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A. Guide to pronunciation

The chart below explains the specialized system we’ve used for writing Urdu words in the Roman script. We’ve prioritized making the pronunciation clear and unambiguous, while also minimizing the number of different letters. Some sounds that are distinguished in Hindi script but not in Urdu script, like ष and ण, are absent. See Appendix B for the complete Urdu alphabet, together with formal transliterations.

 

Roman Hindi Sound Roman Hindi Sound Roman Hindi Sound Roman Hindi Sound Roman Hindi Sound
a अ up ḍ ड retroflex d, as in anḍā ‘egg’ ī ई seat o ओ over th थ aspirated dental t, as in thālī ‘platter’
ā आ tall ḍh ढ aspirated retroflex d, as in ḍhā’ī ‘two and a half’ j ज jet p प spill ṭ ट retroflex t, as in kāṭnā
ai ऐ hat (sometimes also pronounced like ě or a‘i) e ए say jh झ aspirated j, as in jhūṭh ph फ aspirated p, as in pill or phal ṭh ठ aspirated retroflex t, as in ṭhīk
au औ aur ě (written as either अ or ए) meh k क scan q क़ voiceless uvular stop, as in qalam u उ look
b ब big f फ़ first kh ख aspirated k, as in can or khānā r र rolled r, as in roṭī ū ऊ hoot
bh भ aspirated b, as in bhā’ī ‘brother’ g ग gift ḳh ख़ voiceless velar fricative, as in ḳharāb ‘bad’ or German Buch ṛ ड़ retroflex flap, as in baṛā v/w व weevil (v and w are interchangeable)
ch च change gh घ aspirated g, as in ghī l ल love ṛh ढ़ aspirated retroflex flap, as in būṛhā y य yes
chh छ aspirated ch, as in chhěh ‘six’ ġh ग़ voiced velar fricative, as in bāġh ‘garden’; similar to French rouge m म mill s स see z ज़ zebra
d द dental d, as in dil ‘heart’ h ह hat n न nail sh श she zh ॹ garage
dh ध aspirated dental d, as in ādhā ‘half’ i इ sit ñ ◌ँ nasal vowel, as in donoñ ‘both’ or French maison t त dental t, as in tīn ‘three’ ’ (N/A) separates sounds, as in ka’ī ‘several’ or is’hāq ‘Isaac’
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Zer o Zabar Copyright © 2023 by David Boyk and Daniel Majchrowicz. All Rights Reserved.

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