Urdu language | History, Origin, Script, Words, & Facts

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mt-15"> Introduction & Top Questions </span> <a class="toc-extra-link link-gray-900" href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Urdu-language/additional-info">References & Edit History</a> <a class="toc-extra-link link-gray-900" href="/facts/Urdu-language">Related Topics</a> </div> <div class="mb-30 tlr-related-quizzes"> <div class="text-gray-900 p-5 font-serif font-14 font-weight-bold mx-10 mb-10"> Quizzes </div> <div class="imagelink-with-image-on-the-side card card-horizontal tlr-img-with-side-link ml-15 link-gray-900 mb-10" > <div class="position-relative card-media" style="flex: 0;"> <a class="ilf-image position-relative" href="/quiz/languages-alphabets"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/62/129562-131-63F782C3/wall-engravings-Buddhist-Thailand-Hands-society-history-2009.jpg?w=200&h=200&c=crop" alt="Buddhist engravings on wall in Thailand. 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(religion, ceremony, bride, groom)" width="200" height="200" /> </a> </div> <div class="card-body ilf-content"> <a class="font-weight-semi-bold d-block mb-5 font-16 ilf-title" href="/list/the-seven-sacraments-of-the-roman-catholic-church" >The Seven Sacraments of the Roman Catholic church</a> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <button class="drawerToggle btn position-sticky border btn-xs btn-white btn-circle rounded-sm d-none d-lg-flex " type="button" aria-label="Toggle Drawer"> <em class="material-icons font-18 text-blue" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_left"></em> </button> </div> </div> <div class="col"> <div class="h-100 ml-0 pr-lg-0 "> <div class="h-100 grid gx-0 gx-lg-20"> <div class="h-100 col-sm"> <div class="h-100 infinite-pagination-container d-flex flex-column position-relative"> <div class="position-absolute top-0 h-100 w-100"> <div class="toc-sticky-header d-none d-lg-none bg-gray-50 px-10 px-sm-30 position-sticky w-100 "> <div class="toc-sticky-header-inner-container align-items-center d-flex mx-auto h-100 w-100"> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-sm btn-white text-blue border-2 border-gray-100 gtm-mobile-toc-header-button js-sections-button d-lg-none p-10"> <em class="material-icons my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Contents </button> <div class="header-ai-simplify-button-placeholder"></div> <div class="header-ai-ask-button-placeholder"></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="grey-box w-100 grey-box-top grey-box-bottom"> <div class="grey-box-content mx-auto w-100"> <script type="application/ld+json"> { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement" : [ { "@type" : "ListItem", "position" : 1, "item" : { "@id" : "https://www.britannica.com/browse/Geography-Travel", "name": "Geography & Travel" } } , { "@type" : "ListItem", "position" : 2, "item" : { "@id" : "https://www.britannica.com/browse/Languages", "name": "Languages" } } ] } </script> <nav class="breadcrumb mt-20"> <span class="breadcrumb-item "> <a class="link-gray-600" href="/browse/Geography-Travel">Geography & Travel</a> </span> <span class="breadcrumb-item "> <a class="link-gray-600" href="/browse/Languages">Languages</a> </span> </nav> <div class="page2ref-true topic-content topic-type-REGULAR" data-student-article="false"> <script class="page-description-json" type="application/json"> { "url": "/topic/Urdu-language", "shareUrl": "https://www.britannica.com/topic/Urdu-language", "browserTitle": "Urdu language | History, Origin, Script, Words, & Facts", "firstTopicPage": true, "topicId":619612 } </script> <div class="reading-channel"> <div class="topic-header"> <div class="d-flex align-items-top justify-content-between"> <div class="d-flex flex-column"> <div> <div> <h1>Urdu language</h1></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="d-none d-sm-flex flex-row"> <div class="mr-10 mb-15"> <button class="ai-ask-button btn btn-sm border-2 btn-outline-red-400 border-red-400 btn-sm btn-outline-red-400 border-red-400 px-sm-5 px-md-10 js-inline-ai-ask-button"> Ask the Chatbot a Question </button> </div> <div class="d-block md-topic-tools qa-action-buttons mb-15" data-topic-id="619612"> <button class="js-tooltip btn btn-sm btn-outline-blue border pr-10 border-2 text-nowrap" > <em class="material-icons md-icon ml-n10 my-n5 mr-5" data-icon="more_vert"></em> More Actions </button> <div class="md-more-popover popover popover-sm p-0 font-14 z-1"> <div> <a class="js-modal btn btn-sm btn-link gtm-topic-tool font-weight-bold btn-link" href="/print/article/619612" target="_blank" > <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="print"></em> Print </a> </div> <div> <button class="js-modal qa-cite-modal-button btn btn-sm btn-link gtm-topic-tool font-weight-bold btn-link" data-modal="[data-topic-id=619612] .md-cite-modal"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="verified"></em> Cite </button> <div class="md-cite-modal size-lg d-none"> <div class="md-modal-body"> <div class="h2 font-serif d-flex align-items-center pb-15 border-bottom mb-15"> <em class="material-icons text-blue mr-10">verified</em>Cite </div> <div class="font-serif"> While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. </div> <div class="label mt-20 mb-10">Select Citation Style</div> <select class="js-citation-format-select form-select"> <option selected value="mla">MLA</option> <option value="apa">APA</option> <option value="chicago">Chicago Manual of Style</option> </select> <div class="citation font-serif border rounded p-15 mt-20" data-authors="The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica" data-authors-initial="The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica" data-title="Urdu language" data-published-date="19 Mar. 2025" data-url="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Urdu-language" > <div class="citation-text"></div> </div> <button class="js-copy-citation-button mt-20 btn btn-xs btn-outline-blue border shadow-sm pr-10" > <em class="material-icons md-icon ml-n10 my-n5 mr-5" data-icon="file_copy"></em> <span class="js-citation-status-text">Copy Citation</span> </button> </div> </div> </div> <div> <button class="js-share-modal-button js-modal btn btn-sm btn-link gtm-topic-tool font-weight-bold btn-link" data-modal="[data-topic-id=619612] .md-share-modal"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="share"></em> Share </button> <div class="md-share-modal size-lg d-none qa-share-modal"> <div class="md-modal-body"> <div class="h2 font-serif d-flex align-items-center pb-15 border-bottom"> <em class="material-icons text-blue mr-10" data-icon="share"></em> Share </div> <div class="label my-20">Share to social media</div> <div class="md-social-toolbar-circle d-flex align-items-start inverted" data-value="share" title="Urdu language" data-url="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Urdu-language" > <a class="social-icon facebook justify-content-center d-flex align-items-center align-self-center" data-provider="facebook" href="https://www.facebook.com/BRITANNICA/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span>Facebook</span></a> <a class="social-icon x justify-content-center d-flex align-items-center align-self-center" data-provider="x" href="https://x.com/britannica" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span>X</span></a> </div> <div class="label pt-20 mt-20 mb-5 border-top">URL</div> <a class="font-serif text-truncate d-inline-block" href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Urdu-language">https://www.britannica.com/topic/Urdu-language</a> </div> </div> </div> <div> <button class="js-feedback-modal-button js-modal btn btn-sm btn-link gtm-topic-tool font-weight-bold btn-link" data-modal=".md-feedback-modal"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="message"></em> Feedback </button> </div> <div> <button class="qa-external-website-modal-button js-modal btn btn-sm btn-link gtm-topic-tool font-weight-bold btn-link" data-modal="[data-topic-id=619612] .md-websites-modal"> <em class="material-icons md-icon ml-n10 mr-5" data-icon="link"></em> External Websites </button> </div> </div> <div class="md-feedback-modal size-lg d-none"> <div class="md-modal-body"> <div class="h2 font-serif pb-15 border-bottom"> Feedback </div> <form method="post" action="/submission/feedback/619612"> <div class="my-20"> Corrections? 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They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.</div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor text-decoration-underline"> The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</span></div> <div class="last-updated font-12 font-serif"> <span class="text-gray-700"> Last Updated: <time datetime="2025-03-19T00:00:00CDT" >Mar 19, 2025</time> •</span> <a class="byline-edit-history" href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Urdu-language/additional-info#history" rel="nofollow">Article History</a> </div></div> </div> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button d-none d-sm-block js-sections-inline-button module-spacing btn d-lg-none"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <div class="d-flex d-sm-none flex-row"> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button js-sections-inline-button module-spacing"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <button class="ai-ask-button btn btn-sm border-2 btn-outline-red-400 border-red-400 module-spacing js-inline-ai-ask-button p-10 ml-5"> Ask the Chatbot </button> </div> <div class="js-qf-module qf-module px-40 px-sm-20 py-15 mx-auto module-spacing font-14 bg-gray-50 rounded"> <div class="facts-list mt-10"> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Key People: </dt> <dd><a href="/biography/Kaifi-Azmi" topicid="861091">Kaifi Azmi</a></dd> <dd><a href="/biography/Ahmed-Ali" topicid="1080667">Ahmed Ali</a></dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Related Topics: </dt> <dd><a href="/topic/Hindi-language" topicid="266241">Hindi language</a></dd> <dd><a href="/art/Urdu-literature" topicid="619629">Urdu literature</a></dd> <dd><a href="/topic/Dakhani" topicid="150019">Dakhani</a></dd> <dd><a href="/topic/Hindawi" topicid="266189">Hindawi</a></dd> <dd><a href="/topic/Gujari-language" topicid="249092">Gujari language</a></dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> <div class="text-center"> <a class="btn btn-sm btn-link p-0" href="/facts/Urdu-language"> See all related content </a> </div> </div> </div> </div><script type="application/ld+json"> { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "FAQPage", "mainEntity": [ { "@type" : "Question", "name" : "<div>What language family does the Urdu language belong to?<\/div><em><\/em>", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "The Urdu language is a member of the Indo-Aryan group within the Indo-European family of languages." } } , { "@type" : "Question", "name" : "<div>Is the Urdu language the same as Hindi?<\/div><em><\/em>", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "The Urdu language is closely related to Hindi. They share the same Indo-Aryan base, are similar in phonology and grammar, and are mutually intelligible. However, they are from different sources: Urdu is from Arabic and Persian, and Hindi is from Sanskrit. The most distinct difference is in terms of writing systems: Urdu uses the Nastaliq (<em>nasta\u02BFl\u012Bq<\/em>) script, while Hindi uses Devanagari." } } , { "@type" : "Question", "name" : "<div>What writing system does the Urdu language use?<\/div><em><\/em>", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "The Urdu language uses a modified form of Perso-Arabic script known as Nastaliq (<em>nasta\u02BFl\u012Bq<\/em>)." } } , { "@type" : "Question", "name" : "<div>Where is the Urdu language spoken?<\/div><em><\/em>", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "The Urdu language is spoken predominantly in Pakistan and India. It is the official state language of Pakistan and is also officially recognized in the constitution of India. Significant Urdu communities exist in the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States." } } ] } </script> <div class="top-questions qa-accordion d-flex flex-column module-spacing"><div class="font-weight-bold font-14 mb-5"> Top Questions </div><div id="intent-accordion" class="md-intent-accordion"><div class="top-question bg-gray-50 rounded" data-value="1"><h3 class="accordion--question font-14 font-weight-normal cursor-pointer rounded"><div class="pe-none d-flex justify-content-between align-items-center"><div>What language family does the Urdu language belong to?</div><em class="material-icons" data-icon="expand_more"></em></div></h3><div class="accordion--answer hidden p-15 pt-5 font-16 mb-5"><div class="accordion--answer-copy"><p>The Urdu language is a member of the Indo-Aryan group within the Indo-European family of languages.</p></div></div></div><div class="top-question bg-gray-50 rounded" data-value="2"><h3 class="accordion--question font-14 font-weight-normal cursor-pointer rounded"><div class="pe-none d-flex justify-content-between align-items-center"><div>Is the Urdu language the same as Hindi?</div><em class="material-icons" data-icon="expand_more"></em></div></h3><div class="accordion--answer hidden p-15 pt-5 font-16 mb-5"><div class="accordion--answer-copy"><p>The Urdu language is closely related to Hindi. They share the same Indo-Aryan base, are similar in phonology and grammar, and are mutually intelligible. However, they are from different sources: Urdu is from Arabic and Persian, and Hindi is from Sanskrit. The most distinct difference is in terms of writing systems: Urdu uses the Nastaliq (<em>nastaʿlīq</em>) script, while Hindi uses Devanagari.</p></div></div></div><div class="top-question bg-gray-50 rounded" data-value="3"><h3 class="accordion--question font-14 font-weight-normal cursor-pointer rounded"><div class="pe-none d-flex justify-content-between align-items-center"><div>What writing system does the Urdu language use?</div><em class="material-icons" data-icon="expand_more"></em></div></h3><div class="accordion--answer hidden p-15 pt-5 font-16 mb-5"><div class="accordion--answer-copy"><p>The Urdu language uses a modified form of Perso-Arabic script known as Nastaliq (<em>nastaʿlīq</em>).</p></div></div></div><div class="top-question bg-gray-50 rounded" data-value="4"><h3 class="accordion--question font-14 font-weight-normal cursor-pointer rounded"><div class="pe-none d-flex justify-content-between align-items-center"><div>Where is the Urdu language spoken?</div><em class="material-icons" data-icon="expand_more"></em></div></h3><div class="accordion--answer hidden p-15 pt-5 font-16 mb-5"><div class="accordion--answer-copy"><p>The Urdu language is spoken predominantly in Pakistan and India. It is the official state language of Pakistan and is also officially recognized in the constitution of India. Significant Urdu communities exist in the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States.</p></div></div></div><button class="show-more-button js-toggle-top-questions btn btn-unstyled font-14 d-flex pr-10 rounded-sm"><em class="material-icons" data-icon="expand_more"></em></button></div></div><span class="marker before-article"></span><section data-level="1" id="ref1"><span class="marker PREMOD1 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph"><strong><span id="ref97971"></span>Urdu language</strong>, member of the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Indo-Aryan-languages" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Indo-Aryan</a> group within the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Indo-European-languages" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Indo-European</a> family of languages. Urdu is spoken as a first <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/language" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">language</a> by nearly 70 million people and as a second language by more than 100 million people, predominantly in <span id="ref1265788"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Pakistan" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Pakistan</a> and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/India" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">India</a>. It is the official state language of Pakistan and is also officially recognized, or “scheduled,” in the constitution of India. Significant speech <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="communities" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/communities" data-type="MW">communities</a> exist in the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/United-Arab-Emirates" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">United Arab Emirates</a>, the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/United-Kingdom" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">United Kingdom</a>, and the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/United-States" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">United States</a> as well. Notably, Urdu and <span id="ref97972"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Hindi-language" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Hindi</a> are mutually intelligible.</p><span class="marker MOD1 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD2 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Urdu developed in the 12th century <span class="text-smallcaps">ce</span> from the regional <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Apabhramsha-language" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Apabhramsha</a> of northwestern India, serving as a linguistic <em>modus vivendi</em> after the Muslim conquest. Its first major poet was <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Amir-Khosrow" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Amir Khosrow</a> (1253–1325), who composed <em>dohas</em> (couplets), folk songs, and riddles in the newly formed speech, then called Hindvi. This mixed speech was variously called Hindvi, Zaban-e-Hind, Hindi, Zaban-e-Delhi, Rekhta, Gujari, Dakkhani, Zaban-e-Urdu-e-Mualla, Zaban-e-Urdu, or just Urdu, literally ‘the language of the camp.’ Major Urdu writers continued to refer to it as Hindi or Hindvi until the beginning of the 19th century, although there is evidence that it was called Hindustani in the late 17th century. (<a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Hindustani-language" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Hindustani</a> now refers to a simplified speech form that is the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Indian-subcontinent" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Indian subcontinent’s</a> largest <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/lingua-franca" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">lingua franca</a>.)</p><span class="marker MOD2 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD3 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Urdu is closely related to Hindi, a language that originated and developed in the Indian subcontinent. They share the same Indo-Aryan base and are so similar in <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/phonology" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">phonology</a> and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/grammar" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">grammar</a> that they appear to be one language. In terms of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/vocabulary" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">lexicon</a>, however, they have borrowed extensively from different sources—Urdu from <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Arabic-language" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Arabic</a> and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Persian-language" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Persian</a>, Hindi from <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Sanskrit-language" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Sanskrit</a>—so they are usually treated as independent languages. Their distinction is most marked in terms of writing systems: Urdu uses a modified form of Perso-Arabic script known as Nastaliq (<a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/nastaliq-script" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true"><em>nastaʿlīq</em></a>), while Hindi uses <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Devanagari" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Devanagari</a>.</p><a class="link-module shadow-sm d-block qa-quiz-module" href="/quiz/languages-alphabets" data-link-module-iframe-link=""> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/62/129562-131-63F782C3/wall-engravings-Buddhist-Thailand-Hands-society-history-2009.jpg" alt="Buddhist engravings on wall in Thailand. Hands on wall. Hompepage blog 2009, history and society, science and technology, geography and travel, explore discovery" class="rounded-sm mr-15" width="70" /> <div class="line-clamp clamp-5"> <div class="module-title bg-green">Britannica Quiz</div> <div class="font-weight-semi-bold mt-5">Languages & Alphabets</div> </div> </a><span class="marker MOD3 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD4 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Phonologically, the Urdu sounds are the same as those of Hindi except for slight variations in short <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/vowel" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">vowel</a> <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/allophone" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">allophones</a>. Urdu also retains a complete set of <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="aspirated" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/aspirated" data-type="EB">aspirated</a> stops (sounds pronounced with a sudden release with an audible breath), a characteristic of Indo-Aryan, as well as <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/retroflex" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">retroflex</a> stops. Urdu does not retain the complete range of Perso-Arabic <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/consonant" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">consonants</a>, despite its heavy borrowing from that tradition. The largest number of sounds retained is among the spirants, a group of sounds uttered with a friction of breath against some part of the oral passage, in this case /f/, /z/, /zh/, /x/, and /g/. One sound in the stops category, the glottal /q/, has also been retained from Perso-Arabic.</p><span class="marker MOD4 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD5 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">From the grammatical point of view, there is not much difference between Hindi and Urdu. One distinction is that Urdu uses more Perso-Arabic <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="prefixes" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/prefixes" data-type="EB">prefixes</a> and suffixes than Hindi; examples include the prefixes <em>dar-</em> ‘in,’ <em>ba-/baa-</em> ‘with,’ <em>be-/bila-/la-</em> ‘without,’ and <em>bad-</em> ‘ill, miss’ and the suffixes <em>-dar</em> ‘holder,’ <em>-saz</em> ‘maker’ (as in <em>zinsaz</em> ‘harness maker’), <em>-khor</em> ‘eater’ (as in <em>muftkhor</em> ‘free eater’), and <em>-posh</em> ‘cover’ (as in <em>mez posh</em> ‘table cover’).</p><div class="one-good-fact-module"> </div><span class="marker MOD5 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD6 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Although both Urdu and Hindi typically mark the plural by changing the singular suffix <em>-aa</em> to <em>-ee</em>, Urdu uses <em>-aat</em> in some cases, such as <em>kaagazaat</em> ‘papers,’ <em>jawaharaat</em> ‘jewels,’ and <em>makaanaat</em> ‘houses.’ In addition, where Hindi and Urdu both use the suffix <em>-ka</em> ‘of’ in many constructions, Urdu marks the genitive ‘of’ with <em>-e(e)</em>, as in <em>subhe-azadi</em> ‘the morning of freedom’ and <em>khoon-e-jigar</em> ‘the blood of heart.’</p><span class="marker MOD6 mod-inline"></span></section> <span class="md-signature font-12"><a href="/editor/The-Editors-of-Encyclopaedia-Britannica/4419">The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</a></span><span class="md-signature font-12">This article was most recently revised and updated by <a href="/contributor/encyclopaedia-britannica/12989892">Encyclopaedia Britannica</a>.</span><span class="marker end-of-content"></span><span class="marker after-article"></span></div> <div id="chatbot-simplify-root"></div> <div id="chatbot-root"></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ai-dialog-placeholder"></div> </div> </div> <aside class="col-md-da-320"></aside> </div> </div> </div> </div> </article> </div> </div> </div> </div> </main> <div id="md-footer"></div> <noscript><iframe src="//www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-5W6NC8" height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden"></iframe></noscript>  <script> window.ap3c = window.ap3c || {}; var ap3c = window.ap3c; ap3c.cmd = ap3c.cmd || []; ap3c.cmd.push(function() { ap3c.init('ZO4siT4cLwnykPnzZWJtd3Byb2Q', 'https://engage.email.britannica.com/'); ap3c.track({v: 0}); }); ap3c.activity = function(act) { ap3c.act = (ap3c.act || []); ap3c.act.push(act); }; var s, t; s = document.createElement('script'); s.type = 'text/javascript'; s.src = "https://engage.email.britannica.com/app.js"; t = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; t.parentNode.insertBefore(s, t); </script> <script class="marketing-page-info" type="application/json"> {"pageType":"Topic","templateName":"DESKTOP","pageNumber":1,"pagesTotal":1,"pageId":619612,"pageLength":548,"initialLoad":true,"lastPageOfScroll":false} </script> <script class="marketing-content-info" type="application/json"> [] </script> <script src="https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-134/js/libs/jquery-3.5.0.min.js?v=3.134.26"></script> <script type="text/javascript" data-type="Init Mendel Code Splitting"> (function() { $.ajax({ dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: 'https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-134/dist/topic-page.js?v=3.134.26' }); })(); </script> <script class="analytics-metadata" type="application/json"> {"leg":"A","adLeg":"A","userType":"ANONYMOUS","pageType":"Topic","pageSubtype":null,"articleTemplateType":"MEDIUM","gisted":false,"pageNumber":1,"hasSummarizeButton":false,"hasAskButton":true,"hasAiTopQuestions":false,"hasSimplifyButton":false} </script> <script type="text/javascript"> EBStat={accountId:-1,hostnameOverride:'webstats.eb.com',domain:'www.britannica.com', json:''}; </script> <script type="text/javascript"> ( function() { $.ajax( { dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: '//www.britannica.com/webstats/mendelstats.js?v=1' } ) .done( function() { try {writeStat(null,EBStat);} catch(err){} } ); })(); </script> <div id="bc-fixed-dialogue"></div> </body> </html>

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Urdu language | History, Origin, Script, Words, & Facts | Britannica