Urdu Varnamala Hindi Transliteration Table and Chart

Urdu, written in the PersoArabic script, shares a large part of its phonetic inventory with Hindi. For learners who are already familiar with Devanagari, a transliteration table that maps each Urdu letter to its most equivalent Hindi sound can be an invaluable aid. This page presents a concise overview of the Urdu alphabet (Urdu Varnamala), followed by a complete Hindi transliteration chart.

About the Urdu Alphabet

Urdu consists of 39 basic letters (including 2 letters used only for foreign sounds) and several diacritical marks that indicate short vowels, nasalisation, and other phonetic nuances. The script is written from right to left, and most letters change shape depending on their position in a word (initial, medial, final, or isolated).

• Consonants (HarfeTarf) 38 letters, each representing a distinct consonantal sound.
• Short vowels (HarfeZabar, Zer, Pesh) not independent letters; they are shown with diacritics ( ).
• Long vowels (Alif, Ww, Y) act as independent letters.
• Nasalisation (NunGhunna) and other marks modify pronunciation.

Hindi Transliteration Chart

Urdu Letter (Isolated Form)	Urdu Name	Approx. Hindi Transliteration	Example Word	Hindi Meaning
	Alif	a /		tum (you)
	Be	b		bache (children)
	Pe	p		paani (water)
	Te	t		tum (you)
	Se	th (as in think)		saabit (prove)
	Jeem	j		jism (body)
	Che	ch		chaah (desire)
	e	h (guttural)		zindagi (life)
	Khe	kh		khoob (good)
	Dal	d		dar (door)
	Zal	z		dimaag (mind)
	Re	r		rang (color)
	Zein	z		zameen (earth)
	Zhe	zh (like measure)		jhal (hail)
	Seen	s		safar (journey)
	Sheen	sh		shaam (evening)
	Suad	s (emphatic)		sabr (patience)
	Zuad	z (emphatic)		zid (stubbornness)
	Taa	t (emphatic)		talab (request)
	Zaa	z (emphatic)		zulm (oppression)
	Ain	(glottal stop)		ishq (love)
	Ghain	gh		ghaalaab (dominant)
	Fe	f		firaaq (separation)
	Qaaf	q		qalam (pen)
	Kaaf	k		kitaab (book)
	Gaaf	g		gulaab (rose)
	Laam	l		lab (lip)
	Meem	m		mard (man)
	Noon	n		naam (name)
	Vav	v / o / u		waqt (time)
	He	h		hawa (air)
	Hamza	(glottal stop)		aain (constitution)
	Ya	y / i / ee		yaad (memory)
	Bari Ye	e (long e)		pehle (first)
	Pe	p (used in English loans)		program
	Fae	f (used in Persian/English loans)		finance

The transliteration shown follows a practical, phonetic approach rather than a strict ISO 15919 scheme. For most learners, this mapping provides a close approximation of pronunciation.

How to Use the Chart

1. Identify the Urdu letter. Look at the first column to see the isolated shape.
2. Read the Hindi transliteration. The third column gives the nearest Hindi sound. Remember that Urdu has both aspirated and unaspirated series; the chart reflects the common pronunciation.
3. Practice with the example. The fourth column offers a simple Urdu word, and the fifth column shows its Hindi meaning. Say the word aloud using the Hindi sound indicated.
4. Notice patterns. Letters that share a base shape (e.g., ) often belong to the same phonetic family. Recognising these groups speeds up reading.

Common Pitfalls

• Short vowels are omitted in writing. Urdu scripts normally leave out the short a, i, u sounds, while Hindi always writes them. When transliterating, supply the appropriate short vowel based on the words pronunciation.
• Nasality. The (NunGhunna) adds a nasal quality. In Hindi, this is usually rendered with or by adding n after the vowel (e.g., man).
• Emphatic consonants. Letters such as , , , are pronounced deeper in the throat. Hindi lacks exact equivalents, but using the plain s, z, t, z works for everyday communication.

Quick Reference Grid

Urdu	Hindi	Urdu	Hindi	Urdu	Hindi
	a/		b		p
	t		th		j
	ch		hguttural		kh
	d		z		r
	z		zh		s
	sh		semph		zemph
	temph		zemph		(glottal)
	gh		f		q
	k		g		l
	m		n		v/o/u
	h		y/i/ee		elong

With this chart in hand, learners can bridge the visual gap between the elegant Nastaliq of Urdu and the familiar Devanagari of Hindi, making reading, writing, and pronunciation practice much more accessible.