The Urdu Alphabet:
Complete Guide to All 39 Letters

Q: How long does it take to learn the Urdu alphabet?

Most learners can recognize all 39 letters within 2-4 weeks of regular practice. Reading fluency takes longer because Urdu is an abjad — short vowels are usually not written, so you need vocabulary knowledge to read smoothly.

Learn every letter of the Urdu script with pronunciation, example words, and memory aids — beautifully rendered in authentic Nastaliq calligraphy.

ا ب پ ت ٹ ث ج چ ح خ د ڈ ذ ر ڑ ز ژ س ش ص ض ط ظ ع غ ف ق ک گ ل م ن و ہ ء ی ے

39 letters Right to left Nastaliq script Perso-Arabic family

What is the Urdu Alphabet?

The Urdu alphabet (اردو حروفِ تہجی) consists of 39 basic letters written from right to left. It descends from the Perso-Arabic script and is written in the Nastaliq calligraphic style, which gives Urdu its distinctive flowing, slanted look.

Unlike the Naskh style used for Arabic, Nastaliq letters cascade diagonally from upper right to lower left, making Urdu one of the most visually elegant scripts in the world.

Key fact: Urdu is an abjad writing system. Consonants and long vowels are always written, but short vowels are usually omitted. Readers fill in the missing sounds from context — much like reading English with most vowels removed: “y cn rd ths sntnc”.

If you already know Arabic or Persian script, you have a head start. Urdu shares most of its letters with Arabic but adds several extra letters for sounds specific to South Asian languages — sounds like p, retroflex t, retroflex d, and g that don’t exist in Arabic.

All 39 Letters

The table below shows every letter with its name, the closest English sound, and an example Urdu word. Letters unique to Urdu (not found in Arabic) are marked with a dot indicator.

Letter	Name	Sound	Example
ا	Alif	a / vowel carrier	انار anar — pomegranate
ب	Bey	b — as in ball	بکری bakri — goat
پ	Pey *	p — as in penny	پتنگ patang — kite
ت	Tey	t (dental) — as in thirty	تتلی titli — butterfly
ٹ	Ttey *	t (retroflex) — as in train	ٹوپی topi — cap
ث	Sey	s — as in sun	ثمر samar — fruit
ج	Jeem	j — as in jacket	جہاز jahaz — ship
چ	Chey *	ch — as in chair	چائے chai — tea
ح	Bari Hey	h (breathy) — as in head	حلقہ halqa — ring
خ	Khey	kh — as ch in Scottish loch	خرگوش khargosh — rabbit
د	Daal	d (dental) — tongue touches teeth	دروازہ darwaza — door
ڈ	Ddaal *	d (retroflex) — as in dog	ڈھول dhol — drum
ذ	Zaal	z — as in zero	ذہن zehn — mind
ر	Rey	r — as in rail	رکشہ rickshaw — rickshaw
ڑ	Rrey *	r (retroflex flap) — tongue flicks the roof	پہاڑ pahar — mountain
ز	Zey	z — as in zebra	زنجیر zanjeer — chain
ژ	Zhey	zh — as s in pleasure	ژالہ zhala — hailstone
س	Seen	s — as in school	سیب seb — apple
ش	Sheen	sh — as in shoe	شیر sher — lion
ص	Suaad	s (emphatic) — as in soap	صابن sabun — soap
ض	Zuaad	z (emphatic) — as in zig zag	ضرب zarb — strike
ط	Toey	t (emphatic) — as in tower	طوطا tota — parrot
ظ	Zoey	z (emphatic) — as in zinc	ظروف zuroof — vessel
ع	Ain	glottal stop — a catch in the throat	عینک ainak — glasses
غ	Ghain	gh — like a French r in Paris	غبارہ ghubara — balloon
ف	Fey	f — as in fan	فاصلہ fasla — distance
ق	Qaaf	q — deep k from the throat	قینچی qainchi — scissors
ک	Kaaf	k — as in kite	کتاب kitab — book
گ	Gaaf *	g — as in go	گھوڑا ghora — horse
ل	Laam	l — as in lamp	لال lal — red
م	Meem	m — as in moon	مالٹا malta — orange
ن	Noon	n — as in nest	نمک namak — salt
ں	Noon Ghunna	nasal n — nasalises the preceding vowel	میں mein — in / I
و	Wao	w / v / long oo	وطن watan — homeland
ہ	Choti Hey	h — as in house	ہاتھ haath — hand
ھ	Do-chashmi Hey	aspiration marker (adds breathy “h”)	بھوک bhook — hunger
ء	Hamza	glottal stop — as in uh-oh	آئینہ aaina — mirror
ی	Choti Yey	y / long ee — as in yield	یاد yaad — memory
ے	Bari Yey	ai / ay — as in bay	پیسے paisay — money

* Urdu-only letters: Letters marked with * (پ ٹ چ ڈ ڑ گ) were added to represent South Asian sounds not found in Arabic or Persian. If you know the Arabic alphabet, these are the new ones to learn.

How Letters Connect

Urdu is written in a cursive, connected style. Most letters change shape depending on where they appear in a word:

Isolated — when the letter stands alone
Initial — at the start of a connected group
Medial — in the middle, connected on both sides
Final — at the end of a connected group

Six letters are non-connectors — they only join to the letter before them (on the right), never to the letter after. This means the pen lifts after writing them:

Non-connecting letters

اAlif

دDaal

ڈDdaal

ذZaal

رRey

ڑRrey

زZey

ژZhey

وWao

ےBari Yey

All other letters connect on both sides when they appear in the middle of a word.

The Dot System: How to Tell Letters Apart

Many Urdu letters share the same base shape and are distinguished only by dots placed above or below. This is actually great news for learners: master a few base shapes, then learn the dot patterns.

The “Bey” family — same shape, different dots

بBey (1 dot below)

پPey (3 dots below)

تTey (2 dots above)

ٹTtey (1 dot above)

ثSey (3 dots above)

The “Jeem” family

جJeem (1 dot below)

چChey (3 dots below)

حHey (no dots)

خKhey (1 dot above)

The “Daal” family

دDaal (no dots)

ڈDdaal (1 dot above)

ذZaal (1 dot above)

The “Rey” family

رRey (no dots)

ڑRrey (1 dot above)

زZey (1 dot above)

ژZhey (3 dots above)

The “Seen” family

سSeen (no dots)

شSheen (3 dots above)

The “Suaad” family

صSuaad (no dots)

ضZuaad (1 dot above)

The “Toey” family

طToey (no dots)

ظZoey (1 dot above)

The “Ain” family

عAin (no dots)

غGhain (1 dot above)

The “Kaaf” family

کKaaf (no dots)

گGaaf (1 line above)

Vowels and Diacritics

Urdu has three short vowel sounds represented by small marks called diacritics (اعراب). In everyday writing, these marks are usually omitted — experienced readers infer them from context.

Short vowels (diacritics)

بَ

Zabar زبر

Short “a” as in bat. Placed above the letter.

بِ

Zer زیر

Short “i” as in bit. Placed below the letter.

بُ

Pesh پیش

Short “u” as in put. Placed above the letter.

Long vowels

Long vowels are written using specific letters from the alphabet itself:

Alif

Long “aa” as in father.

Wao

Long “oo” as in boot.

Choti Yey

Long “ee” as in meet.

Bari Yey

“ay” as in bay. Only appears at word endings.

Beginner tip: Don’t stress about memorising all the diacritics right away. In practice, you’ll rarely see them in Urdu text. Focus on learning the consonants first, then pick up vowel patterns naturally as you read more words.

Letters That Sound the Same

One thing that surprises beginners: Urdu has multiple letters for some sounds. This is because Urdu inherited letters from Arabic and Persian alongside its own. In everyday speech, these letters are pronounced identically — spelling is based on the word’s origin, not its sound.

All pronounced as “s”

سSeen

ثSey

صSuaad

All pronounced as “z”

زZey

ذZaal

ضZuaad

ظZoey

All pronounced as “t”

تTey (dental)

طToey (emphatic)

All pronounced as “h”

حBari Hey

ہChoti Hey

Don’t worry about which letter to use when writing — that comes with vocabulary. When reading, just know that these groups sound the same.

Coming from Arabic or Persian?

If you already read Arabic or Persian, you can read most of the Urdu alphabet immediately. Here’s what’s different:

6 new letters for South Asian sounds: پ ٹ ڈ ڑ چ گ
Nastaliq vs Naskh: Urdu uses the Nastaliq calligraphic style, which flows diagonally. Letters you know from Naskh will look different — especially ک (kaaf), ی (yey), and ہ (hey).
ے (Bari Yey): A letter unique to Urdu that represents the “ay” sound. It only appears at the end of words.
Do-chashmi Hey (ھ): Used to add aspiration to consonants (bh, ph, th, dh, etc.) — a key feature of South Asian languages.
Different pronunciation: Letters like ع (ain) and ق (qaaf) are often simplified in casual Urdu speech to a glottal stop and “k” respectively.

Tips for Learning the Urdu Alphabet

Learn in groups, not order. Don’t memorise ا to ے sequentially. Group letters by shape (the dot families above) — it’s much faster.
Start with high-frequency letters. Letters like ا، ب، ت، ن، م، ر، ک، ل appear in the majority of Urdu words. Master these first.
Read real words early. Don’t wait until you know all 39 letters. Start reading simple words as soon as you know 8–10 letters.
Use flashcards with spaced repetition. Short daily practice beats long weekend sessions. Even 10 minutes a day builds lasting memory.
Don’t fear the missing vowels. The abjad system feels impossible at first, but your brain adapts quickly. After a few weeks, you’ll read common words without thinking about vowels.
Listen as you read. Hearing the pronunciation while seeing the letter cements the connection. Audio flashcards are especially effective.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How many letters are in the Urdu alphabet?

The Urdu alphabet has 39 basic letters plus a few additional characters (like Noon Ghunna ں for nasalisation and Alif Madd آ for the elongated “aa” sound). It is written from right to left using the Nastaliq style of the Perso-Arabic script.

Is the Urdu alphabet the same as Arabic?

The Urdu alphabet is based on the Perso-Arabic script but includes extra letters not found in Arabic: پ (p), ٹ (retroflex t), ڈ (retroflex d), ڑ (retroflex r), چ (ch), and گ (g). These represent sounds specific to South Asian languages. The calligraphic style is also different — Urdu uses Nastaliq while Arabic typically uses Naskh.

How long does it take to learn the Urdu alphabet?

Most learners can recognise all 39 letters within 2–4 weeks of regular practice (15–20 minutes per day). Reading fluency takes longer because Urdu is an abjad — short vowels are usually not written, so you need vocabulary knowledge to read smoothly. Expect 2–3 months to read simple texts comfortably.

Is Urdu written left to right or right to left?

Urdu is written from right to left, like Arabic and Persian. Numbers within Urdu text, however, are written left to right using either Western (1, 2, 3) or Eastern Arabic numerals (۱, ۲, ۳).

Can I read Urdu if I know Arabic?

Knowing Arabic gives you a significant head start since the scripts share many letters. However, Urdu adds several letters for sounds that don’t exist in Arabic, uses the Nastaliq calligraphic style instead of Naskh, and has completely different vocabulary and grammar. You’d be able to decode most letter shapes but would need to learn the new letters and the Nastaliq visual style.

What is the difference between the Urdu and Hindi alphabets?

Urdu and Hindi are spoken forms of the same language (Hindustani), but they use completely different scripts. Urdu uses the Nastaliq Perso-Arabic script (right to left, 39 letters), while Hindi uses Devanagari (left to right, 46 characters). A person literate in only one script cannot read the other, even though the spoken languages are mutually intelligible.

Why do multiple Urdu letters make the same sound?

Urdu inherited letters from Arabic and Persian that had distinct sounds in those languages. In Urdu pronunciation, many of these distinctions merged — for example, ث، س، ص all sound like “s”. The original letters were kept to preserve the spelling of loanwords from Arabic and Persian, much like English keeps silent letters in words borrowed from French.