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The Dental Touch · ت د

Soft Ts and Ds, right against the teeth

Urdu's soft ت and د are made further forward than English t and d — the tongue presses flat on the back of the teeth. Small move, big difference.

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The phrases

تینtīn — threetongue on the teeth: teen
دسdas — tendental d — touch the teeth
دوستdost — friendboth dentals: d…st

Good to know

✨ Urdu has a second t and d — the dental pair. Touch the tongue-tip to the back of your top teeth (where 'th' in 'the' lives), but make a clean stop, not a hiss.
✨ So: ت = tongue on teeth (soft), ٹ = tongue curled back (hard). Two different letters, two different meanings — Urdu ears hear them as clearly as you hear 'pat' vs 'bat'.

The Retroflex Curl · ٹ ڈ ڑ  ·  The Puff of Air · بھ پھ تھ

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