Urdu

[ oor-doo, ur-; oor-doo, ur- ]

/ ˈʊər du, ˈɜr-; ʊərˈdu, ɜr- /

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noun

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

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Origin of Urdu

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

Words nearby Urdu

URC, urceolate, urchin, urd, urdé, Urdu, URE, urea, urea cycle, urea-formaldehyde resin, urease

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

MORE ABOUT URDU

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.

Why is Urdu important?

Pakistan and India have a complicated relationship, and so do their official languages of Urdu and Hindi (one of India’s many official languages). Both languages come from the older Hindustani language, and Hindustani is still used to collectively refer to both languages.

Spoken Urdu and Hindi are so similar that they are often considered to be “sister languages” and speakers of the two languages can easily understand each other. However, the Urdu written language is based on Arabic script and Persian vocabulary, while Hindi’s written language is based on Sanskrit. Urdu is written and read from right to left, while Hindi is written and read left to right.

Urdu is spoken as a first language by 8 percent of Pakistan’s population. Worldwide, Urdu is spoken by about 100 million people. Outside of Pakistan, it is most common in countries with large Pakistani communities, such as those in India, Bangladesh, and countries in the Middle East. Spoken Urdu and Hindi still remain very similar, although the relations between Pakistan and India remain tense.

Did you know you speak some Urdu words already? Learn about some of the words in English that come from Urdu and Hindi.

Did you know ... ?

The word Urdu comes from the Hindustani, Persian, and Turkic words for “camp.” The “camp” referred to is the army camps of the various rulers who conquered the area where the language was spoken. Despite the name, spoken Urdu was spoken even by members of the royal courts and the highest classes of society.

What are real-life examples of Urdu?

This video demonstrates spoken and written Urdu as compared to Hindi.

Urdu is most familiar to Pakistan natives or people of Pakistani heritage. The Urdu language is also often involved in the complex cultural situation of the Indian subcontinent.

Last weekend I went back to the community clinic I grew up in and vaccinate over 50 community members as a fourth-year medical student. I got to counsel patients in Urdu, Punjabi, Hindi and Spanish regarding side effects and efficacy. Also celebrated with so many ♥️ #MedTwitter pic.twitter.com/6MRhxKevHg

— Farsam Fraz (@farsamfraz) March 9, 2021

"Bismillah" with Urdu in ICSE exam next year. In a first, 12 La Martiniere College students in Lucknow set to appear in class 10 Board exam
2022 with Urdu as their optional subject in place of Hindihttps://t.co/6IlJOBQXlN pic.twitter.com/Nb6YFQlXnW

— Rajeev Mullick (@rmulko) March 10, 2021

What other words are related to Urdu?

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True or False?

The Urdu language is based on Sanskrit.

How to use Urdu in a sentence

Instead, they urge them to speak the more commonly used languages of Urdu or English to better prepare them for schooling and a career.
The bilingual brain|Grace van Deelen, SM ’22|October 25, 2022|MIT Technology Review
They claimed that the Urdu language simply could not be associated with a Hindu festival.
Why does India’s Hindu right-wing hate the Urdu language so much?|Shoaib Daniyal|October 26, 2021|Quartz
The project’s standout is “Mohabbat,” which was adapted from a 19th century Urdu song poem while also seamlessly utilizing vocal jazz techniques and a gentle guitar drone reminiscent of Led Zeppelin’s “Going to California.”
The Best Songs of 2021 So Far|Raisa Bruner|May 26, 2021|Time
One language group, for example, included the most common languages spoken in India, including Bengali, Hindi, Tamil, and Urdu.
Facebook’s new polyglot AI can translate between 100 languages|Karen Hao|October 19, 2020|MIT Technology Review

It remains one of the few internet businesses in the country that supports Urdu language in its app, for instance.
Prosus Ventures leads $13 million investment in Pakistan’s ride-hailing giant Bykea|Manish Singh|September 30, 2020|TechCrunch
In its place came something which, striving to fuse Urdu and Telugu, seemed to devalue both.
India’s Newest State Telangana Is Bosnia Redux|Kranti Rai|March 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Locals used to teach British officers Arabic, Hindi, Urdu and Persian.
The Taliban’s Letter to Malala Yousafzai|The Daily Beast|July 17, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The order came again, in Arabic and Urdu, along with a warning that otherwise access would be achieved with explosives.
Bin Laden’s Life on the Run, Witnessed by Al Qaeda Child Bride|Michael Daly|July 10, 2013|DAILY BEAST
App ka dua go,” Farhan recently implored of me in his native Urdu: “Pray for me.
Is It Time to Forgive Greg Mortenson?|Jon Krakauer|April 8, 2013|DAILY BEAST
To the left was West Pakistan, where they ruled, and spoke Urdu, and wrote in an alphabet that flowed like water under wind.
Bangladesh’s Midnight Children: Philip Hensher’s ‘Scenes From Early Life’|Lucy Scholes|January 9, 2013|DAILY BEAST
“Perhaps you do not speak my language,” she said in Urdu, the tongue most frequently heard in Upper India.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
He spoke Urdu exceedingly well, and it was difficult in the gloom to recognize him as a European.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
If you did not talk Urdu like one of us, sahib, I should bid you die here in peace rather than fall in the first village.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
Then he composed himself reverently to listen to fragments, hastily rendered into Urdu.
Kim|Rudyard Kipling
She is the centre of all idleness, intrigue, and luxury, and shares with Delhi the claim to talk the only pure Urdu.
Kim|Rudyard Kipling

British Dictionary definitions for Urdu

Urdu

/ (ˈʊəduː, ˈɜː-) /

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

Word Origin for Urdu

C18: from Hindustani (zabāni) urdū (language of the) camp, from Persian urdū camp, from Turkish ordū

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