Transliteration key

رومن اور ہندی املا

Every book can also be read in Roman letters and in Hindi (Devanagari) script. This is how the sounds of Urdu are spelled in both.

Vowels

Urdu	Roman	Hindi	Example
زبر ـَ / ا	a	अ	ابabअब‘now’
آ / ـا	aa	आ ा	آسمانaasmaanआसमान‘sky’
زیر ـِ	i	इ ि	دلdilदिल‘heart’
ـی (ii)	ii	ई ी	پانیpaaniiपानी‘water’
پیش ـُ	u	उ ु	گلgulगुल‘rose’
ـو (uu)	uu	ऊ ू	دورduurदूर‘far’
ـے / ـی (e)	e	ए े	دیرderदेर‘delay’
ـَے / ـَی	ai	ऐ ै	بیلbailबैल‘bullock’
ـو (o)	o	ओ ो	دوستdostदोस्त‘friend’
ـَو	au	औ ौ	اورaurऔर‘and’
ں (نون غنہ)	ñ	ँ ं	ماںmaañमाँ‘mother’a nasal vowel; ñ is written after the vowel it colours

Consonants

Urdu	Roman	Hindi	Example
ب	b	ब	باتbaatबात‘word, matter’
بھ	bh	भ	بھائیbhaa.iiभाई‘brother’
پ	p	प	پیارpyaarप्यार‘love’
پھ	ph	फ	پھولphuulफूल‘flower’
ت / ط	t	त	تاراtaaraaतारा‘star’
تھ	th	थ	ہاتھhaathहाथ‘hand’
ٹ	T	ट	ٹوپیTopiiटोपी‘cap’
ٹھ	Th	ठ	ٹھنڈاThanDaaठंडा‘cold’
ث / س / ص	s	स	صبحsub.hसुब्ह‘morning’
ج	j	ज	جانjaanजान‘life’
جھ	jh	झ	جھیلjhiilझील‘lake’
چ	ch	च	چاندchaandचाँद‘moon’
چھ	chh	छ	چھتchhatछत‘roof’
ح / ہ / ھ	h	ह	حالhaalहाल‘state, condition’
خ	KH	ख़	خوابKHvaabख़्वाब‘dream’
د	d	द	دردdardदर्द‘pain’
دھ	dh	ध	دھوپdhuupधूप‘sunshine’
ڈ	D	ड	ڈرDarडर‘fear’
ڈھ	Dh	ढ	ڈھولDholढोल‘drum’
ذ / ز / ض / ظ	z	ज़	زمینzamiinज़मीन‘earth’
ر	r	र	راتraatरात‘night’
ڑ	.D	ड़	پیڑpe.Dपेड़‘tree’
ڑھ	.Dh	ढ़	پڑھناpa.Dhnaaपढ़ना‘to read’
ژ	zh	झ़	مژدہmuzhdaमुझ़्दा‘glad tidings’
ش	sh	श	شامshaamशाम‘evening’
غ	G	ग़	غمGamग़म‘sorrow’
ف	f	फ़	فکرfikrफ़िक्र‘worry’
ق	q	क़	قلمqalamक़लम‘pen’
ک	k	क	کتابkitaabकिताब‘book’
کھ	kh	ख	کھیتkhetखेत‘field’
گ	g	ग	گاؤںgaa.oñगाँव‘village’
گھ	gh	घ	گھرgharघर‘house’
ل	l	ल	لبlabलब‘lip’
م	m	म	محبتmohabbatमोहब्बत‘love’
ن	n	न	نامnaamनाम‘name’
و	v	व	وقتvaqtवक़्त‘time’
ی	y	य	یارyaarयार‘friend’

How to read it

Long vowels are doubled
aa, ii and uu are long; a, i and u are short.
kaam (work), kam (less)
Capitals mean a different letter
T, Th, D, Dh are the retroflex ٹ ٹھ ڈ ڈھ; G is غ and KH is خ. Every other letter is written in lower case, even at the start of a sentence or a name.
Topii, Dar, Gam, KHvaab
h after a letter shows aspiration
bh, ph, th, Th, jh, chh, dh, Dh, kh, gh are single sounds (Urdu letters with دو چشمی ھ).
A dot keeps letters apart
Where two letters must be read separately, a dot divides them: between two vowels, or between letters that would otherwise read as one sound.
jaa.e, hu.aa, nik.hat (نکہت, not nikhat), is.haaq
Hyphens join compounds and izafat
The izafat (zer-e-izafat) and compound words are joined with a hyphen.
dil-e-naadaan, be-adab, ham-dard
Nasal vowels
ñ after a vowel marks nasalisation (noon ghunna). In Hindi script it is ँ, or ं when a vowel sign sits above the line.
maiñ (मैं), haiñ (हैं), maañ (माँ)
Arabic letters with the same sound
Letters that sound alike in Urdu share one spelling: س ص ث are all s; ز ذ ض ظ are all z; ت ط are t; ح ہ are h. ع is not written: its vowel stands alone.
ishq (عشق), ilm (علم)
Pen names
A poet's takhallus is put in single quotes.
'Gaalib', 'miir', 'hasrat'
Hindi spelling
The Hindi (Devanagari) text uses the dotted letters क़ ख़ ग़ ज़ फ़ for Persian and Arabic sounds, and standard Hindi spelling for joined letters.
ख़ुदा, ग़ज़ल, फ़िक्र, ज़िन्दगी

Our Roman spelling follows the convention used by Rekhta, so readers who know it will feel at home. In the reader, choose Roman or हिन्दी under Script. Browse the library.