Urdu Pronunciation: A Guide to the Sounds English Doesn't Have
اردو تلفظ
Updated
Most Urdu sounds are easy for English speakers. A handful are new, and they matter: getting them wrong can change the meaning of a word. This guide covers them all, with the pairs of words they distinguish. Each one is taught with audio in the Urdu Sounds part of our course; the first lesson, Sounds Urdu Shares with English, is free.
With and without a puff of air
English p, t and k come with a little puff of air at the start of a word. Urdu has both kinds, and they are different sounds: pal (moment) and phal (fruit), kaal (time; famine) and khaal (skin). Hold a hand in front of your mouth: you should feel nothing for p, k, ch and a clear puff for ph, kh, chh. Urdu also has breathy voiced sounds, bh, dh, jh, gh, as in bhaa.ii (brother) and ghar (house).
Two kinds of t and d
Urdu has no English t or d. Its dental t and d are made with the tongue on the back of the teeth, softer than English. Its retroflex T and D are made with the tip of the tongue curled back. taal (rhythm) and Taal (put off), daal (lentils) and Daal (branch) are different words. The flapped R, the tongue flicking forward from the curled position, appears in laRkaa (boy) and baRaa (big).
Sounds from the back of the mouth
Three sounds come from Arabic and Persian: q, a k made further back (qalam, pen); KH, a scrape like the ch in Scottish loch (KHabar, news); and G, the same scrape with voice, rather like a French r (Gam, grief). Compare khaanaa (food), with an aspirated k, and KHaana (compartment), with the scrape.
Nasal vowels and double consonants
Some vowels are said partly through the nose, written with nuun Gunna (ں) and in Roman Urdu with ñ: maañ (mother), haañ (yes), nahiiñ (no). And doubled consonants are really held longer: pattaa (leaf) is not pataa (address).
Vowels
Urdu has short a, i, u and long aa, ii, uu, plus e, o, ai and au. Keep the short a short and neutral, like the u in English but; and keep e and o steady, without sliding into English ay and ow. See the full system in our transliteration key and the Urdu alphabet guide.
Questions and answers
What is the hardest sound in Urdu for English speakers?
Usually the retroflex consonants (T, D, R) and the difference between aspirated and unaspirated sounds such as p and ph. Both are easy to learn with listening practice.
What are aspirated consonants in Urdu?
Consonants said with a strong puff of air, such as ph, th, kh and chh. They are separate sounds from p, t, k and ch and can change the meaning of a word.
More guides
- The Urdu Alphabet: All the Letters, Names and Sounds · Every letter of the Urdu alphabet with its name and sound, and how to learn them.
- How to Learn Urdu: A Practical Guide for Beginners · A step-by-step route from your first Urdu sounds to reading real literature.