The Urdu Alphabet & Script
حروفِ تہجی اور نستعلیق رسم الخط
Master the 36 Perso-Arabic letters of Urdu written in the flowing Nastaliq calligraphic style. Explore letter forms across isolated, initial, medial, and final positions, aspirated sounds with Do-Chashmi Hay, and vowel diacritics.
📌Quick Alphabet Summary & Reference:
The Urdu Alphabet (حروفِ تہجی) contains 36 core letters written from right to left in the Nastaliq script. It is derived from the Perso-Arabic alphabet with the addition of distinct retroflex sounds (ٹ، ڈ، ڑ) and 12 compound aspirated consonants (بھ، پھ، تھ، etc.) utilizing Do-Chashmi Hay (ھ).
4 Positional Forms in Nastaliq Script
Non-Connector (Breaks after)Isolated
ا
Initial
ا
Medial
ـا
Final
ـا
Like the 'a' in 'father' or short 'u' in 'cup'
Pomegranate
Anaar
انار
Click any letter below to inspect its forms and pronunciation
💡The Golden Rule: Connectors vs Non-Connectors
Unlike English where cursive joining is optional, Urdu letters must join together to form words. However, 9 letters are Non-Connectors (Breakers): they connect to the letter before them, but never to the letter after them.
The 9 Non-Connector Letters:
Whenever one of these 9 letters appears, the letter immediately following must take its initial or isolated form!
Frequently Asked Questions: Urdu Alphabet & Script
Clear linguistic answers to common questions about Perso-Arabic Nastaliq
The standard contemporary Urdu alphabet consists of 36 primary Perso-Arabic letters (حروفِ تہجی). In addition, it incorporates 12 to 14 aspirated consonant digraphs formed with Do-Chashmi Hay (دو چشمی ہے) like بھ (bh), پھ (ph), and تھ (th), as well as 6 vowel diacritical marks (Aeraab).
اردو میں 36 بنیادی حروف، مخلوط دو چشمی آوازیں اور اعراب شامل ہیں۔