Urdu

American  

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

noun

1. 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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Urdu British  

/ ˈɜː-, ˈʊəduː /

noun

1. 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

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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

After being approached by BBC News with her comments to the undercover reporter, Tanisa blamed communication difficulties for a "misunderstanding" and said she doesn't speak Urdu fluently.

From BBC • Apr. 15, 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

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

Tonight, Mui came equipped with bright blue flyers in six languages: English, Spanish, Bangla, Chinese, Arabic, and Urdu.

From Slate • Oct. 27, 2025

On my side, Raj Mandali yelled something in Urdu, probably “I have to go potty!” and ran for the exit.

From "The Sea of Monsters" by Rick Riordan