TEACH YOURSEL

an introduction to
reading and writing
the Urdu script

Sey

Da
foci so w j

aeeee
oyu.
Sa) “ae >
 a

Richard Delacy

TEACH YOURSELF BOOKS

For UK order queries: please contact Bookpoint Ltd, 78 Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon
OX14 4TD. Telephone: (44) 01235 400414, Fax: (44) 01235 400454. Lines are open from
9.00-6.00, Monday to Saturday, with a 24 hour message answering service.
Email address: orders @[Link]

For U.S.A. & Canada order queries: please contact NTC/Contemporary Publishing,
4255 West Touhy Avenue, Lincolnwood, Illinois 60646-1975, U.S.A.
Telephone: (847) 679 5500, Fax: (847) 679 2494.

Long renowned as the authoritative source for self-guided learning — with more than
30 million copies sold worldwide — the Teach Yourself series includes over 200 titles in
the fields of languages, crafts, hobbies, business and education.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A catalogue record for this title is available from The British Library.

Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: On file

First published in UK 2001 by Hodder Headline Plc, 338 Euston Road, London, NW1 3BH.

First published in US 2001 by NTC/Contemporary Publishing, 4255 West Touhy Avenue,

Lincolnwood (Chicago), Illinois 60646-1975 U.S.A.

The “Teach Yourself’ name and logo are registered trade marks of Hodder & Stoughton Ltd.

Copyright © 2001 Richard Delacy

In UK: All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in
any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any
information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher
or under licence from the Copyright Licensing Agency Limited. Further details of such
licences (for reprographic reproduction) may be obtained from the Copyright Licensing
Agency Limited, of 90 Tottenham Court Road, London W1P 9HE.

In US: All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
or otherwise, without prior permission of NTC/Contemporary Publishing Company.

Typeset by ASK Language Services Ltd.

Printed in Great Britain for Hodder & Stoughton Educational, a division of Hodder
Headline Plc, 338 Euston Road, London NW1 3BH by Cox & Wyman Ltd, Reading,
Berkshire.

Impressionnumber 109 87654321

Year 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001
 CONTENTS

Introduction vil
Characters of the Urdu alphabet Xil

Unit 1 T
bo”
° be, = kaf, J lam, ( mim, Pronunciation,
Positional forms, Writing practice, Representation of short
vowels, Reading and writing practice, Summary, Answers to
practices

Unit 2 8

alif, Positional forms, Pronunciation, Modified form of

kaf, » tashdid, Reading and writing practice,
Summary, Answers to practices

Unit 3 15
ease’ (e
pe, & jim, aif gaf, 9 chofi he, Pronunciation,
Y
Positional forms, Writing practice, Modified form of f gaf,
Reading and writing practice, Aspiration, Pronunciation,
Writing practice, Reading and writing practice, Summary,
Answers to practices
IV BEGINNER’S URDU SCRIPT

Unit 4 25

fe) ye, Positional forms, Writing practice, Pronunciation,

Reading and writing practice, Punctuation, Reading and writing
practice, Summary, Answers to practices

Unit 5 35

we” te, & cim, OF sin, © nan, Pronunciation.

Positional forms, Writing practice, Reading and writing
practice, Nasalisation, Reading and writing practice, Summary.
Answers to practices

Unit 6 46

+} vao, Positional forms, Writing practice, Pronunciation.

Reading and writing practice, Summary, Answers to practices

Unit 7 56

> dal, 4 re, € bari he, U shin, iF svad

Pronunciation, Positional forms, Writing practice, Reading anc
writing practice, Summary, Answers to practices

Unit 8 64
« e

U khe, 4 zal, / ze, ig zad, — fe, Pronunciation

Positional forms, Writing practice, Reading and writin;
practice, Summary, Answers to practices
CONTENTS Vv

Unit 9 75
5 ri7 eeiege it ae
°

war te, dal, / re, 6 ghain, U qaf, Pronunciation,

Positional forms, Writing practice, Reading and writing
practice, Summary, Answers to practices

Unit 10 86
AA
KA oo ¢ ° .
wer Se, J zhe, L to’e, 5 z0’e, U ‘ain, Pronunciation,
Positional forms, Writing practice, Pronunciation of a ‘ain,
Reading and writing practice, Summary, Answers to practices

Unit 11 97

& hamza, izafat, Modified forms of characters, Shortened j

alif, Doubled vowel-markers, The Arabic definite article JI
al, Further notes on pronunciation, Doubling of 9 chofi he,
Reading and writing practice, Summary, Answers to practices

Appendix 112

Numbers, Decimals and fractions, Dates, Days of the week,

Months
_ Digitized i the Internet Archive—

vi | :
-_
oy
 INTRODUCTION

The Urdu script

The Urdu language is written is a modified form of the Persian script which
is in turn a modified form of the Arabic script. This modification takes the
form of the addition of characters to represent sounds that occur in Urdu but
are not found in Arabic or Persian. In addition to Urdu, Persian and Arabic,
the same script is used to write several other languages in India, Pakistan and
Afghanistan, including Kashmiri, Punjabi and Pashto. There are two styles of
this script: nasta‘liq and naskh. The basic difference between these styles is
minor. Whereas in naskh words tend to run along the bottom line, in the more
cursive nasta‘liq style they tend to slant diagonally from the top line to the
bottom line.

Fe ew She pa
nasta‘liq naskh

While the naskh style of writing lends itself to type printing, texts written
in the nasta‘liq style are still mostly prepared by a calligrapher and then
printed using a technique called lithography. Both naskh and nasta‘liq
fonts have been developed for use in computer software programs. The
nasta‘liq style is conventionally employed in most Urdu texts, although
the naskh style, which is used to write both Arabic and Persian, is
occasionally used in some scholarly publications and reference books.
Because of the continued predominance of nasta‘liq to write Urdu, it is
this style with which the student will have to become most familiar and
which is, therefore, treated in this book.
vill BEGINNER’S URDU SCRIPT

The Urdu script runs from right to left except for numerals, which are
written from left to right. The alphabet contains thirty-five characters,
each of which possesses a name. For example, the first character in the
alphabet is called alif and is used to represent several vowel sounds in
Urdu.

|
alif

The script is cursive, in that the characters are joined together to form
words. There are no capital letters. Most characters are made up of a basic
linear portion and one, two, or three dots or another symbol that resembles
a ‘flat’ symbol in music. These are written either above or below the linear
portion of the character. The basic shape of some of the characters is the
same and, for this reason, the alphabet is traditionally arranged in series
of characters that have a similar basic form but are differentiated by the
number or position of accompanying dots etc. For example, the second
series of the alphabet comprises five characters, all of which have the
same shape but a different number of dots or the symbol that resembles a
flat sign in music.

While all characters join to the preceding character in a word, not all join
to the character that follows. Therefore, characters are conventionally
considered to be of two types: those that join to characters on both sides
and those that join only to the preceding character. Characters that join on
both sides are called connectors while those that join only to the
INTRODUCTION IX

preceding character are called non-connectors. The shape of connecting

characters also varies more or less depending on whether they occur at the
beginning, in the middle or at the end of a word. There is also an
independent form of characters, which occurs at the end of a word
following a non-connector. It is the independent form that appears in the
alphabet. Characters that do not connect to the following character have
essentially only two forms, an initial and a final form. The initial form is
the same as the independent form because it does not join to the following
character and the final form is the same as the medial form for the same
reason.

Another important feature of this script is that there are no characters to

represent the three short vowels in Urdu. This makes learning how to
pronounce new words difficult. There are, however, three symbols that
may be employed to indicate which of these short vowels is present. There
is also a symbol that is used to indicate when no vowel is pronounced with
a character. These four symbols are rarely provided by writers because
Urdu readers simply know the pronunciation of many of the words they
read. However, they are always included in the Holy Quran to guarantee
accurate pronunciation as well as in children’s primers and dictionaries.
They have also been used throughout this book with new words wherever
they appear. Other features of the Urdu script include both the existence
of several characters that represent more or less the same sound for Urdu
speakers and also characters that may represent more than one sound. For
example, there are four characters that represent the sound z and two
characters that may each represent three vowels and a semi-vowel. There
also exist some characters, the pronunciation of which is almost silent in
particular words.

Some of these unique features can be explained by the fact that the Arabic
script came to be used to write a language that evolved in the
xX BEGINNER’S URDU SCRIPT

subcontinent, a long distance from where the script originated in the

Middle East. How this came about is in turn related to the history of
Muslim influence in the subcontinent and the evolution of languages and
literary traditions in the places where Muslims settled in India and ruled
from around the 14th until the 18th century. For Indian Muslims, Arabic
maintained its importance as the sacred language of the Holy Quran and
Persian continued to be an important spoken language as well as the
language of administration and literary expression for much of this time.
Over time a new language began to evolve, however, which was based on
the dialect spoken in the north around Delhi but greatly influenced by
Persian and Arabic. This influence came mostly in the form of the
adoption of Arabic and Persian words and, eventually, the use of a
modified form of the Persian script for writing purposes. In particular,
new characters were added to this script to represent sounds that did not
exist in Persian and Arabic and some of the distinctly Arabic and Persian
sounds represented by particular characters were gradually diluted over
time by speakers of this new language. The spellings of Persian and
Arabic words have, however, remained faithful to the original. Hence the
existence of different letters in the script representing the same sounds.
The language that evolved, based on the dialect spoken in and around
Delhi and enhanced by literary traditions in places such as Hyderabad in
the south, came to be known as rekhta (‘mixed speech’) as well as zaban-
e-urdi-e-mu‘alla (‘the speech of the royal camps’). It was this second
term which was finally abbreviated to provide Urdu with its modern
name.

Many of the features of the Arabic script, and the anomalies that exist on
account of its being applied to write Urdu, make learning to read and write
this script a challenging task. It is for this reason that this book has been
prepared. It is devoted entirely to the Urdu script rather than to the actual
language, to give the student the opportunity to focus on learning to
recognise the characters, both independently and when they occur in
INTRODUCTION Xi
words. It is aimed at those with no previous knowledge of Urdu as well as
those who can speak Urdu but cannot read or write it. The thirty-five
characters are introduced gradually throughout the book and in an order
that highlights those aspects of the script that are most likely to cause
problems. Characters have not been introduced in the order in which they
appear in the alphabet or in the conventional order in which they are
taught. Rather, characters that are similar in shape have been deliberately
spread over the chapters to focus attention on their differences rather than
on their similarities. Because the book is also designed to help the student
learn to write the characters, their formation is clearly detailed. There are
also instructions on how to form whole words. These are designed to give
the student a sense of the correct proportion of characters in relation to
each other in a word and a feel for the flow of words when writing in
Urdu. As far as possible, the words included in this book are generally
common and it is hoped that this may assist the student in developing a
reasonable vocabulary. This will be of use when he or she goes on to learn
the language proper. Finally, a modified form of the Roman script has
been used to indicate the pronunciation of particular sounds in Urdu. This
means that some of the letters included are marked by macrons (~ ) or
tildes (~ ), e.g. 4, €, 4, or dots underneath. A macron indicates a long
vowel, a tilde indicates that a vowel is pronounced through the nose and
a dot under a consonant indicates that it is pronounced by placing the tip
of the tongue on the roof of the mouth (e.g. d, t, r). At the end of this
introduction, all of the characters in the Urdu alphabet are provided, both
in the order used in this book as well as their dictionary order. This will
be a useful guide for quick reference while working through the chapters.
Also included is a chart showing all of the other symbols that are
explained and the chapter in which they first appear. There is also a
reference section in which other useful materials for the study of Urdu are
listed.

Several people have contributed to the production of this book and I

Xil BEGINNER’S URDU SCRIPT

would like to thank them for their time and efforts. I am particularly
indebted to Jeananne Webber who read through the entire manuscript with
great attention to detail; Rashid Sultan Sahib provided valuable comments
and criticisms concerning the structure and content of the book; Belinda
Greenwood-Smith, Ralph Saubern, John Robinson, Novi Djenar, Lidia
Tanaka and Sudha Joshi all commented on various parts of the text and the
Department of Asian Studies, La Trobe University, Bundoora, provided
me with the facilities to complete this manuscript. I am also thankful to
the students who have tested out these materials in various forms. I am
solely responsible for all errors and inaccuracies.

Characters of the Urdu alphabet

Order used in this book

Unit Nameof Finalform Final form Medial Initial Transliteration

character (unjoined) (joined) form form

be a ee Pele b
kaf a as |hee k
lam J U pe I
mim g he sans m

ji alif { { ( ( a,i,u,a

pene as a
jim CZ, Cnn-setanes j
gaf fe ers 1K g
choti he ra ’. hime h
INTRODUCTION Xill

ye
Cf 1,e, ai, y

i, 0, au, Vv

7 dal 2
re

bari he

shin

svad

zal +7)

zad

fe

sat ale)

ay aA a7)
ay
Ae

re
-

eae
*A

ghain
wet.
XIV BEGINNER’S URDU SCRIPT

qaf re) Se 4 3 q

Te ie Ce eee
zhe i Z Zs 5 Zz

be lgeme nD Cee, weer

zo‘e b Lb by Lb Z

‘ain U G cag s ;

Other symbols

Unit Symbol Name Description

1,4 a zabar indicates a short a vowel as well

as the vowels ai and au when used
with the characters | alif, e ye
and 4 vao.

ial 7 zer denotes a short i vowel and is also

used with the character eG ye
to denote a long 1 vowel. It is
positioned under the character.

15 5.) pesh denotes a short u vowel and is also

used with the character 4 vao to
indicate a long 0 vowel. It is
positioned above the character.

1 2 jasm indicates that a short vowel is not

pronounced with a character. It is
positioned above the character.
__ —..).00_°0 CS

1 w tashdid indicates that a character is

repeated without an intervening
INTRODUCTION xv
vowel sound. It is positioned
above the character.

Pe ~ madd placed above / alif when in an

initial position to represent the
long vowel a

2 4 irregular initial and medial forms

of the character ae kaf with /
alif and () lam.
do cashmi he _ denotes that a character is
aspirated (i.e. produced with a
breath of air).

4 b irregular initial and medial forms

of the character ah gaf with |
alif and J lam.

11 ¥ hamza indicates that one syllable in a

word ends with a vowel and the
next begins with one.

(m) or (f) after a noun indicates that it is respectively masculine or

feminine.

Urdu alphabet in dictionary order

barihe khe
XVI BEGINNER’S URDU SCRIPT

qaf

I)

choti he

Vowel sounds in Urdu

There are ten vowel sounds in Urdu, three short and seven long vowels.
The following chart shows the characters that are used to represent these
sounds in particular positions in a word.

Vowel sound Initial Medial Final

a (in ago) j Z

alif zabar

i (in bit) ‘ ,
alif + zer zer

u (in put) f 3

alif + pesh pesh

1 (in beet)
‘-
7 S qy
alif + ye + zer ye + zer ye
Bee
ONE Ue RX
=! =
e (bet) - Kona
alif + ye ye ye

ai (in hay) =| = (it

alif + ye+ zabar ye + zabar ye
Js Js I

a (in food) 3 4 4
alif + vao + pesh vao + pesh vao + pesh

o (in go) D) ] 3
alif + vao vao vao

au (in lord) 3f 3 4
alif + vao + zabar vao + zabar vao + zabar

Useful reference materials

Barker, M. et al., A Course in Urdu (New York: Spoken Languages

Service, 1990)

Barz, R. and Yadav, Y., An Introduction to Hindi and Urdu (Delhi:

Munshiram Manoharlal, 1993)

Ferozsons Urdu English Dictionary: a comprehensive dictionary of

current vocabulary (Lahore: Ferozsons Ltd, 1987)

Matthews, D. and Dalvi, M., Teach Yourself Urdu (London: Hodder &
Stoughton,1999)
McGregor, R. S., Outline of Hindi Grammar (Oxford: Clarendon Press,
1987, second edn)

McGregor, R. S., Urdu Study Materials (Delhi: OUP, 1992)

McGregor, R. S. (ed.), Oxford Hindi-English Dictionary (Delhi: OUP,

1993)
Xvi BEGINNER’S URDU SCRIPT

Naim, C. M., Ahmad, Q:S., Nadvi, S.S., and Haq, M.A., Introductory
Urdu (Chicago: Committee on South Asian Languages, University of
Chicago, 1975)

Platts, J., A Dictionary of Urdu, Classical Hindi and English (London:

OUP, 1960)
Russell, R., A New Course in Urdu and Spoken Hindi (London: School
of Oriental and African Studies, London University, 1986)

Shackle, C. and Snell, R., Hindi and Urdu since 1800: A Common
Reader (London: School of Oriental and African Studies, London
University, 1990)
Zakir, M., Lessons in Urdu Script (Delhi: Idara-e-Amini, 1973)
 UNIT 1

In the introduction we saw that the Urdu alphabet contains thirty-five

characters, each of which has a name. When these characters are joined
together to create words, the form of many changes depending on whether
they appear at the beginning, in the middle or at the end of a word. The
majority of characters join to both the preceding and the following
character and, as a result, are known as connecting characters. Those
that only join to the preceding character (but not to the following
character) are called non-connectors. The four characters introduced in
this unit are all connecting characters.

Pronunciation
These four characters represent consonant sounds.

b in bin

k in skip

1 in long

m in man
2 BEGINNER’S URDU SCRIPT

Positional forms
The shapes of each of these characters vary in four ways depending on
their position in a word. Remember that the following table should be read
from right to left.

Medial Initial Transliteration

form form
(unjoined)| (joined)

be — bars 2 A
A

ah aS lal aa cine lonely

J J )
sacl galeGo eea :
Writing practice
Each of the characters in the Urdu alphabet is formed in a precise manner
and it is important to copy this exactly. Practise drawing the various forms
of these four characters, following closely the guidelines given.

= «=obe
Se

~ initial form

= medial form

a final form (joined)

rs
2 1

tone et 2 final form (unjoined)

UNIT 1 3 “

2 i
JS kat
: ff J i¢ initial form

1G3 “hd i NS | 36 medial form

em (geet ¢ ae final form (joined)

ah ne) art final form (unjoined)

Yam
ji ) initial form
2 1

c J medial form

Oz ' (¢ U final form (joined)

Jl J final form (unjoined)

oe
Pp)» initial form
bw 4 medial form
a “i é final form (joined)

ie 2 is final form (unjoined)

4 BEGINNER’S URDU SCRIPT

Representation of short vowels

There are no characters in the Urdu script representing the three short
vowels in the language. These vowels are:

a in ago*
i in hit
u in put

*It is important to remember that while the Roman letter a may represent
several different sounds in English (e.g. in the words ago, ate, arson,
authority and ban), it is used in this book to represent a single sound in
Urdu.

These short vowels can be pronounced with all of the characters in the
alphabet appearing anywhere in a word, except at the end. Two characters
can also occur anywhere in a word without an intervening vowel sound.

Because there are no characters to represent the short vowels, it is difficult

to tell which short vowel, if any, should be pronounced with a consonant
character. There are, however, symbols that are employed, chiefly in
dictionaries and children’s primers, to clarify the pronunciation of words.
These symbols represent the three short vowels and the omission of a
vowel. These four symbols, written above and below characters, also
possess names. They are:

zabar (written above the character) = a

zer (written below the character) = i

pesh (written above the character) = u

jazm (written above the character) = no vowel*

*In some texts jazm appears as ° or «a.

UNIT 1 5

These symbols, however, are not used in most Urdu texts except where the
pronunciation of a word needs clarification. In this book only the symbols
- zer, * pesh, indicating the short i and u, and ? jazm are provided.
? jazm is, however, never written above the final character in a word
because, as a rule, a short vowel cannot be pronounced in this position.
Where ~ zer or * pesh are not provided in a word, it is to be assumed
that the character is followed by a short a vowel. For example, the
pronunciation of three words made up of the initial form of the character
“=” be and the final form of the character ahs kaf is clarified in the
following manner:

use

bak bik
nonsense (f) stem of the verb
‘to be sold’

Reading and writing practice

1. Read the following words in Urdu and write them in Roman script.
Remember that the short vowels i and u are marked by ~ zer and 4
pesh, that the absence of a vowel symbol indicates the presence of a short
a vowel and that a short vowel is not pronounced at the end of a word.

Meaning

strength (m)

lip (m)
mill (m)

less
6 BEGINNER’S URDU SCRIPT

Meaning

strength (m)

lip (m)

mill (m)

less

when

book (f)

3. Connect the appropriate forms of the following characters to form the

words. Remember to write in the short vowel symbols - zer and 4 pesh
and the symbol » jasm, used to denote the omission of a vowel, where
necessary.

Roman Meaning

+ i mulk country (m) (a

+ rat kamal lotus (m) (b

+ J kambal blanket (m) (c

+ = bulbul nightingale (m) (d
UNIT ] 7

Summary
¢ The forms of most characters vary depending on whether they occur at
the beginning, in the middle, at the end of a word or at the end after a
non-connector.

¢ Each character has a name as well as a basic pronunciation.

¢ There are no characters to represent the three short vowels (a, i, u) in

Urdu.

¢ There are four symbols occasionally employed to indicate the presence

of a short vowel or the omission of a vowel( - zabar, - zer, 4% pesh
and » jazm).

¢ Only the symbols - zer and * pesh are used in this book to represent
short vowels.

Answers to practices
1. a) bal b) lab c) mil d) kam e) Kab f) buk

3. a) ition je =) 8: d) Ut
 aa UNIT 2

In this chapter the first non-connecting character is introduced. It is also

the first character in the Urdu alphabet and represents four vowel sounds.

Positional forms
Non-connecting characters such as | alif have only two forms, both of
which are easy to recognise and draw.

Name Final (joined) and | Initial and final | Transliteration

medial form form (unjoined)

lh i) Se anal

Pronunciation
The pronunciation of | alif depends on its position in a word.

Initial | alif
In the absence of characters to represent the three short vowels in Urdu,
alif is employed at the beginning of a word to indicate that it begins
with one of these vowels. Occasionally the vowel symbols introduced in
Unit 1 (- zabar, - zer and * pesh) are used to clarify which of these
vowels is present. In this book only the symbols for the short vowel i
UNIT 2 9
( - zer) andu( * pesh) are written in. An initial short a vowel is thus
indicated by | alif without a vowel symbol.

For example:

Initial | alif with the symbol ~ madd

| alif also represents a long 4 vowel at the beginning of a word. When it
does, the symbol ~ madd is written (from right to left) above it.

Character Name Transliteration Pronunciation

*The line above this letter in the Roman is used to distinguish this vowel
sound from the short a (in ago) vowel introduced in Unit 1.

Medial J alif
In the middle of a word | alif represents a long 4 vowel.

Character Name Transliteration Pronunciation

For example:
10 BEGINNER’S URDU SCRIPT

Modified form of AS kaf

The initial and medial forms of ae kaf are written in a modified form
when they are followed by either J alif or J lam.

For example:

yodts
kal lam kaf
yesterday/tomorrow

~ tashdid
The symbol * tashdid, which looks very much lie the letter w,
represents the doubling of a character without an intervening vowel
sound. It is written above the character that is repeated.

For example:

ikka
a one-horse vehicle (m)

Reading and writing practice

1. Practise forming the following words according to the guidelines given.

Roman Meaning

kal
Kb dp rv) & yesterday/tomorrow (a

kam ae “a b) work (m) (b

mukka KA Ka ; % CA 2) fist, punch (m) (c

UNIT 2 11

2. Join the appropriate forms of the following characters.

Meaning

lotus (m)

hair (m)

red

tall, long

Muslim spiritual guide (m)

black

collection of poetry (m)

bomb (m)

mango (m)

goods (m)
12 BEGINNER’S URDU SCRIPT

Meaning Roman Urdu

maternal uncle (m)

a woman’s name (f)

complete

4. Join the appropriate forms of the following characters to form the words
given. Also write in the words any necessary short vowels symbols and
» jazm (omission of vowel).

Meaning

water (m) (a

now (b

name of a character (c

work (m) (d

calamity (f) (e

art (f) (f

high, above (g

| + J SA ae (s mala necklace (f) (h

WINITE2 Se 13

Roman Meaning

honorific title G

miracle (m) (j

clock (m) (k

father (m) (1

5. Read the following phrases in Urdu and then write them in Roman
script.

Meaning Roman Urdu

black blanket (m) i yK @

red lotus (m) a Jy

complete work (m) as Jee (c

less work (m) as a (d

a long hair (m) Jt \/ (e

yesterday/ as K ak (f
tomorrow's work (m)

uncle's miracle (m) J U 6 ibe

14 BEGINNER'S URDU SCRIPT

the Imam's work (m)

father's mango (m)

Summary
shid alif is a non-connector (i.e. does not join to the following character).

¢ | alif is used to indicate a short vowel (a, i, u) at the beginning of a

word.
¢ / alif with ~ madd at the beginning of a word represent the long
vowel a.
¢ J alif in the middle of a word also represents the long vowel a.

e The form of the character as kaf is modified when followed by J alif

or J lam.
¢ The doubling of a character without an intervening vowel is
represented by the symbol » tashdid, written above the character.

Answers to practices

2a bob otal
3.a) kamal b) bal c) lal d) lamba e) imam f) kala g) kalam h) bam
i) 4m j) mal k) mama 1) kamla m) mukammal

4a) ol b) —! 6) a a) (6 e) UL f) 6

pL mUb ny pW oe » O
5. a) kala kambal b) lal kamal c) mukammal kam d) kam kam
e) lamba bal f) kal ka kam g) mama ka kamal h) imam ka kam
i) abba ka 4m
 UNIT 3

The four characters introduced in this unit are all connecting characters
representing consonant sounds. In addition to these, the symbol that
represents aspiration (i.e. a breath of air expelled with a character) is
described. The four characters are:

p in spin

j in jump

g in gun (never as in gin)

h in hut

In some words a short a vowel followed by ® chofi he at the end of a

word are pronounced together as a long 4 vowel. They are also
occasionally pronounced as a short i or e vowel. Where such words are
introduced in this book, first the Roman transliteration is given and then
the pronunciation in parentheses.
16 BEGINNER’S URDU SCRIPT

For example:

vo
2

kalmah *
(kalma)
the expression of faith of a Muslim (m) (‘there is no God but Allah...’)

*See below for the final form of 9® choti he.

Positional forms
Being connectors, all of these characters have four forms. “= pe and
Y
_J! gaf have the same basic shape as the characters “* be and ap
kaf, introduced in Unit 1. Because of this similarity both sets of characters
are traditionally considered part of the same series in the Urdu alphabet.

Transliteration

gaf

choti he

Writing practice
Practise drawing the various forms of the four characters introduced in
this unit according to the guidelines given.
UNIT 3 17

For a description of how to draw the character “=”

° pe, see the
formation of ‘> be on p.2.

Z
| ~_—
& iim
ED
Z, initial form

oa eae ee & medial form

@ 6 £.
1

& final form (joined)

1

G © final form (unjoined)

jaf gaf
Y
For a description of how to draw the character af gaf, see the
formation of kaf on p.3. The second stroke at the top of the
character is drawn the same way as the first, i.c. downwards.

® chofti he

There are two initial forms of the character chotihe: 8 choti he when
joined to J alif and when joined to any other character.

J 4° 4, _ initial form
2

1 initial form
tl | (followed by { alif)

~o medial form

€ ~ final form (joined)

® final form (unjoined)
18 BEGINNER’S URDU SCRIPT

Modified form of ie gaf

Y,
As with a6 kaf, the initial and medial forms of the character = gaf
also appear in a modified form when followed by either J alif or J lam.

For example:

wet
ga alif gaf
stem of the flower (m)
verb to sing

Reading and writing practice

1. Read the following words and then write them in Roman script.

Meaning

you (polite)

today

fire (f)

a sigh (f)

2. Practise forming the following words according to the guidelines and

then write them in Roman script. Note that any dots are added to a portion
of a word after writing a non-connecting character. For example, in the
first word the three dots that complete the character ‘F pe are added
after drawing | alif but before beginning the character uf kaf. If more
than one character with dots occurs in a word, the dots are completed from
right to left.
UNIT 3 19

Meaning

pure (a

drinking vessel (m) (b

9) cheek (m) (c

hall (m) (d

3. Join the appropriate forms of the following characters to form the words
given.

Meaning

leap (f) (a

chimed (b

attached (c

said (d

4. Write out the full (unjoined final) forms of the characters that make up
the following words and then provide their Roman equivalents.
20 BEGINNER’S URDU SCRIPT

Meaning

gossip (f) (a

judge (m) (b

world (m) (c

place (f) (d

5. Select the appropriate forms of the characters provided and then join
them to make the following words.

Meaning

flower pot (m) (a

crazy (b

reins (f) (c

public (d

brand name of
a scooter (e

sin (m) (f
UNIT 3 21
Roman Meaning

light (g

killed (h

throat (m) (

art (f) G

Aspiration
A particular form of the character 0 chofi he is also employed to indicate
that a consonant character is pronounced with a breath of air (i.e.
aspiration). An example of an aspirated consonant in English is the initial
p in the word pit. Place your open palm approximately ten centimetres
from your mouth and pronounce both pit and spit. Can you feel the breath
of air which is expelled with the first p? The form of 96 chofi he that
indicates aspiration is called do cashmi he.

Pronunciation

Transliteration
D do cashmi a breath of air expelled
he with a consonant
22 BEGINNER’S URDU SCRIPT

Writing practice
Practise forming the character do cashmi he according to the guidelines
given.

2) do cashmi he

Reading and writing practice

6. Write the following forms in Roman script.

g Ke

5 4 3 i)

te, 1B 5) ag ~ jhalak glimpse (f) (b

he, Be ous er
 UNIT 3 23

Meaning

fruit (m) (c

skin (f) (d

Summary
Y
e The characters “= pe and us gaf have the same basic form as the
characters “=” be and Jf kaf, introduced in Unit 1.

¢ Dots are added last or after a non-connecting character. If there is more

than one character with dots in a word, they are added from right to left.

¢ There are two forms of the character 9 chofi he in an initial position:

6 chofi he with { alif and © chofi he with any other character.
G a .
¢ The character 20¢ gaf has a modified form before I alif or J lam.

¢ A particular form of 9 chofi he called do cashmi he 2 is used to

indicate that a consonant character is aspirated (i.e. produced with a
breath of air).

* Occasionally a short a vowel followed by 9) chofi he in a word final

position is pronounced as a long 4 vowel.
 24 BEGINNER’S URDU SCRIPT

Answers to practices
1. a) 4p b) aj c) ag d) dh
2.a) pak b) jam c) gal d)hal

3. a) ws Sat c) bj d) Uf
g

arise )
6.a)ba b) pa c) ja d) ka e) ga f) bha g) pha h) jha i) kha j) gha
 ce. 4

Only one character is introduced in this unit. It is a connector and

represents three long vowels and the semi-vowel y.

U
ye

Positional forms
The basic shape of the initial and medial forms of the character UGye is
the same as that of “= be and “F pe, introduced in early units. This
character also has two final forms, both of which represent separate vowel
sounds.

Transliteration

I,e, ai,y
26 BEGINNER’S URDU SCRIPT

Writing practice
Practise drawing the various forms of this character according to the
guidelines given.

Ox
/ _ initial form

~ medial form

(S final form (joined) (1)

— final form (joined) (e, ai)

($ final form (unjoined) (@)

“<== final form (unjoined) (e, ai)

Pronunciation
The character ye represents three long vowels and the semi-vowel y.

Character| Name | Transliteration Pronunciation

y in yes
1 in beet
U te e in play
i ai in had
UNIT 4 27

Word-initial e ye

At the beginning of a word, e ye represents the semi-vowel y.

For example:

es
yah
(ye)*
this, he, she, it, they

*The pronunciation of this word is exceptional. See the explanation of the

pronunciation of 6 chofi he at the end of a word in Unit 3 (p.15).

Initial 1, e, ai vowels

When a long 1, e, or ai vowel occurs at the beginning of a word, it is

represented by fe ye, preceded by the character { alif. Occasionally the
vowel symbol - zabar is employed to indicate that it represents ai and -
zer to indicate that it represents 1. The absence of these two vowel-
markers thus indicates the presence of the vowel e.

£I Li
ikh aisa*
sugarcane (f) such/thus(f)

* »” is the medial form of the character ioe sin, which represents the
consonant s. This is introduced in Unit 5.
28 BEGINNER’S URDU SCRIPT

Medial e) ye
In the middle of a word a ye may represent any one of the three long
vowels and the semi-vowel y. Once again the vowel symbols ~ zabar
and - zer are occasionally used to indicate which of these sounds is
present. When e} ye is followed by J alif, it frequently represents the
semi-vowel y or iy or even ly.

hy aa Caaf a4
pila kela bail byah kya kiya ayyam
yellow banana(m) ox(m) marriage (m) what did days (m)

Word-final U ye
There are two forms of e ye when it occurs at the end of a word: e
(l)and a (e, ai).

For example:

without heart/mind
(prefix) (also a polite suffix)

Reading and writing practice ~

1. Follow the steps to form the following words and then write them out
in Roman script.
UNIT 4 29

Meaning

jalebi (m) (a
an“ae(an Indian sweet)

1
suddenly (b

Meaning

even, also

drunk, drink

take

is/are

ghee (m) (clarified butter)

30 BEGINNER’S URDU SCRIPT

3. Write the following words employing the appropriate forms of the

characters supplied.

Roman Meaning

J + e + —s pila yellow (a

D+ ae aA kabhi sometimes (b

f + D+ ay khaya eaten (c

SKS fe) + | ek one (d

4. Read the following words quickly, focusing on the differences that

separate them, and then write them in Roman script.

Ls tb Ul 0 ats
good calamity (f) above hair(m) strength (m)

5
ieee ae SP
2

fruit (m) reared nurtured asail(m) _ bridge (m)

SPuz ian eietee ee

shining cobweb (m) _ net (m) water (m)

ag iy “Ub ees
skin (f) black period (m) yesterday
UNIT 4 31

ib Ue Je ge (e

throat (m) cotton ball (m) cheek (m) flower (m)

a Je Je = re (f
yellow jail (m/f) game (m) lamp (m)_ banana (m)

Punctuation
The most important punctuation marks used in Urdu sentences are as
follows:

Other punctuation marks are the same as the English.

Reading and writing practice

5. It is now possible to read one or two sentences using some of the words
you have learnt already. Try and read the following sentences and write
them out in Roman script. It will help to know that the verb generally
comes at the end of the sentence in Urdu. (The words in parentheses show
the Urdu word order.)
32 BEGINNER’S URDU SCRIPT

(is what this)

What is this?

Sasi
(is fruit one this)

This is a fruit.

$4 gla
(is jalebi your this)

Is this your jalebi?

ayaee eee
7 ad

(is yellow cup this)

This cup is yellow.

 UNIT 4 \ 33

cebu
oT x <.

(is alley your this)

Is this your alley?

weg Ng a eed
°
7 iY

(is yellow cup your)

Your cup is yellow.

Summary
¢ The character e ye represents three long vowels (1, e, ai) and the
semi-vowel y.

° eg ye has two final forms fe) (1) and <a (e, ai).

e At the beginning of a word the long vowels I, e and ai are represented

by / alif and te) ye.
¢ The vowel symbol - zer is employed to mark that the character U
ye represents the vowel 1 while the vowel symbol ~ zabar is
employed to mark that it represents ai.

¢ The pronunciation of the pronoun yah (ye) (he, she, it, this, they)
is irregular.
e e = Y
34 BEGINNER’S URDU SCRIPT

Answers to practices
1. a) jalebi b) yakayak c) lahje (lehje)

2.a) bhi b) pi c) led) hai e) ghi f) ke

° j
3. a) ie yy ee c) ws d) a

4. a) bal, bal, bala, bala, bhala b) pul, pal, pala, pala, phal c) jal, jal,
jala, jala, jhala jhal d) kal, kal, kala, kala, khal e) gul, gal, gala, gala
f) kela, laimp, Khel, jel, pila, gila

5. a) yah (ye) kya hai? b) yah (ye) ek phal hai c) kya yah (ye) ap ki
jalebi hai? d) yah (ye) pyala pila hai e) kya yah (ye) 4p ki gali hai?
f) ap ka pyala pila hai
 UNIT 5

In this unit four connecting characters are introduced, one of which is also
used to represent the nasalisation of a vowel. These characters are:

Pronunciation
All four of these characters represent consonant sounds.

Transliteration
t in ton (the tip of the tongue
touches the back of the top teeth)
ch in church (never the c in cat)*
s in sun

n in nut

*Note that the sound ch is represented in the Roman by the letter ¢ in this
book. This is because there is an aspirated form of & cim, which is
represented in Roman script by ch.
36 BEGINNER’S URDU SCRIPT

Positional forms
The basic form of the character w% te is the same as that of “3” be and
coral pe. The shape of & cim is also identical to that of C jim,
introduced in Unit 3. In both cases it is only the number of dots that
differs.

Medial Initial Transliteration

form

Writing practice
Practise forming these new characters according to the guidelines given.

w= te

For a description of how to draw the character W te, see the

formation of “S~ be on p. 2.

& cim

For a description of how to draw the character © cim, see the

formation of & jim on p.17.
UNIT 5 37

Oa sin
3 2 1
=f!) — initial form
2 1
bie medial form

VU final form (joined)

“) UW final form (unjoined)

G) nun
ti]

4 initial form
t

SF medial form

Or igtvaltonn (joined)

Reading and writing practice

1. Practise forming the following words according to the guidelines given.

Meaning

good, okay (a

Pakistan (m) (b
38 BEGINNER’S URDU SCRIPT

Roman Meaning

dd kuch some, something (c

te
Ty

2 'samajhna to understand (d
o pgs

Meaning

hand (m)

conversation (f)

smile (f)

from

settlement (f)
UNIT 5 39

3. Join the appropriate forms of the following characters to form the words
given.

Meaning

oil (m) (a

name (m) (b

shine (f) (c

year (m) (d

4. Complete the following words by placing the correct number of dots

above or below the appropriate character.

bhi
also/even

we
cipkali jhalak
lizard (f) glimpse (f)
40 BEGINNER’S URDU SCRIPT

5. Read the following words and write them in Roman script.

Meaning

statement (m)

to tell

to save

to ring, strike

heard

assembly (f)

Tuesday (m)

jungle (m)

such

how

Nasalisation
The character ( nian is also used
to represent nasalisation (the
pronunciation of a vowel sound partly through the nose) in Urdu. In the
middle of a word the medial form of @ nin is employed ( 4 ) while at
the end of a word the final form of J nan is written without the dot
UNIT 5 41

when it represents a nasalised vowel, i.e. U . This particular final form

of UW nan is called nan ghunna (lit: ‘talking through the nose’). In this
book, the nasalisation of vowel is represented in Roman script by a tilde
(~ ) written above a vowel, e.g. 4. When trying to determine whether the
character nun in a medial position represents the nasalisation of a vowel
or the consonant n, it may help to remember that long vowels are often
nasalised.

For example:

oleg
insan akh
human being (m) eye (f)

Ot Ut
man ma
honour/respect (m) mother (f)

Occasionally the final form of W nan without the dot, representing

nasalisation, is found in the middle of a word.

For example:

likhége
he/they (m) will write
42 BEGINNER’S URDU SCRIPT

Nasalisation is a very common feature in Urdu. Two commonly used

words that are nasalised are the words for yes and no:

*The word iG ji literally means heart or mind but is used here to soften
the words and to add a degree of respect. It is also commonly used after
people’s names as a sign of respect.

Reading and writing practice

6. Choose the appropriate forms of the following characters and form the
words given.

Meaning

in (a

“meee fee fe yaha here (b

samjhége will understand (c

ahSoil st aye aaa ae Pal Coit ere

UNIT 5 43

7. Read the following words and write them in Roman script.

Meaning

where (?)

(to) us

(to) him/her/them

books (f)

similar to become tired

fen
~

thirty-two kettle (f) banana (n)

bk je JS ©
to make blanket (m) destitute

oo

ale
° e

ore
or, U
conclusion (m) to tell prophet (m)
44 BEGINNER’S URDU SCRIPT

Japanese

tr
to decorate

Summary
The character & cim is represented by the letter ¢ in Roman script
This is pronounced as ch in the word church.

The basic form of te is the same as thatof “” beand = pe.

The tip of the tongue touches the back of the top teeth when
pronouncing = te.

The form of & cim is the same as that of CG jim.

The initial and medial forms of J niin have the same basic shapes as
those of the characters in the “> be series.

The character W niin is also used to represent nasalisation in Urdu. In

the middle of a word the medial form of © nin is employed ( £ )
while at the end of a word the final form of U niin is written without
the dot when it represents a nasalised vowel (U Me
UNIT 5 45
Answers to practices
2.a) hath b) bat cit c) muskan d) se e) basti

Ba) Ue b) ct Cc) le d) JL

4. a) b b) wb c) St d) Se

See: 5 i Miacanetar h) ee
5. a) bayan b) batana c) bacina d) bajana e) suna f) sabha
g) mangal h) jangal i) aisa j) Kaisa

6. a) U- b) U es)
ly te>

7. a) kaha b) hamé c) mai d) unhé e) kitabe

8. a) thakna, yaksa, kitna, kela, ketli, battis b) kangal, kambal,

banana, nabi, batlana, natijah (natija) c) cabi, japani, majlis, machi,
sajana, sacmuc
 ae 6

In this unit the character 4 vao, a non-connector that represents three

long vowels and a semi-vowel, is introduced.

3
vao

Positional forms
Because it does not connect to the following character in a word, § vao,
like J alif, has only two forms, both of which are almost identical in
appearance and easily recognisable.

Name Medial and final Initial and final | Transliteration

form (joined) form (unjoined)

Writing practice
Practise writing the two forms of the character 9 vao following the
guidelines.

3 vao

initial and final form (unjoined)

medial and final form (joined)

UNIT 6 47

Pronunciation
The character § vao may represent three vowel sounds and the semi-
vowel v

Transliteration
somewhere between the English
v and w. The upper teeth make
slight contact with the back
of the lower lip

ti in food
0 in go (without the w sound
at the end)
au in lord
Bl
Word-initial 9 vao

At the beginning of a word, 4 vao represents the semi-vowel v

For example:

Af,
vajah
reason

Initial i, 0, au vowels

The presence of one of the long vowels i, 0, au at the beginning of a word

is marked by | alif followed by § vao. This combination of characters
may, however, also represent a short vowel and the semi-vowel v. The
vowels a and au are occasionally distinguished using the short vowel-
markers - zabar (au) and * pesh (i). This practice has been followed in
this book.
48 BEGINNER’S URDU SCRIPT

For example:

wal sues! Us
un ole avval
wool (n) hailstones (n) first, chief, best

*The final character in this word is the independent form of the character
/ re, which represents the consonant r.

Medial 9 vao

In the middle of a word 4 vao generally represents one of the three long
vowels just described. Again, the short vowel signs may be employed to
clarify which vowel is present. When 4 vao is followed by either { alif
or e ye, it often represents the semi-vowel v.

For example:

Ula ee
saval navis
then one hundred question(n) writer/scribe

Reading and writing practice

1. Following the guidelines given, write out these words. After you have
done this, write their Roman equivalents.

Roman Meaning

lx 4 54 ~ jubilee (f) (a

ue Oe
UNIT 6 49

Roman Meaning
5 4 3 2 1

weve b & FF wmeo

pee 7 6

ure uk -yb
ba 3 2 1
o ® ; is a Py] wife (f) (c
ees ee

Sa, a a a TC
g

Meaning

square (m)

high

death (f)

step-, half-*

*as in step-sister

3. Join the appropriate forms of the following characters to make the

words given.
50 BEGINNER’S URDU SCRIPT

Roman Meaning

Of ahs 4a) C @javan youth (m) (a

J Pee) 7a) © caval rice (m) (b

v- +39 + in U samosa samosa (m) (c

C + we +4 + fe mausam weather (m) (d

D> + 2g + 3 + U sakhna to dry (e

Dares mere ve) Ss why (?) (f

4. Write the full (unjoined final) forms of the characters that make up the
following words.

Meaning

musalman Muslim (m) (a

maulvi learned
man (m) (b

pensil pencil (m) (c

nau javan young

man (m) (d

haspatal _ hospital (m) (e

UNIT 6 51

5. Read the following phrases and write them in Roman script. Note that
words that appear with vowel-markers ( ~ zabar,/ zer and & pesh) or
» jasm reappear without these symbols. This is designed to assist in
recognising words as they would appear in unedited texts.

— tr VJ — ST :
red book your book
Roman

Ube Kuley CiSuled o

the youth’s the youth’s
goods book
Roman

wget ==——_bee
Pakistani food Pakistani é
people
Roman

SIGE A ise . A. we
2 3s

some Punjabi some books some people

eople
ad Roman

(66k Sx 6 — WRrIbes (e
bank(’s) Punjab’s bank Punjabi youth
work
Roman
52 BEGINNER’S URDU SCRIPT

aise cee Nee 66 See (f

the name the name of hospital(’s)
of the book the hospital work

at aioe faites
how much how much work? the name of
money? the bank

many Pakistani many people much money

people

chSIe gle& Syl

the maulvi’s some Muslims Muslim people
work

eanye-3 PET hl eEIY

a childhood(’s) your childhood the maulvi’s
matter goods

6. Read the following graffiti and translate it into English.

UNIT 6 53

aes gi (b

i Bah out
rhe Bv (6
Glossary

he/she/it/that
(pronounced
irregularly as vo)

you (polite)
54 BEGINNER’S URDU SCRIPT

Summary
* § vao represents three long vowel sounds and the semi-vowel v.

e At the beginning of a word, 4 vao represents v.

¢ The three long vowels i, 0, and au are represented at the beginning of

a word by J alif and 4 vao.
¢ When 9% vao is followed by either J alif or re ye in the middle of a
word, it often represents the semi-vowel v.

¢ The pronunciation of the pronoun 0% vah (vo) (he, she, it, that) is
irregular.

Answers to practices
1. a) jubli b) jasus c) bivi d) bojhal
2. a) cauk b) ica c) maut d) sautela

3. a) CLE b) Jol c) a al

d) (ie .» Wr »4 Ut

dy ie. Ut © aapatnnian
Dako Oe ae
» JVIbY pensil
d UlsGsW — nau javan
2. JilerUs haspital
UNIT 6 55

5. a) ap ki kitab, lal kitab b) naujavan ki kitab, naujavan ka saman

c) pakistani log, pakistani khana d) kuch log, kuch kitabé, kuch
panjabi log e) panjabi naujavan, panjab ka baink, baink ka kam
f) haspatal ka kam, haspatal ka nam, kitab ka nam g) baink ka nam,
kitna kam, kitna paisah (paisa) h) bahut paisah (paisa), bahut log,
bahut pakistani log 1) musalman log, kuch musalman, maulvi ka kam
j) maulvi ka saman, ap ka bacpan, bacpan ki bat

6. a) vah (vo) bhi pakistani hai he/she also is Pakistani b) 4p bhi

pakistani hai You also are Pakistani c) ham sab pakistani hai we are
all Pakistani d) ham sab ka mulk hai pakistan Pakistan belongs to us all
(we all’s country is Pakistan)
 UNIT 7

Five characters are introduced in this unit. This brings the total number of
characters thus far to twenty. All five of these characters represent
consonant sounds in Urdu. Three of these are connectors and two are non-
connectors.

non-connector

non-connector

connector

connector

connector

Pronunciation
For most Urdu speakers the pronunciation of the characters re bari he
and or svad is almost exactly the same as that of 8 chofi he and (/
sin, introduced in earlier units. This is because the sounds that these
characters represent in Arabic were gradually diluted in Urdu but the
original spellings of words in which they occur have been maintained. For
this reason, they are represented in Roman script in this book by the same
letters (h and s). It is important to remember that the letter h is also used
to represent the aspiration of a consonant.
 UNIT 7 57

Character| Name | Transliteration Pronunciation

d in done (the tip of the tongue
touches the back of the top teeth)
r in run

h in hut

sh in shun
Ss in sun

Positional forms
It is often difficult for the beginner to distinguish between the non-
connecting characters 4 dal and / re because of their similar shape. It
will help to remember that 4 dal joins to the preceding character at the
middle whereas / re joins at the top. These characters are also often
~ confused with the character 4 vao.

Medial rua Transliteration

form
58 BEGINNER’S URDU SCRIPT

Writing practice
Practise forming these characters according to the guidelines given.

5) dal
initial and final
(unjoined) form
medial and final
(joined) form

2 etre
initial and final
(unjoined) form
4” medial and final
(joined) form

OU bari he

For a description of how to draw the forms of the character U bari

he, see the formation of iy jim on p.17.

oF shin

oe
For a description of how to draw the forms of the character Cy shin,
see the formation of os sin on p.37.

we svad

wb initial form
3

to wey medial form

3 2

or (final form (joined)

Oe final form (unjoined)

UNIT 7 59

Reading and writing practice

1. Write the following words according to the guidelines given and then
provide their Roman equivalents.

Meaning

hashish (f) (a

chairman (m) (b

thank you (m) (c

Muslim wedding
ceremony (m) (d

picture (f) (e

health (f) (f

Meaning

dhal (f)

night (f)

soap (m)

ruler, governor (m)

splendour, lustre (f)

washerman (m)

rail (f)
60 BEGINNER’S URDU SCRIPT

Meaning Roman Urdu

province (m)

life, existence (f)

grandeur, dignity (f)

3. Join the appropriate forms of the characters supplied to form the

following words.

Meaning

populated (a

rest/respite (m) (b

man (m) (c

if (d

+ o, sarhad border (f) (e

+ | urda Urdu (f) (f

+ mf koshish effort/endeavour (f) (g

4. Read the following words quickly, focusing on the characters that are
similar in shape, and then write them in Roman script.

by ” vly 7398
to cry two medicine (f) pain (m)

Z 4 ae oof
ys (Od dh ©
tour (m) both second/other Urdu (f)
UNIT 7 61

ost ! G~ 3 o93
intention (m) washerman (m) milk (m)

ol= —ca

ruler (m) all night (f)

9

oy Slee ly ey
relation (m) enemy (m) way/path (m) hand (m)

ee OG he G «
damage/loss (m) inclination(m) forbidden extreme/limit (f) pilgrimage (m)

5. Read the following advertisement and translate it into English.

A glossary of unfamiliar words can be found on page 62.
62 BEGINNER’S URDU SCRIPT

Glossary

bank (m) bs

2
oA
wea
Summary
¢ The tip of the tongue touches the top of the back teeth in the
pronunciation of / dal.
e The characters 0 chofti he and CU bari he represent the same sound
for most speakers and are both represented in Roman script by the letter
h in this book.
° ios sin and Ue svad also represent the same sound and are both
represented by s in Roman script in this book.
« Jdal and J re are most easily distinguished by focusing on the
point at which the preceding character joins them.
UNIT 7 63

* (J shin has the same basic shape as (J sin.

¢ The shape of eo bari he is the same as that of C jim. Therefore, they
are grouped together in the alphabet.

Answers to practices
1. a) hashish b) sadar c) shukriyah (shukriya) d) nikah e) tasvir
f) sahat (sehat)
2.a) dal b) rat c) sabun d) hakim e) shan f) dhobi g) rel
h) subah (suba) i) hayat j) shaukat

Ba) sf b) ct c) UF d) AN A eof
f) api g) anes

4 a) dard, dari, do, rona b) urdi, disra, dono, daurah (daura)

c) didh, dhobi, iraddah (irada), badtar d) shab, sab, shah, sap
e) dast, rastah (rasta), dushman, rishtah (rishta)
f) haj, had, haram, rujhan, harj
5. a) panjab neshanal baink Punjab National Bank b) lahaur Lahore
c) 4p ka baink your bank d) 4p ke sath with you e) aj bhi kal bhi
today also tomorrow also f) hameshah (hamesha) forever
g) bharose ka nishan the sign of reliance
 UNIT 8

The five characters introduced in this unit occur mainly in words that have
come into Urdu from Persian, Arabic and English. Three are connectors
and two are non-connectors. They are:

connector

non-connector

non-connector

connector

connector

Pronunciation
Three of these five characters represent the same sound for most speakers
of Urdu. As with the characters U bari he and ye svad in Unit 7, the
reason for this is that the Arabic phonetic values of the characters have
been lost in Urdu but the original spellings of the words in which they
occur have been retained.
UNIT 8 65

Character] Name | Transliteration Pronunciation

e

similar to ch in the Scottish

word loch

Z in zebra

f in fun

Positional forms
The basic shape of the character 6 khe is the same as that of © jim and
with the introduction of ( khe this series of characters is now complete
(Y jim, & cim, oe bari he, and ‘G khe). The basic shapes of the
characters § zaland j ze are the same as those of 9 daland / re. For
this reason they too belong to the same series. U” zvad is identical in
shape to Oe svad. Finally the linear portion of the character 3 fe is
also similar to the basic shape of the be series of characters although it is
not included with them in that series. The line under the Roman
representation of the character ( khe is used to distinguish it from the
aspirated form of the character eG kaf ( a kh).

Medial Initial | Transliteration

form
66 BEGINNER’S URDU SCRIPT

Writing practice
Practise writing the various forms of these characters.

C khe

For a description of how to draw the forms of the character CU khe, see
the formation of © jim on p.17.

5 zal

For a description of how to draw the forms of the character 3 zal, see
the formation of 7 dal on p.58.

J ze

For a description of how to draw the forms of the character J ze, see
the formation of 4 re onp.58.

Ue zad

For a description of how to draw the forms of the character U’ zad,

see the formation of (/ svad on p.58.

io fe

§ initial form
®

pA medial form

( a final form (joined)

tL)

tess final form (unjoined)

UNIT 8 67

Reading and writing practice

1. Following the guidelines given, write these words in Urdu and then
provide their Roman equivalents.

Meaning
3 2 1
3 2 AZ 2 9 j ostentation (m) (a

oY fat (b
a>e
ee,
eMe rie poo 3

5), 2 a A
= duty (m) (c

ie) a ee
5 1 beautiful (also

2. Read the following words and write them in Roman script.

Meaning

special

fever (m)

direction (m)

a little

religion (m)

tasty

a cold (m)

elderly

thing (f)
68 BEGINNER’S URDU SCRIPT

Meaning Roman Urdu

certainly

Sir!

a (water) tank (n)

worry (f)
journey (m)

clean

3. Join the appropriate forms of the characters supplied to write the

following words.
Roman Meaning
WS + + khabar news (f) (a
++ takht board, seat (m) (b

@ rane naskh Arabic script (m) (c

v +0 + zahan (zehn) mind (m) (d

+3 + jazbah (jazba) emotion (m) (e

} + + zaban tongue/language (f) (f
4 +U + zindagi life (f) (g

j + f + bazar market (m) (h

oe + + sabzi vegetable (f) (i

J sare Oe
GC(CR fazl grace, mercy, (m) (j
+o haftah (hafta) week (m) (k

U eesiee safed white (1

UNIT 8 69

4. Read the following groups of words, focusing on those characters that

look similar in form, then write them in Roman script.

Gis pilays 5-9) 9h

tailor (m) door (m) daily pale

Ul ode ee| N3S6s sap

responsible secret(m) shopkeeper(m) enjoyable

De APshe
solution (m) agile envy (f)

fe pl uot) pen
to decorate sahib(m) giving/granting greedy
70 BEGINNER‘S URDU SCRIPT
5. Read the titles of the following films showing at the Jubilee Cinema.
Write them in Roman script and then translate them into English.

g eS

Cie
owt

en eee ee
1 (b)|
UNIT 8 71

(e) (f)
lly 2 Glare

fi dé
(g) (h)

Vee
4) a2

— 43) A
72 BEGINNER‘S URDU SCRIPT
Glossary
The following words appear in the film titles.

jubilee
Ge,Re
cinema (m) N

four
Rh.
Xu
16
daily PAGED:
shows (m) Y

twelve Ae: 5

three oe

Six xg

nine Hi

o’clock

final
Lon S
journey

fy
.
and

beware! v ¢

destination (f)
 UNIT 8 73

still

life (f) re
£3
4 2)

Summary
¢ The characters 3 zal, j ze, and we zad all represent the same
sound (z) for most Urdu speakers.

° The character ( khe completes the series of four characters that have
an identical shape to that of @ jim (@ jim, © cim, ( bari he, C
khe).

¢ $ zaland J ze have the same basic shape as 4 daland / re.

¢ The basic shape of .} fe is the same as that of “*~

Answers to practices
1. a) fakhriyah (fakhriya) b) zakhim c) farz d) farrukh
2. a) khas b) bukhar c) rukh d) zara e) mazhab f) laziz g) zukam
h) buzurg i) ciz j) zarir k) huzir |) hauz m) fikr n) safar o) saf
74 BEGINNER’S URDU SCRIPT

3 ayes mab ac) e, d) 3 e) aw ) Ubi gs) Ve 4

e
¢

yee or: Ky 2% yy 4

4. a) zard, roz, darvazah (darvaza), darzi b) mazahdar (mazedar),

dukandar, raz, zimmahdar (zimmedar) c) jalan, cust, hal, khabar
d) lalci, bakhsh, sahab, sajana

5.a) jubli sinema Karaci Jubilee Cinema Karachi b) rozanah (rozana)

car sho, barah, tin, cha (chai), nau baje four shows daily, twelve, three,
six, nine o’clock c) akhiri safar, ‘The Final Journey’ d) zindagi aur
maut, “Life and Death’ e) khabardar!, ‘Beware!’ f) beinsafi, ‘Injustice’
g) manzil abhi dir hai, “The Destination is Still Far’ h) jurm aur sazah
(saza), ‘Crime and Punishment’
 UNIT 9

In this unit three connectors and two non-connectors are introduced. The
first three characters were added to the alphabet to represent sounds that
occur in Urdu but not in Arabic or Persian.

connector

non-connector

non-connector

connector

connector

Pronunciation
The first three characters represent the retroflex sounds in Urdu. A dot is
placed under the letter in the Roman script to distinguish these characters
from the dental sounds ww te and 4 dal, and the voiced alveolar 4
re, introduced in Units 5 and 7. The retroflex sounds are produced by
placing the tip of the tongue on the roof of the mouth while the dental
sounds are produced by placing the tip of the tongue up against the back
of the top teeth. The final two characters in this unit, 'e ghain and U
qaf, occur in words that have come into Urdu from Arabic and Persian.
76 BEGINNER’S URDU SCRIPT

Character] Name | Transliteration Pronunciation

ji t the underside of the tip of the
oe te
tongue touches the roof of the
mouth

as above but this sound is voiced

the underside of the tip of the

tongue touches the roof of the
mouth and, without resting there,
is flapped downwards

voiced velar or post-velar

fricative, similar to the sound
made when gargling; this is the
voiced counterpart of C khe

a k sound made as far back in the

throat as possible

Positional forms
The basic shape of — fe is the same as that of “= be, “Spe and
ws te. There is only one more character (introduced in Unit 10) to
complete this, the second series. 3 dal and j re are part of the same
series as 4 dal, 5) zal, /4 re and J ze. On account of its shape, the
character s, qaf is conventionally grouped together with the character
3 fe although the loop is the same shape as that of ( nin, whereas
the bottom of 3 fe is the same as the linear portion of the characters
in the “> be series.
UNIT 9 77

Medial Initial | Transliteration

form

s 6 : .
*The character / re never occurs at the beginning of a word but this
initial form does appear after a non-connector.

Writing practice
Practise drawing the various forms of the characters according to the
guidelines given.

s
— 1c

For a description of how to draw the four basic shapes of we te, see
the formation of “> be on pz.
b
4 dal
b
For a description of how to draw the four basic shapes of 4 dal, see
the formation of 4 dal on p.58.
b
4 re
b
For a description of how to draw the four basic shapes of 4 fe, see
the formation of / re onp.58.
78 BEGINNER’S URDU SCRIPT

é ghain

> initial form

se
> medial form
=

eS final form (joined)

é; final form (unjoined)

Ss
Y qaf
oe

9 aitialtceee
DS

Me medial form
Se

(J final form (joined)

tad

QO final form (unjoined)

Reading and writing practice

1. Practise forming the following words according to the directions and
then write the Roman equivalents.

Meaning

cold (f) (a

ayo

Po fF a > tights (m)

1 2
> light (m) (c
1

slander (f) (d
UNIT 9 79

Meaning
1
é-
ao 2 iy ao
C a eat 9) ancient (e

aan (e deep thought (m) (f

2. Read the following words in Urdu and transliterate them into Roman
script.

Meaning

post (f)

stamp/ticket (m)

doctor (m)

to read/study

mountain (m)

slave (m)

Mughal

chicken (m)

able/capable

time (m)

difference (m)
80 BEGINNER’S URDU SCRIPT

3. Using the appropriate forms of the characters given write the following
words.
Roman Meaning
2 derh 11/2 (a

+0 hagigat reality (f) (b

} + + G:cG
Ke + larka boy (m) (c
+ \o + CQ
~ + daroghah (darogha) _ police
i Qo + inspector (m) (d

a
yunivarsiti university (f) (e
+ Cc +
Gia
C2
GQ
YY
s
ao

4. Read the following phrases, paying close attention to the pronunciation of

words that are repeated but for which vowel-markers are provided only the
first time the word appears. Note that the order of the words in Urdu is, in most
cases, exactly the same as in English, except that they run from right to left.
2 4

SP bx LI @
A (one) small girl

U vy Wis 92 (b
two intelligent girls

cy 2 U fZY wh (c
the names of three boys

Uli S2 ue Gd
four national languages

U= Usb! Se L (e
in five national newspapers
> s

Ohi ssi!
Urdu language
UNIT 9 81

7 eal tics2| aes

Urdu(’s) newspaper

Oat oe 7
six local languages

rt Lusi Geel
om

seven local people’s names

UO 6 bP, 9
the washerman’s house
Fm s

wyJ K U y x (k

the colour of the flowers

4 S use Pdlwee
the price of eight flowers

say
6 UM Fm
nine weeks’ time
7 pe b

Gia wos (n
the cold(’s) weather

5. Read the following advertisement and determine what is being sold.

Write out the advertisement in Roman script.
82 BEGINNER’S URDU SCRIPT

ood fot HisSe é

by WY baie ly yp (e

Fer ys

Glossary

cars (f)

good

quality (f)
UNIT 9 83

6. Look up the following timetable and find out where the following
airline flies in the subcontinent.

~ Re te
—— SSee —— _— pee a wea
SSR
84 BEGINNER’S URDU SCRIPT
Glossary

:
:
-
 UNIT 9 85

Summary
4 b
eS te, 9 dal and /
re are retroflex sounds in Urdu. Retroflex
sounds are produced by placing the tip of the tongue on the roof of the
mouth and, in the case of / re, flapping it down as the air escapes.
e G ghain and ) qf occur in words that have come into Urdu from
Arabic and Persian.
e The sound G ghain represents is close to that made when gargling.
¢ q£@f is similar to the sound k but produced as far back in the mouth
as possible.

Answers to practices
1. a) thand b) huqig c) ciragh d) cughli e) qadim f) ghaur
2. a) dak b) fikaf c) daktar d) parhna e) pahar f) ghulam g) mughal
h) murgh i) qabil j) vaqt k) farq
| 3. a) Loe. b) oo *, c) 2 d) A
PES) ee ee easly

e) oe >

4. a) ek chofti larki b) do zahin larkya c) tin larko ke nam d) car qaumi

zabané e) pac qaumi akhbaro me f) urdu zaban g) urdii ka akhbar
h) cha (che) muqami zabané i) sat muqami logo ke nam j) dhobi ka
makan k) phalo ka rang |) ath phalo ki qimat m) nau hafto ka vaqt
n) thand ka mausam
5. a) ishtahar advertisement b) sail sale c) purani gariya old cars
d) acchi kvaliti good quality, bahut kam qimat mé for (in) a low price
e) mazda, siziki, nisan, toyota f) der mat karo don’t delay

6. a) sahara intarneshanal Sahara International b) ravangi manzil roz

vaqt departure destination day time c) dahli kabul mangal subah ath
baje Delhi Kabul Tuesday morning eight o’clock d) lahaur kalkattah
(kalkatta) roz sham sat baje Lahore Calcutta daily evening seven
o’clock e) kathmandia karaci pir sham pac baje Kathmandu Karachi
Monday evening five o’clock f) islamabad dhakah (dhaka) budh subah
das baje Islamabad Dhaka Wednesday morning ten o’clock
 10

In this unit the final five characters are introduced. They occur in words
that have come into Urdu from Arabic and Persian. Four of them are
connectors. The first two characters occur rarely in Urdu.

connector

non-connector

connector

connector

connector

Pronunciation
The first four characters represent more or less sounds that are also
represented by characters introduced in earlier units. The final character,
o ‘ain, however, may represent several sounds and is even silent in
certain words.

Character Transliteration Pronunciation

s in sin

z in pleasure
t in ton
zZ in zip
see later in unit
UNIT 10 87
The characters that represent one and the same sound for Urdu speakers

all represent the sound z

all represent the sound s

represent the dental sound t

both represent the sound h for

most speakers in most contexts

Positional forms
Most of the characters introduced here have identical shapes to those of
characters that were introduced in earlier units. With the introduction of
the character %& se, the “= be series of characters is also now
complete( “=” be, “= pe, & te, — te, & se). ZF zhe has the
same shape as / re, Jj zeand J re. Finally, the basic shape of 5 to’e
and $ zo’e is the same. As a result, all of these characters are classed
together in the alphabet.

Transliteration
88 BEGINNER'S URDU SCRIPT

Writing practice
Practise forming these characters according to the guidelines given.

4
For a description of how to draw the four shapes of & se, see the
formation of “>” be onp.2.

4 zhe

For a description of how to draw the four shapes of J the, see the
formation of / re on p.58.

b to’e

b initial form
3

lb WA) ° bh medial form

3 la 2

lb iy by final form (joined)

b final form (unjoined)

5 z0’e

For a description of how to draw the four shapes of $ 10’e, see the
formation of 5 to’e just given.

o ‘ain

For a description of how to draw the four shapes of e ‘ain, see the
formation of ' ghain on p.78.
UNIT 10 89

Pronunciation of © ‘ain
Gg ‘ain is a glottal fricative in Arabic but has all but lost this value in
Urdu. (A glottal fricative is the sound made when the throat muscles are
highly constricted and the vocal chords vibrate. It is similar to the sound
made when retching.) In Urdu 'g ‘ain either has little or no
pronunciation or produces an effect on a preceding or following vowel.
The following examples are provided to indicate possible effects O ‘ain
can have on the pronunciation of vowels in particular words.

{ ‘ain representing a vowel

In many words, ig ‘ain has no real pronunciation of its own but simply
indicates the presence of a vowel.

his ot
‘adalat ‘imarat
law court (f) building (f) age (f)

we a ks
‘aish ‘aurat ‘am du‘a
luxury (m) woman (f) ordinary prayer (f)

© ‘ain influencing the pronunciation of a vowel

In the middle of a word, 1g ‘ain may influence a preceding short vowel.
This may have the effect of lengthening it. In the following words the
Roman transliteration is given first representing the spelling of the word.
This is followed in parentheses by the pronunciation.
90 BEGINNER’S URDU SCRIPT

Jet 7
A
oo

isti‘mal shé‘r*
(istemal) (sher)
use (m) a couplet (poetry) (m)

sho‘lah* i‘tibar
(shola) (etibar)
flame (m) faith (m)

*The symbols above these vowels indicate that they are shorter than the
vowels e and o.

Oly or
jama‘ mavagé‘ tavvaq0‘
(jama) (mavage) (tavvago)
collected opportunities (m) hope/expectation (f)

Silent eg ‘ain

In some words eg ‘ain is not pronounced. This is often the case when it
occurs at the end of a word and follows a long vowel.

te
matbi‘
(matbi)
agreeable/laudable
UNIT 10 91

6 ‘ain as a glottal stop

Occasionally 6 ‘ain may be pronounced as a glottal stop between two
vowels. A glottal stop is the sound that is produced with the release of the
glottis (the opening between the vocal cords). This is often lost in Urdu as
indicated by the pronunciation in parentheses.

ib we ale
mu‘af sa‘adat
(maf) (sadat)
forgiven fortunate

Reading and writing practice

1. Practise forming the following words according to the guidelines given.

Meaning

tabiya‘t health,
(tabiyat) disposition (f) (a

khatrah danger (m) (b

(khatra)

meaning (m) (c

ma‘lim known (d
(maliim)
92 BEGINNER'S URDU SCRIPT

2. Read the following words and transliterate them into Roman script.

Meaning

capacity (f)

debate, argument (f)

letters (m)

surface (f)

apparent

victorious

3. Join the appropriate forms of the following characters and write the
words listed.

Roman Meaning
oe

e) + o ra ee Vv qata‘ia absolutely (a

C sg ar 7G + { a‘zam (azam) greatest (b

ae fe) + & 4 9 vazifah (vazifa) stipend (m) (c

4. Complete the following words by writing in the appropriate number of

dots or the symbol that resembles a flat sign above and below characters.

Roman Meaning

tahqiq (tehqiq) inquiry (f) (a

sanjidah (sanjida) serious (b

nakhush* unhappy (c
UNIT 10 93

Roman Meaning

refrijareshan refrigeration (m) (d

dental teknishan dental

technician (m) (e

hifazat protection (f) (f

pacpan fifty-five (g

*The pronunciation of this word is exceptional. The character 4 vao is

written but not really pronounced.

5. Look at the restaurant bill and try to determine what the customers on
table four had for dinner. Transliterate these dishes into Roman script.

! Ea) Oey, cA ce
| |
| OM a al A Ue any By) 6

: ec element iy iF ne :

: BALE «
: woe wt Bt &!
1 Me ob bo) 1¢ “
ott et ho Use !
! Ji i

! Se 8 2
|
94 BEGINNER'S URDU SCRIPT

Glossary

6. What do the following newspaper headlines say? Read them through

and then transliterate them into Roman script.

Be obiss e

eA ee on BS & SE (b

Joh Out Ute SIF Luk ©

sul 6 FL EF
UNIT 10 95

Glossary

=z
i.
oh
4
nn[oeoe
Jef
|
campaign’s (f)

call (m)

The small symbol that appears in caption (b) is used to denote a name.
NB
Caen (ke. f ki=s
96 BEGINNER’S URDU SCRIPT

Summary
2, : —
* The character & se completes the “p be series(‘S be,
pe, & te, — fe, & se).
& . 4
e J zhe is grouped with the / re series of characters(/ re, J ze, 4
o

re, J zhe).
¢ The character G ‘ain either represents a short vowel, is not
pronounced or may influence the pronunciation of vowels in a word.

Answers to practices
2. a) haisiyat b) bahas (behas) c) khutiit d) satah (sateh) e) zahir
f) muzaffar

3.2) gh b c) BSs
4a) Che Det SUPes a ee
e) am fe Nes 2g) 2
5. a) mahfil (mehfil) restoran lahaur, Mehfil Restaurant, Lahore b) do
roghan josh, two rogan josh c) ek cikan qormah (qorma), one chicken
korma d) tin palak panir, three spinach and cheese dishes e) pac nan,
five naan f) car rofi, four rotis g) caval, rice h) dal, daal i) ch (che)
gulab jamun, six gulab jamun

6. a) roznamah (roznama) jang, the daily war b) tim ki baiting ki fikr

nahi - wasim akram, the teams batting (is) not a worry - Wasim Akram
c) lahaur ke ‘avami haspatal mé 4j hartal, a strike in the Lahore(’s)
general hospital today d) gharibi hatane ki muhim ka a‘lan (elan),
poverty removing’s campaign’s announcement (announcement of a
campaign to remove poverty)
 bees 11

In this unit the symbol §& hamza is introduced as well as exceptional

forms of particular characters, the izafat construction, the shortened { alif
and the doubling of short vowel-markers. Also included are some notes on
exceptional pronunciations.

¢ hamza
¢ hamza performs several functions in Urdu, the most important of
which is to indicate that one syllable in a word ends in a vowel and the
next syllable begins with one. The shape of ¥ hamza is identical to the
top portion of the character * ‘ain although it also appears in a form
which is similar to the Roman letter s.

Aad
hamza

If the second syllable begins with a vowel represented by 9 vao,the ¥

hamza rests above the 9 vao.

For example: ye

Us7 5%
au chiio
shall I come? touch (imperative)
98 BEGINNER’S URDU SCRIPT

If the second syllable begins with a vowel represented by a ye, *

hamza is said to need a support on which to rest. This support may take
several forms depending on the characters that surround § hamza.

For example:

7
4

bu
bhai gai
brother (m) went (m pl.) went (f sing.)

There are alternative spellings of some words in which * hamza occurs.

: : . i
In particular, verbs that end in a consonant to which the ending <— ie
is attached may be encountered with three different spellings.

For example:

want/need

¥ hamza is also used to mark the occurrence of two vowels one after the
other in a word where the second vowel is not represented by e) ye or
4 fe
vao.

laiq
worthy, capable
UNIT 11 99

izafat
izafat is the name given to a short e vowel (pronounced as in the English
word bet) that is used to mark a relationship between two words. It may
be translated into the English of as in the phrase, ‘the lion of Punjab’.
izafat is represented in the Roman script in this book by the letter e. In
Urdu it is represented in more than one way.

izafat represented by - zer

In most cases izafat is represented by the vowel symbol zer. It is
written under the final character of the first word in the phrase.

° Go
wee
2 e &

sher -e-panjab
the lion of Punjab

In many common compounds, _ zer indicating izafat is not written but

is pronounced.

For example:

Prb talib-e-‘ilm
fitb
seeker of knowledge (a student) (m)

izafat represented by * hamza

The symbol * hamza is used to represent izafat when the first word ends
in either ® chofi he or ey ye.

a 7 oo -

als» J 6G,
qatrah-e-ab vali-e-kamil
(qatra-e-ab)
(a) drop of water (m) perfect saint (m)
 100 BEGINNER’S URDU SCRIPT

When izafat follows a long 4 vowel, it is written as <— e, with or

without * hamza on top.

Wei Z 37 Ja ae 4
ru-e-zamin sada-e-buland
the surface of the ground (f) a high voice (f)

Modified forms of characters

Several characters in the Urdu alphabet may show slightly modified
forms, some of which only do so when they precede or follow particular
characters. Two of these, the modified forms of sf kaf and aie gaf
followed by J alif or J lam were introduced in earlier units. Several
more are examined now.

U sinand U shin
The modified form of these characters occurs frequently in Urdu texts. In
this form, the initial indented part of the character is replaced by a long
sweeping stroke. This alternative form is found both in texts prepared by
calligraphers and in ordinary handwritten Urdu. It is found particularly
where two of these characters occur consecutively in a word.

et oe
pakistan koshish
Pakistan (m) endeavour/try (f)

The indented portion of these characters is also abbreviated in some

, people’s handwriting.
UNIT 11 101

yo °

pasand
liked/chosen

The sweeping strokes of characters such as those in the “> be series

Wz
and DG kaf and ae gaf are also occasionally extended in the final
form according to the space on the page.

Modified characters in the = be series

Characters in this series (including fe) ye and niin) show a slightly

modified form when they occur initially or medially and precede
characters in the & jim series, ie mim and ° chofi he.
J

é , . .(% (jen
? but Un" 4 put ty be but sé
nahi badtar bacana tali tumhara
worse to save clapping your

>
e

co

a but 73 ty but ¢
hindi ~—ppinjara lena piche
Hindu cage (m) to take behind

The same characters are lengthened when they occur in the beginning of
a word and are followed by either a character with a rounded form or U

sinor CU shin.
102 BEGINNER’S URDU SCRIPT

yes Loe we 6
pasand taqaza ba‘d (bad) nikalna
chosen demand (m) after to emerge

2 do cashmi he is occasionally found after J lam, c mim and

nin where ? chofi he would be expected.

LW 2.
tumhara hai
your is/are

Shortened | alif
In a few Arabic words a short, detached form of | alif occurs over the
final form of fe) ye. This is pronounced as a long 4 vowel.

ite
da‘va
(dava)
paramount, highest law suit, claim (m)

Doubled vowel-markers
At the end of particular adverbs that have come from Arabic, the short
vowel-markers occur twice. This indicates the presence of a short vowel
as well as the consonant n. The commonest of these in Urdu involves the
vowel symbol ~ zabar. This indicates a short a and is placed over J alif.
The vowel, however, is not lengthened.

Cok ore {ie

‘adatan yaqinan fauran masalan

habitually certainly immediately for example
 UNIT 11 103

The Arabic definite article VU! al

The Arabic definite article J ! al is found in certain phrases and words
that have come into Urdu from Arabic, including people’s names and
adverbial expressions. It is not always pronounced as it appears. Often the
short a vowel in al is not pronounced and, in its place, the vowel of the
preceding word is pronounced. This preceding vowel is shortened if long.

PK Jug
bi alkul fi alhal
(bilkul) (filhal)
absolutely at present

~ When JI al precedes one of the following characters, & te, & se,
y dal, 3 zal, / re, j ze, U sin, U shin, U” svad, U’ zad,
5 to’e, $ z0’e, J lam or ( nun, J lam is not pronounced. In its
place the character that follows is pronounced twice. Occasionally the
symbol ~ tashdid is written over this.

bf os wi

assalam ‘alaikum va‘alaikum assalam

(valaikum assalam)
a greeting the response to this greeting
(lit: ‘peace be with you’) (lit: ‘and peace be with you’)

Often the short vowel in J! al is pronounced as u.

merbudl ly SHE

darussaltanat sirajuddin
capital (m) a name (lit: ‘lamp of the faith’)
104 BEGINNER’S URDU SCRIPT

Further notes on pronunciation

Some words that appear in this book have a pronunciation that does not
quite match the Roman transliteration. In such cases the pronunciation has
been provided in parentheses. For example, a short a vowel followed by
© choti he in a word-final position is often pronounced together as a long
4 vowel. For this reason, there exist two spellings of some words in Urdu.

& ( of
patah pata kamrah
(pata) (kamra)
address (m) room (m)

The presence of 9 chofi he or ( bari he may also influence the

pronunciation of a preceding short vowel in other ways. When followed
by one of these characters, short a and i vowels are occasionally
pronounced as e in the English word bet and a short u is occasionally
pronounced as o in the English go. This occurs when very little or no
vowel sound follows ® chofi he or cv bari he. In the following
examples, the first form given in Roman represents the transliteration
while the second (in parentheses) represents the pronunciation.

We earicmsMaituclt OL fat
pahla sahat mahak ~~ mihrbani mihnat _tuhfah
(pehla) (sehat) (mehak) (mehrbani) (mehnat) (tohfa)
first health (f) odour (f) kindness (f) labour (f) —gift (m)
UNIT 11 105
However, the pronunciation of a short a vowel preceding either ® chofi
he or U bari he is not affected in this manner in every word where these
conditions apply.

For example:

4: ws
jagah vajah
place (f) reason (f)

The pronunciation of a few others words in which ® chofi he occurs in

a final position is also irregular.

wb°

balkah
(balké)
rather

Doubling of > chofi he

In some words both medial and final forms of ® chofi he occur one after
the other. This is done to distinguish words in which the sound h is
pronounced at the end from those where it occurs but is pronounced as a
or even é, such as in the words ~% patah (pata), » ye kamrah (kamra)
and S kah (ké), etc.
Fae
6

sahh
(seh)
endure
106 BEGINNER’S URDU SCRIPT

Reading and writing practice

1. Read the following words and then write them in Roman script.

Meaning

for

mirror

bicycle

may go

flight

Save

2. What sort of courses can be studied at the Islamabad Academy? Read

the following advertisement and then write the Urdu in Roman script.

rs eto y
Shel ASI OF x KI

A zi
en
UNIT 11 107

ep KL ty C
ery Salt sites (h
she WI Temes 1237

Glossary

study (imperative)
108 BEGINNER’S URDU SCRIPT
3. The following is an advertisement for a soft drink that is very popular
in India. Transliterate the sentences into Roman script.

be He (c) P ’
Ur wb OS 2 Bibs bf:
UNIT 11 109
Glossary

Birra) ica,
ere
artificial

be

carbonates Ue yy a

artificial Usk.
ok,

v us

et
s

natural O58

for eighty-five years |a

name (m) LI Gs
 110 BEGINNER’S URDU SCRIPT

Summary
¢ The symbol ¢ hamza is generally used to mark where one syllable in
a word ends in a vowel and the next syllable begins with one.

e jizafat is a short e vowel which marks a relationship between two

words. It is represented either by the vowel marker - zer or by the
final form of e} ye, with or without * hamza. In common
compounds it is occasionally omitted in the script but is pronounced. It
can be translated by of in English.

e Several characters have modified forms, including (sin, U shin

and characters inthe “=” be series.

* | over the character (§ ye in a final position in some Arabic words

gives the pronunciation 4 in place of I.

e The pronunciation of the Arabic definite article J! al depends on the

characters that surround it in a word.

* © chofi he and ( bari he often influence the pronunciation of a

preceding short a vowel.

¢ Often the pronunciation of a short a vowel and ° chofi he at the end

of a word is realised as a.

¢ In some words in which ® chofi he is pronounced h at the end of a

word, its medial and final forms are both written to indicate this.
UNIT 11 111

Answers to practices
1. a) ke liye b) ainah (aina) c) saikal d) jae e) flait f) bacao

2. a) khavatin ua hazrat, ladies and gentlemen b) bazariya‘h dak

(bazariya) parhiye, study by post c) inglish laingvij cors, English
language course d) aiyar hostes flait istyiard, air hostess flight steward
e) byufi palar cors, beauty parlour course f) aiyar tikiting, air ticketing
g) mofar saikal marammat, motorcycle repairing h) islamabad
akedami post baks, 1237 ji pi o islamabad Islamabad Academy post
box 1237 GPO Islamabad

3. a) rth afza sharbat (name of sherbet) b) nah (na) koi masnii‘I zaikah
(zaika), no artificial flavour c) nah (na) koi carbonets, no carbonates
d) nah (na) banavati mithas, no artificial sweeteners (sweetness)
e) albattah (albatta) qudrati khibiyo se bhar pir, rather, filled with
natural goodness f) 85 sal se ham sab ka jana pahcana, for eighty-five
years all of our recognised (recognised by us all) g) hamdard, brand
name
 APPENDIX

Numbers

>) ASo) Set

>) = w=
APPENDIX 113

attharah
i=)
=
N
log)
+
va)
\o
114 BEGINNER’S URDU SCRIPT
APPENDIX 115

[oy

oe)

Ne)

53

— NnA

= NnN

NnOO

= nN~

> Nn

Pe Nn\o
116 BEGINNER’S URDU SCRIPT

—
chihattar
APPENDIX 117

77 satattar a 4a

~8 athattar th >

79 —v
—S

@Oo
EB
'
F

oo
GQ = 2

Coi) bayasi re) 1

ee)eS)

(oe) ron iS
eo
es
>

(oe)Nn picasi G SAN >

chiyasi Gq Ay > i>s

F2
xme

87 sattasi fe re iN

oooo
ce & AA

navasli
uly
nayve F
ikanve ( Ne, —

92 banve or
118 BEGINNER’S URDU SCRIPT

<es
| APPENDIX 119

| Decimals and fractions

¢ gies!
a‘shariyah (a‘shariya)
decimal point

For example:

wh 99 wel Utz x &L Nf

rorrerr
do hazar pac sau caubis a‘shariya do tin
two thousand five hundred and twenty-four point two three

or tin cauthai
120 BEGINNER’S URDU SCRIPT

From 3 1/2 onwards the word 27 sarhe precedes the numeral to add
one-half.

For example:

sarhe car
41/2

Dates
Dates are indicated by placing the word »—< sanh (year) without the
dot under the numerals together with an abbreviation of the word
ees “isvi (Christian era).

For example:

AIMS

1947
| APPENDIX 121

Days of the week

Je whe
mangal juni‘a rat
(jumerat)
Tuesday Thursday

haftah (hafta)/
sanicar
Saturday

| Months
Christian calendar

>

twin (b43/
janvari farvari

January February

sitambar aktibar navambar disambar

September October November December

122 BEGINNER’S URDU SCRIPT

Muslim calendar
The Muslim calendar dates from July 16,622 AD. This is the day after the
departure of the prophet Muhammad from Medina to Mecca. Dates
according to this calendar are followed by the word oe hijri from the
word ofr hijrah (hijra) which means ‘flight’. This is abbreviated with
the symbol 2.

S3WlOars | GUIGsy
muharram rabi‘ul avval rabi‘us sani

iW Gsla | GOI Gola ole

jumadi ul jumadi us sha‘ban
avval sani (shaban)

Oley Jie 5 U5
ramzan shavval zi ul hijjah
(zulhij)
 Other related titles
piareewip ro 2 OLE S

A] TEACH YOURSELF

URDU
David Matthews and
Mohamed Kasim Dalvi
This is a complete course in spoken and written Urdu.
If
you have never learnt Urdu before, or if your Urdu needs
brushing up, Teach Yourself Urdu is for you.
The authors have created a practical course that is both fun
and easy to work through. They explain everything along
the way and give you plenty of opportunities to practis
e
what you have learnt. The course structure means that you
can work at your own pace, arranging your learning to suit
your needs.
The course contains:
@ A range of graded units of dialogues, culture
notes, grammar and exercises
@ A step-by-step guide to pronunciation
@ An Urdu-English vocabulary
By the end of the course you’ll be able to cope with a whole
range of situations and use the language confidently.
 Ke free , / i ®
fo

bf eA cH YOURSELF

The leader in self-learning...

™ OVER 40 MILLION &] BOOKS SOLD TO DATE
lm 1 MILLION &] BOOKS BOUGHT EACH YEAR
H MORE THAN 300 TITLES, COVERING ALL SUBJECTS

BEGINNER’S URDU SCRIPT

Richard Delacy
Do you want to learn the basics of reading and writing Urdu script?
Would you like to be able to read Urdu signs, notices, advertisements
and headlines? Are you planning to work in or visit an Urdu-speaking
country? Then Teach Yourself Beginner’s Urdu Script is for you!

Richard Delacy has written a step-by-step introduction to reading and writing

simple Urdu. This book features:

m an introduction to the structure of Urdu words and expressions

man ‘easy and accessible approach to learning the alphabet
g hints for authentic handwriting skills
m practical examples from real-life situations
m useful and functional vocabulary

[Pp
La TEACH YOURSELF

Long-renowned as the authoritative source for US $12.95 / CAN $ 18.95

self-guided learning—with more than 30 million
copies sold worldwide—the Teach Yourself series ISBN 0-658-00949-4
includes over 200 titles in the fields of languages,
crafts, hobbies, sports, and other leisure activities.

msAe PLE-G
NTC Publishing Group 9 780658°009495 P