3 lessons
Beginner
Alphabet & Script
حروفِ تہجی اور اشکالAll 39 letters in 8 short lessons, with audio, example words and right-to-left reading.
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Learn Urdu Online — 100% Free
Designed specially for British, American, and Canadian diaspora kids, parents, and Hindi speakers. Explore 39 alphabet cards, Urdu pronunciation, and useful everyday phrases at your own pace.
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اردو
Urdu • [ˈʊrduː]
The language of poetry, warmth, and hospitality. Written right-to-left in flowing Nastaliq.
Root Word
محبت
Love
Urdu Pronunciation
Audio for Every Letter
CURRICULUM ROADMAP
3 Free Lessons & Practice Sheets
Start learning with short lessons in letters, sounds, numbers, vocabulary, phrases, grammar, and reading.
Coming soon
Beginner
Sounds & Phonetics
تلفظ اور مخارجShort and long vowels, how letters join, and the Urdu sounds English does not have.
Coming soon
Beginner
Numbers & Counting
گنتی اور اعدادCount from 1 to 100 and beyond, read Urdu digits, and use numbers for prices and age.
Coming soon
Beginner
Basic Vocabulary
بنیادی الفاظ کا ذخیرہColours, fruit, food, the body, family, days, months, weather and animals.
Coming soon
Beginner
Daily Phrases
روزمرہ گفتگو اور آدابGreetings, introducing yourself, polite words, questions, shopping and visiting family.
Coming soon
Beginner
Core Grammar
قواعد اور جملوں کی ساختPronouns, am/is/are, my and your, masculine and feminine, plurals and the present tense.
Coming soon
Beginner
Reading Practice
پڑھنے اور کہانیوں کی مشقShort stories and a market dialogue, sentence by sentence with Roman Urdu and English.
3 Worksheets
All Levels
Tracing Worksheets
خطاطی اور لکھائی کی مشقThree downloadable A4 practice PDFs for alphabet shapes, vocabulary, and numbers.
INTERACTIVE SCRIPT EXPLORER
The 39 Urdu Letters
Click or tap any letter card to flip it and reveal its English name, phonetics, pronunciation audio, and an example word.
All 39 letters of the Urdu alphabet, including Choti Yay (ی) and Bari Yay (ے):
💡 Tip: Tap a card to turn it over and hear its Urdu name and example
#1
ا
Alif (a / aa)
Alif
/ɑː/ or /ʔ/
انار
Anaar (Pomegranate)
#2
ب
Bay (b)
Bay
/b/
بستہ
Basta (School Bag)
#3
پ
Pay (p)
Pay
/p/
پانی
Paani (Water)
#4
ت
Tay (t dental)
Tay
/t̪/
تتلی
Titli (Butterfly)
#5
ٹ
Tey (ṭ retroflex)
Tey
/ʈ/
ٹماٹر
Tamaatar (Tomato)
#6
ث
Say (s)
Say
/s/
ثمر
Samar (Fruit / Reward)
#7
ج
Jeem (j)
Jeem
/d͡ʒ/
جہاز
Jahaaz (Aeroplane)
#8
چ
Chey (ch)
Chey
/t͡ʃ/
چاند
Chaand (Moon)
#9
ح
Bari Hey (h)
Hey
/h/
حلوہ
Halwa (Sweet Dish)
#10
خ
Khay (kh guttural)
Khay
/x/
خط
Khat (Letter/Mail)
#11
د
Daal (d dental)
Daal
/d̪/
درخت
Darakht (Tree)
#12
ڈ
Daal (ḍ retroflex)
Daal (ḍ)
/ɖ/
ڈبہ
Dabba (Box)
#13
ذ
Zaal (z)
Zaal
/z/
ذخیرہ
Zakheera (Collection)
#14
ر
Ray (r)
Ray
/r/
رات
Raat (Night)
#15
ڑ
Rray (ṛ retroflex)
Rray
/ɽ/
پہاڑ
Pahaar (Mountain)
#16
ز
Zay (z)
Zay
/z/
زمین
Zameen (Earth)
#17
ژ
Zhay (zh / ʒ)
Zhay
/ʒ/
ژالہ
Zhaala (Hailstorm)
#18
س
Seen (s)
Seen
/s/
سورج
Sooraj (Sun)
#19
ش
Sheen (sh)
Sheen
/ʃ/
شیر
Sher (Lion / Tiger)
#20
ص
Suad (s)
Suad
/s/
صابن
Saabun (Soap)
#21
ض
Zuad (z)
Zuad
/z/
ضعیف
Zaeef (Elderly)
#22
ط
Toy (t)
Toy
/t̪/
طوطا
Tota (Parrot)
#23
ظ
Zoy (z)
Zoy
/z/
ظروف
Zuroof (Utensils)
#24
ع
Ain (a / ʕ)
Ain
/ɑː/ or /ʔ/
عینک
Ainak (Glasses)
#25
غ
Ghain (gh guttural)
Ghain
/ɣ/
غبارہ
Ghubara (Balloon)
#26
ف
Fay (f)
Fay
/f/
فوارہ
Fawwara (Fountain)
#27
ق
Qaaf (q deep k)
Qaaf
/q/
قلم
Qalam (Calligraphy Pen)
#28
ک
Kaaf (k)
Kaaf
/k/
کتاب
Kitaab (Book)
#29
گ
Gaaf (g)
Gaaf
/ɡ/
گڑیا
Guriya (Doll)
#30
ل
Laam (l)
Laam
/l/
لیموں
Leemo (Lemon)
#31
م
Meem (m)
Meem
/m/
مور
Mor (Peacock)
#32
ن
Noon (n)
Noon
/n/
ناک
Naak (Nose)
#33
ں
Noon Ghunna (nasal n)
Noon Ghunna
/ ̃/ (Nasal)
ماں
Maa (Mother)
#34
و
Wao (v / w / o)
Wao
/ʋ/ or /oː/
وردی
Wardi (Uniform)
#35
ہ
Choti Hey (h)
Choti Hey
/h/
ہوا
Hawa (Breeze / Air)
#36
ھ
Do-Chashmi (ʰ)
Do-Chashmi
/ʰ/ (Aspiration)
گھر
Ghar (Home [گ+ھ])
#37
ء
Hamza (glottal stop)
Hamza
/ʔ/
چائے
Chaye (Tea)
#38
ی
Choti Yay (y / ee)
Choti Yay
/j/, /iː/
یاسمین
Yasmeen (Jasmine)
#39
ے
Bari Yay (ay / ai)
Bari Yay
/eː/, /ɛː/ (word end)
انڈے
Anday (Eggs)
SIMPLE 3-STEP METHOD
How You Will Learn Urdu
An intuitive visual and auditory methodology designed to break the illusion that Nastaliq script is difficult.
1
Learn the Building Blocks
Explore Urdu letters, their names, and example words using the interactive alphabet cards. Read from right to left and practise each shape.
2
Listen and Repeat
Listen to computer-generated Urdu names and example words, then practise aloud. Audio files are included and do not require a browser Urdu voice.
3
Practice & Apply Daily
Print tracing worksheets for muscle memory and reinforce with interactive micro-dialogues you can immediately use with Pakistani grandparents and cousins.
⭐ DAILY CONVERSATIONAL ESSENTIAL
آپ سے مل کر بہت خوشی ہوئی!
"Aap se mil kar bohot khushi hui!"
"It was a great pleasure meeting you."
Computer-generated Urdu audio · Click again to stop
PRINTABLE RESOURCES
Free PDF Tracing & Worksheets
Download real printable practice PDFs for letters, vocabulary, and numbers. Open a worksheet and print it or save a copy.
38 Alphabet Tracing Workbook
Large Urdu letters with pale tracing guides, example words, and blank writing rows.
Download PDF Free38 Alphabet Vocabulary Words
38 example words with Urdu spelling, Roman Urdu, English meaning, and space to write.
Download PDF FreeUrdu Numbers: 0–10
Practice Urdu numerals from 0 to 10 with word names and handwriting space.
Download PDF FreeCOMMON QUESTIONS
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about starting your Urdu learning journey from an English-speaking background.
Urdu is very learnable. The right-to-left Nastaliq script looks unfamiliar at first, but each letter has a regular sound, so reading becomes easier quickly. One thing to know: short vowels (zabar, zer, pesh) are usually not written, so a word like کم can be read as "kam" or "kum" until you know it. Learning words with their Roman Urdu spelling and audio solves this. With 15 to 20 minutes a day, most beginners can read simple words within a few weeks; speaking comfortably takes longer and depends on practice.
If you understand Hindi, you are already halfway there! Spoken Urdu and Hindi share virtually identical grammar, pronouns, and verb conjugations. Your main focus will simply be learning the Nastaliq alphabet, connecting letters, and acquiring higher-register formal vocabulary drawn from Persian and Arabic roots.
Standard Arabic is written in Naskh, which sits horizontally along a level baseline. Urdu is traditionally written in Nastaliq, a Persian-derived style that slopes gracefully downward from top-right to bottom-left with dramatic vertical heights and sweeping descenders. Our course explicitly teaches you to identify these cascading letter clusters.
Start with the interactive alphabet cards above and print out the free Alphabet Tracing Workbook. Dedicate 10 to 15 minutes each evening to 3 letters at a time. Pair visual letter recognition with the audio buttons so children build an instinctive phonetic ear without feeling overwhelmed by grammatical jargon.
Yes! Learn Urdu Free is an open educational project created to preserve linguistic heritage for diaspora communities across the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, and beyond. All lessons, alphabet cards, worksheets and tools on this site are free to use, with no sign-up or subscription.