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Urdu

American  
[oor-doo, ur-, oor-doo, ur-] / ˈʊər du, ˈɜr-, ʊərˈdu, ɜr- /

noun

  1. one of the official languages of Pakistan, a language derived from Hindustani, used by Muslims, and written with Persian-Arabic letters.

Urdu British  
/ ˈɜː-, ˈʊəduː /

noun

  1. an official language of Pakistan, also spoken in India. The script derives primarily from Persia. It belongs to the Indic branch of the Indo-European family of languages, being closely related to Hindi but containing many Arabic and Persian loan words

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Usage

What does Urdu mean? Urdu is the official language of Pakistan. It is derived from the older Hindustani language, and the written form uses Persian-Arabic letters.The Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a south Asian country with Afghanistan to its north and India to its south. Urdu is a member of the Indic family of languages, which includes other languages spoken by culture groups in Pakistan, India, and Sri Lanka.Urdu is recognized by Pakistan as the official language and it is the fifth most common language spoken in the country.

Etymology

Origin of Urdu

< Urdu, Hindi urdū, extracted from Persian zabān i urdū literally, language of the camp (ultimately < Turkic; horde )

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

"Bengalis who live in Karachi mostly speak Urdu," he said, adding: "We don't have our own culture now".

From Barron's • Feb. 23, 2026

He visited mosques regularly and released a campaign video in Urdu about the city's cost-of-living crisis.

From BBC • Nov. 5, 2025

Tonight, Mui came equipped with bright blue flyers in six languages: English, Spanish, Bangla, Chinese, Arabic, and Urdu.

From Slate • Oct. 27, 2025

The morning newspapers saluted him with "Zendabad" - a pun on zindabad, the Urdu word for long live.

From BBC • Sep. 25, 2025

“Bhai Sahib,” she beckons in Urdu, calling the man with a mustache and thick glasses Mister Brother to be polite.

From "Amina's Song" by Hena Khan

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.