Lesson 9Sounds & PhoneticsBeginner12 min
Urdu Short Vowels: Zabar, Zer and Pesh
زبر، زیر، پیشUrdu letters are mostly consonants. Short vowels (a, i, u) are shown with small marks above or below a letter. Here is the important part: in normal books and signs these marks are usually left out. Children's books and the Quran use them, so it is worth knowing them.
The vowel marks
| Mark | Name | Sound | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| بَ | Zabar (line above) | short a | بَس |
| بِ | Zer (line below) | short i | دِل |
| بُ | Pesh (small و above) | short u | گُل |
| بْ | Jazm (small circle) | no vowel after this letter | صَبْر |
| بّ | Tashdeed (small w) | double the letter | اَبّا |
Words with their vowel marks
بَسbasenough; bus
دِلdilheart
گُلgulrose, flower (poetic)
کِسkiswhich, whom
سُنsunlisten! (informal)
مَتmatdon't (informal)
اَبّاabbadadTashdeed doubles the b: ab-ba.
Reading without the marks
Without marks, کم can be read kam or kum. Fluent readers know which one is meant from the word and the sentence. That is why every lesson on this site gives you Roman Urdu: it tells you the vowels the script leaves out.
In real Urdu text you will see: دل، کس، سن، مت. Try to read them now.
Tips
- Do not try to add vowel marks to everything you write. Learn each word's sound with its spelling instead.
- Learning a new word? Look at the Roman Urdu first, then the script.
- Tashdeed is common in words like اَبّا and اَمّی.
Practice
Choose the right answer. You will see the correct one straight away.