Urdu

American

[oor-doo, ur-, oor-doo, ur-] / ˈʊər du, ˈɜr-, ʊərˈdu, ɜr- /

noun

one of the official languages of Pakistan, a language derived from Hindustani, used by Muslims, and written with Persian-Arabic letters.

Urdu British

/ ˈɜː-, ˈʊəduː /

noun

an official language of Pakistan, also spoken in India. The script derives primarily from Persia. It belongs to the Indic branch of the Indo-European family of languages, being closely related to Hindi but containing many Arabic and Persian loan words

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Usage

What does Urdu mean? Urdu is the official language of Pakistan. It is derived from the older Hindustani language, and the written form uses Persian-Arabic letters. The Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a south Asian country with Afghanistan to its north and India to its south. Urdu is a member of the Indic family of languages, which includes other languages spoken by culture groups in Pakistan, India, and Sri Lanka. Urdu is recognized by Pakistan as the official language and it is the fifth most common language spoken in the country.

Etymology

Origin of Urdu

< Urdu, Hindi urdū, extracted from Persian zabān i urdū literally, language of the camp (ultimately < Turkic; see horde)

Compare meaning

How does urdu compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

Urdu vs. Hindi

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Urdu

It also means, in Urdu, your loyalty or your allegiance.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 11, 2026

"Bengalis who live in Karachi mostly speak Urdu," he said, adding: "We don't have our own culture now".

From Barron's ● Feb. 23, 2026

Colleagues who speak a number of different languages, including French, Italian, Arabic and Urdu, can help with making calls when English isn't a person's first language.

From BBC ● Feb. 21, 2026

He sang in Urdu on Flower, a 104-second folk track on his debut 2016 album, and fans went wild in 2024 when he provided vocals on a collab with Pakistani band Aur.

From BBC ● Feb. 6, 2026

I appreciate her trying but wish I could understand Urdu enough to get it on my own.

From "Amina's Song" by Hena Khan

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023