The Urdu Alphabet, Script and Diacritics
Start reading Urdu in the Perso-Arabic script. Meet the alphabet, learn that it reads right to left with no capital letters, and see the small marks that show the short vowels.
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Meet the Urdu script 📜
Urdu is written in the **Perso-Arabic** script. It reads and writes **right to left**, the opposite of English, and has about **39 letters**. There are **no capital letters**, and letters usually **join up** in a word. Urdu also uses small marks above and below the letters, called **diacritics**, to show the short vowels. Let us meet some letters and marks.
The first letters 🔑
Each Urdu letter has a name and a sound:
Which way do you read? ⚖️
The biggest change from English is the direction. Compare the two:
Match the letter to its name 🔗
- ا
- ب
- پ
- س
- alif
- be
- pe
- seen
Which letter? 🔊
Which letter makes the sound b?
- ب be
- پ pe
- ت te
- س seen
The short-vowel marks 🔤
Urdu shows short vowels with small marks. On the letter be (ب), **zabar** makes a short a (بَ), **zer** makes a short i (بِ), and **pesh** makes a short u (بُ). These marks are often left out in everyday writing, but they are taught so you can read carefully.
Match the mark to its vowel 🔀
- zabar
- zer
- pesh
- Makes a short a sound
- Makes a short i sound
- Makes a short u sound
Short-vowel marks? ✅
Select the TWO marks that show a short vowel.
- zabar
- pesh
- tashdid
- jazm
Alphabet order 🪜
An interactive activity.
Complete the facts 🧩
The Urdu script is read from right to _____. It has no _____ letters, and its letters usually _____ up in a word. The three short-vowel marks are zabar, zer and _____. The whole alphabet has about _____ letters.
Spot the true statements 🖍️
An interactive activity.
Use the script 🧭
An interactive activity.
Explain the script ✍️
An interactive activity.