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Urdu

File:Urdu_example.svg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons

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Also known as Urdu language, Oordoo, Hindustani

Urdu (, , ) is an Indo-Aryan language spoken primarily in South Asia. It is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also an official Eighth Schedule language in India, the status and cultural heritage of which are recognised by the Constitution of India — alongside having official status in several Indian states (Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, and both Telugu states).

AI overview

Urdu is an Indo-Aryan language primarily spoken in South Asia, where it serves as Pakistan's national language and lingua franca. It also holds official status in India at both the national level and in several individual states, with its cultural heritage recognized by the Indian Constitution.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Key facts

Language.nation
Pakistan (national) India (scheduled) Jammu and Kashmir Ladakh Delhi (additional) Bihar (additional) Uttar Pradesh (additional) Jharkhand (additional) Andhra Pradesh (additional) Telangana (additional) West Bengal (additional)
Language.minority
South Africa (protected language)
Language.iso1
ur
Language.iso2
urd
Language.iso3
urd
Language.lingua
59-AAF-q
Language.image
Urdu example.svg
Language.imagescale
0.4
Language.imagecaption
Urdu written in the Nastaliq calligraphic hand
Language.image_class
skin-invert-image
Language.map
Urdu_official-language_areas.png
Language.mapcaption
Map of the regions of India and Pakistan showing:
Language.notice
IPA
Language.glotto
urdu1245
Language.glottorefname
Urdu
Language.agency
National Language Promotion Department (Pakistan) National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language (India)
Language.name
Urdu
Language.nativename
()

via Wikipedia infobox

Wikidata facts

Image
Urdu example.svg
Show 10 more facts
category for films in this language
Category:Urdu-language films
dialect of
Hindustani
Commons category
Urdu language
Wikimedia language code
ur
native label
اردو
P10369
October
number of speakers, writers, or signers
94022900
NCI Thesaurus ID
C154188
Sources (15)

via Wikidata · CC0

~50 min read

Article

35 sections
Contents
  • Etymology
  • History
  • Origins
  • Other historical names
  • Colonial period
  • Post-Partition
  • Demographics and geographic distribution
  • Pakistan
  • India
  • Elsewhere
  • Cultural identity
  • Colonial India
  • Pakistan
  • Official status
  • Pakistan
  • India
  • Dialects
  • Code switching
  • Comparison with Modern Standard Hindi
  • Urdu speakers by country
  • Phonology
  • Consonants
  • Vowels
  • Vocabulary
  • Formality
  • Writing system
  • Romanisation
  • Other scripts used
  • See also
  • Notes
  • Footnotes
  • References
  • Sources
  • Further reading
  • External links

Urdu (, , ) is an Indo-Aryan language spoken primarily in South Asia. It is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also an official Eighth Schedule language in India, the status and cultural heritage of which are recognised by the Constitution of India — alongside having official status in several Indian states (Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, and both Telugu states).

Urdu and Hindi are closely related. They share a common, predominantly Sanskrit- and Prakrit-derived, vocabulary base, phonology, syntax, and grammar, making them mutually intelligible during colloquial communication. The common base of the two languages is sometimes referred to as the Hindi–Urdu or Hindustani language, and Urdu has been described as a Persianised standard register of the Hindustani language. While formal Urdu draws literary, political, and technical vocabulary from Persian and Arabic, formal Hindi draws these aspects from Sanskrit; consequently, the two languages' mutual intelligibility effectively decreases as the level of formality increases.

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