Urdu is the national language of Pakistan and State language in the Indian states of Jammu and Kashmir, Telangana, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh & Delhi. More than 300 million in Pakistan and India alone speak Urdu. Urdu is language that combines Persian, Arabic, Turkish, English and Sanskrit terms together. Learning to speak common Urdu words and phrases can help you communicate with millions of people.[1]

Method 1
Method 1 of 8:

Common Words and Phrases

  1. 1
    Know what to say when you greet or converse with someone:[2]
    • Hello: Assalaam-o-Alaikum (if you are first to say Hello)
    • Hello: "Wa'alaikum Salaam" (reply to Assalaam-o-Alaikum)
    • How are you?: Kya haal hey?
    • Who are you?: Aap kaon hain?
    • I don`t know.: Main nahin janta
    • What is your name?: Aap ka naam kya hai?"
    • My name is Adam: Mera naam Adam hai
    • My name is Sophia: Mera naam Sophia hai
    • Goodbye: "Allah hafez" OR "Khuda hafez"
    • Take care: "Fee aman'nillah" OR "Apna khiyal rakhna"
    • Welcome: "Khush'aamdid"
    • Thanks: "Shukriya"
    • Thank you so much: "Boht Boht Shukriya" OR "Barhi mehrbani" OR "Barhiaa mehrbani"
    • I got you: "Me samajh giya"
    • Okay!: "Jee" OR "Jee Haan" OR "Theek hai!" OR "Sahih!" OR "Achha!"
    • Good morning: "Subb bakhair"
    • Good night: "Shabb bakhair"
    • Where do you live?: "Aap rehtay kidhar hain?" OR "Aap kahan rehtay hain?"
    • I'm from London: "Me London say hoo" OR "Me London ka hoo"
    • Where are you? "Aap Kahaan ho"
    • Where is Hospital (or any location)? "Hospital Kahaan hai"
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Method 2
Method 2 of 8:

Family

  1. 1
    Identify people using these common words, in almost any situation:[3]
    • Human: Insaan
    • Man: "Mard"
    • Woman: Orat
    • People: Logg OR "Avaam" OR "Khalqat"
    • Friend: Dost OR "Yaar" (close friend)
    • Boy: Larhka
    • Girl: Larhkee
    • Daughter: Beti
    • Son: Beta"
    • Mother: Ammi, Formal: Walida
    • Father: Abba OR "Abbu" OR Baba, Formal: Waalid
    • Wife: Bivee OR "Zaoja"
    • Husband: Shaohar OR "Miaan"
    • Brother: Bhai (formal and informal) or Bhaiya (informal)
    • Sister: Behn (formal) OR Baji, Apa, Api, "Apiya" (informal)
Method 4
Method 4 of 8:

Extended Family

  1. 1
    Niece:[5]
    • Sister's daughter: Bhaanji
    • Brother's daughter: Bhaatiji
    • Nephew:
    • Sister's son: Bhaanja
    • Brother's son: Bhaatija
    • Dad's Sister: Phuppo
    • Dad's Sister's Husband: Phuppa
    • Dad's Sister's Kids: Khala-zad Bhai (male) and Khala-zad Bahen (female)
    • Dad's Brother: Taya (father's older brother) and Chacha (father's younger brother)
    • Dad's Brother's Wife: Tai (if brother is older) and Chachi (if brother is younger)
    • Dad's Brother's Kids (older): Taya-zad Bhai (male) and Taya-zad Bahen (female)
    • Dad's Brother's Kids (younger): Chacha-zad Bhai (male) and Chacha-zad Bahen (female)
    • Mother's Sister: Khala
    • Mother's Sister's Husband: Khalu
    • Mother's Sister's Kids: Khala-zad Bhai (male) and Khala-zad Bahen (female)
    • Mother's Brother: Mamu
    • Mother's Brother's Wife: Mumani
    • Mother's Brother's Kids: Mamu-zad Bhai (male) and Mamu-zad Bahen (female)
Method 5
Method 5 of 8:

In-Laws

  1. 1
    Ways to refer to in-laws.[6]
    • In-laws: Susraal
    • Mother-in-law: Saas OR "Khush'daman" (name showing respect)
    • Father-in-law: Sussar
    • Daughter-in-law: Bahu
    • Son-in-law: Damaad
    • Brother's wife: Bhaabi
    • Sister's husband: Behn'oi
    • Wife's sister: Saali
    • Wife's sister's husband: Hum-zulf
    • Husband's sister: Nand
    • Husband's sister's husband: Nand'oi
    • Wife's brother: Saala
    • Wife's brother's wife: Salhaj
    • Husband's older brother: Jaayth
    • Husband's older brother's wife: Jaythani
    • Husband's younger brother: Daywar
    • Husband's younger brother's wife: Daywrani
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Method 8
Method 8 of 8:

Around town

  1. 1
    Know what to say when you are getting out and going places:[9]
    • Road: Sarhak OR "Raah"
    • Hospital: Haspatal or Dawa-Khana
    • Bathroom: Ghusl-khana
    • Balcony: Deewan-Khana
    • Room: Kamra
    • You: Tum, formal: Aap
    • We: Ham
    • Where: Kahaan
    • How: Kaise
    • How Much: Kitnaa
    • When: Kab
    • Money: Paisaa
    • Way or Path: Raasta OR "Ravish"
    • Correct direction: Saheeh Raasta
    • Why: Kyoon
    • What are you doing?: Kyaa kar rahe ho?
    • Have your lunch/dinner: Khaana khaa lo
    • Today: Aaj
    • Yesterday and Tomorrow: Kal

Community Q&A
Did you know you can get answers researched by wikiHow Staff? Unlock staff-researched answers by supporting wikiHow

  • Question
    How do I say "welcome back" in Urdu?
    wikiHow Staff Editor
    wikiHow Staff Editor
    Staff Answer
    This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.
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    Staff Answer

    Support wikiHow by unlocking this staff-researched answer.

    Typically, you would just simply say "khush aam deed (خوش آمدید)." While this phrase only means "welcome," it would be used also to mean "welcome back." However, you could also say "wapis khush aam deed (واپس خوش آمدید)," which is a more literal translation of the phrase "welcome back."
  • Question
    How do I say "How are you?" in Urdu?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    Aap kaise hain? (formal to male) Aap kaisi hain? (formal to female) Tum kaise ho? (informal to male) Tum kaisi ho? (informal to female)
  • Question
    If I were a fluent Urdu speaker, would I understand these phrases?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    These phrases are very common, so you should definitely understand these. It should help if you incorporate them into daily sentences.
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Warnings

  • It's best to speak slowly if you're traveling to a new area, as that not only prevents any mishaps in communication, but the other person is better likely to understand you, especially if Urdu is not their mother tongue (e.g. in villages, etc).
    ⧼thumbs_response⧽
  • There are many different accents within Pakistan and India; saying something while you're in Kashmir could sound like an insult in Mumbai.
    ⧼thumbs_response⧽
  • Don't be rude to any Urdu speakers because, usually, these people are good and didn't mean to insult. Maybe you misinterpreted what they said to you.
    ⧼thumbs_response⧽
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About This Article

Tian Zhou
Co-authored by:
Language Specialist
This article was co-authored by Tian Zhou and by wikiHow staff writer, Jennifer Mueller, JD. Tian Zhou is a Language Specialist and the Founder of Sishu Mandarin, a Chinese Language School in the New York metropolitan area. Tian holds a Bachelor's Degree in Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language (CFL) from Sun Yat-sen University and a Master of Arts in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) from New York University. Tian also holds a certification in Foreign Language (&ESL) - Mandarin (7-12) from New York State and certifications in Test for English Majors and Putonghua Proficiency Test from The Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China. He is the host of MandarinPod, an advanced Chinese language learning podcast. This article has been viewed 951,445 times.
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Co-authors: 57
Updated: October 25, 2022
Views: 951,445
Categories: World Languages
Article SummaryX

To say some common words in Urdu, start by learning how to say hello, which is, “Assalaam-o-Alaikum” and goodbye, which is, “Allah hafez.” To tell someone good morning, say, “Subb bakhair,” or, “Shukriya,” for “Thanks.” Next, identify family members using the word, “Abba” for a father, “Ammi” for a mother, or “Beti” and “Beta” for son and daughter, respectively. To count, start with the first three numbers, which are, “Aik,” “Dou,” and “Teen.” To learn how to ask common questions in Urdu, read on!

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