An Indo-Aryan language and the national language of Pakistan — written in a flowing Perso-Arabic script, sharing colloquial Hindustani roots with Hindi but a literary Persian heritage.
Where it’s spoken
Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan, though only about 7% of Pakistanis speak it as a first language. It is also one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and the official language of several Indian states, with substantial speakers in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Hyderabad. Diaspora communities live across the UK, Gulf, and North America.
What it sounds like
Urdu shares its core grammar and everyday vocabulary with Hindi — a colloquial form called Hindustani is mutually intelligible. The formal Urdu register draws heavily on Persian and Arabic loanwords, while Hindi pulls from Sanskrit. Urdu preserves Persian-origin sounds like the uvular q and the aspirated h’.
How it’s written
Urdu uses Nastaliq, a flowing Perso-Arabic script that slopes from upper right to lower left. It is one of the most calligraphically elaborate of all Perso-Arabic scripts and is challenging to typeset — until recently most Urdu newspapers were handwritten.
History
Urdu emerged in the Mughal-era courts and camps (the name comes from Turkic ordu, “army”). It became the literary language of Delhi and Lucknow and the medium for the great ghazal tradition of Mir, Ghalib, and Iqbal.
Find more languages by letter
Urdu starts with U . Browse other languages along the same letter.
Languages that contain a letter from "Urdu":