by curling the tongue back.

Se represents the 'th' sound but is mostly used in Arabic loanwords.

Jim represents 'j' as in 'jam'. It's common in Urdu vocabulary.

Che is unique to Urdu/Persian, representing 'ch' as in 'chair'.

Bari he represents the pharyngeal 'h' from Arabic, used in religious terms.

Khe sounds like 'kh', similar to German 'ch' in 'Bach'.

Dal represents 'd'. It never connects to the following letter.

Ḍal is unique to Urdu, representing the retroflex 'ḍ' sound.

Zal represents 'z', mainly in Arabic loanwords.

Re represents 'r'. It never connects forward.

Ṛe is unique to Urdu, representing the retroflex flap 'ṛ' – crucial for Urdu pronunciation.

Ze represents 'z' and is common in Persian loanwords.

Zhe is used for the 'zh' sound in Persian loanwords like 'television'.

Sin represents 's' with its distinctive three-tooth pattern.

Shin represents 'sh'. Very common in Urdu vocabulary.

Suad represents emphatic 's', mainly in Arabic religious terms.

Zuad represents emphatic 'z', also primarily in Arabic loanwords.

Toe represents emphatic 't', used in Arabic-origin words.

Zoe represents emphatic 'z', rare and found in Arabic loanwords.

Ain represents the Arabic pharyngeal sound, simplified in Urdu to a vowel carrier.

Ghain represents 'gh', a gargling sound at the back of the throat.

Fe represents 'f'. Common in Persian and Arabic loanwords.

Qaf represents 'q', often pronounced as 'k' in everyday speech.

Kaf represents 'k'. Note the Urdu form differs from Arabic ك.

Gaf is unique to Urdu/Persian, representing 'g' – absent in Arabic.

Lam represents 'l'. Very frequent in Urdu.

Mim represents 'm'. Its round shape is consistent.

Nun represents 'n'. Urdu adds a nasal quality in some positions.

Nun ghunna represents nasalization – a distinctive Urdu feature.

Wao represents 'w', 'o', or 'u'. Extremely versatile.

Choti he represents 'h'. Urdu uses a unique two-eyed form ہ.

Do chashmi he adds aspiration to consonants (ph, bh, etc.).

Hamza is the glottal stop, often carried by other letters.

Choti ye represents 'y' or 'i'. Its dots distinguish positions.

Bari ye represents the 'e' vowel at word end. Unique to Urdu.