Numbers unlock shopping, time, and small talk. Combine them with your Level 2 patterns: 'mere do bhāī haiṉ' — but that's Level 4's preview. First, one to ten.
چھchhe — sixThe 'chh' is aspirated — a puff of air after 'ch'.
ساتsāt — seven
آٹھāṭh — eightṭ is retroflex — tongue curled back. Very Urdu.
نوnau — nine
دسdas — ten
کتنے؟kitne? — How many?Also 'kitnā' (how much) — endlessly useful at bazaars.
Good to know
✨ Urdu numbers 1–100 are famously irregular — nearly every one is its own word (unlike English's tidy “twenty-one, twenty-two…”). Even native speakers joke that nobody knows what 87 (satāsī) is without thinking.
✨ Urdu has its own numerals too: ۱ ۲ ۳ ۴ ۵ ۶ ۷ ۸ ۹ ۰ — you'll see them on truck art, currency, and old clock faces.
✨ Retroflex sounds like ṭ (ٹ) and ḍ (ڈ) don't exist in Arabic or Persian — Urdu added special letters for them by putting a tiny ط on top. They're a South Asian signature.
Urdu Ustaadh is a free Urdu-learning resource — native audio, daily games, the Nastaliq script, and Pakistani culture. A project of Muneeb Ata Enterprises. Start learning free →