Urdu writing guide

اردو حروف تہجی

اردو کے عام حروف، ان کے نام، دائیں سے بائیں لکھنے کی سمت اور لفظ کے اندر ملنے پر بدلنے والی شکلوں کا عملی تعارف۔

Practice on the Urdu keyboard Try Roman Urdu typing

How the Urdu script works

Urdu uses a Perso-Arabic script with additional letter forms for sounds used in Persian and South Asian languages.

Right to left Words and sentences run from the right side of the page toward the left.
Letters can join Many letters change shape depending on whether they appear at the beginning, middle or end of a word.
Short vowels are often inferred Readers commonly use the surrounding word and sentence context to understand short vowel sounds.

Alphabet counts can vary because some references count aspirated combinations, hamza and positional forms differently. The chart below presents common standalone characters used in Urdu.

Common Urdu letters and names

These are standalone character forms. Their connected shapes may look different inside words.

Common standalone Urdu characters and their names
Urdu characterCommon name
آalif madd
اalif
بbe
پpe
تte
ٹṭe
ثse
جjeem
چche
حḥe
خkhe
دdaal
ڈḍaal
ذzaal
رre
ڑṛe
زze
ژzhe
سseen
شsheen
صsvaad
ضzaad
طtoy
ظzoy
عain
غghain
فfe
قqaaf
کkaaf
گgaaf
لlaam
مmeem
نnoon
ںnoon ghunna
وvaao
ہhe
ھdo-chashmi he
ءhamza
یye
ےbaree ye

Why letters look different inside words

Standalone forms are useful for recognition, but many letters connect and change shape according to their position.

Standalone form

The alphabet chart shows the isolated character so each letter is easy to identify on its own.

Connected form

Many letters connect to neighboring letters and may take a different beginning, middle or ending shape.

Non-joining letters

Some letters do not join to the following letter, which creates a visible break inside the word.

Nastaliq changes the visual rhythm

Urdu is commonly typeset in Nastaliq, where words can slope and stack. A letter may therefore appear more flowing than it does in a simple standalone chart.

A practical way to learn the letters

Recognition improves when the chart is used alongside real typing rather than memorized in isolation.

  1. Choose a small group of letters from the chart and say their common names.
  2. Open the Urdu Keyboard and type each character directly.
  3. Compare the standalone letter with the way it appears inside a familiar word.
  4. Use Roman Urdu typing to see how familiar sounds can map to Urdu-script suggestions.
  5. Review the finished word from right to left before moving to the next group.

Ready to type a few letters?

Open the Urdu Keyboard beside this guide and practise a small group before moving to complete words.

Practise with the Urdu keyboard