1.2.2 Short and long vowels

Understanding Short and Long Vowels in Urdu

In this chapter you will meet one of the most important features of Urdu: the difference between short and long vowels. This is essential for correct reading, writing, and pronunciation.

Urdu uses the Nastaliq script, which is written from right to left. In this chapter we focus only on vowels, not on all letters.

Short Vowels: Sounds That Are Usually Invisible

Urdu has three short vowels:

/a/ as in “a” in “about”
/i/ as in “i” in “sit”
/u/ as in “u” in “put”

In traditional writing these short vowels are written with small marks above or below a consonant. In everyday Urdu, these marks are usually not written, so you must guess them from context.

Names and Shapes of Short Vowel Marks

Short vowels are written with diacritics (small signs) placed on or under a consonant.

Short vowel	Sound (approx. English)	Urdu name	Diacritic shape	Position relative to consonant
a	/ə/ or /a/ “a” in about / bat	زبر	َ	Above the consonant
i	/ɪ/ “i” in sit	زیر	ِ	Below the consonant
u	/ʊ/ “u” in put	پیش	ُ	Above the consonant

For example, with the consonant ب “b”:

بَ = /ba/ (b + short a, zabar)
بِ = /bi/ (b + short i, zair)
بُ = /bu/ (b + short u, pesh)

In normal printed Urdu you will often see only ب, and you must know if it is ba, bi, or bu from the word.

Important rule:
Short vowels (زبر, زیر, پیش) are often omitted in everyday writing. You will still pronounce them, but you will usually not see them.

Long Vowels: Written as Full Letters

Urdu also has three long vowels that are written using letters. These are:

Long aa: /aː/
Long ii / ee: /iː/
Long uu / oo: /uː/

These long vowels are written with the letters:

Long vowel	Sound (approx. English)	Main letter used	Typical name in English context
aa	long “aa” as in “father”	ا	alif (for long aa after a consonant)
ii / ee	long “ee” as in “see”	ی	ye
uu / oo	long “oo” as in “food”	و	vaav

Here we focus on the vowel function of these letters, not on their consonant roles.

Basic Patterns with Long Vowels

With the consonant م “m”:

Urdu	Pronunciation	Explanation
ما	maa	م + ا, long aa
می	mee	م + ی, long ee / ii
مو	moo	م + و, long oo / uu

With the consonant ب “b”:

Urdu	Pronunciation	Explanation
با	baa	ب + ا, long aa
بی	bee	ب + ی, long ee / ii
بو	boo	ب + و, long oo / uu

Important rule:
Long vowels are written with full letters:

ا for aa after a consonant,
ی for ii / ee,
و for uu / oo.
They change meaning compared to short vowels and must not be ignored.

Compare:

Urdu	Pronunciation	Meaning (approx.)
بل	bal	hair, strength (context)
بال	baal	hair

The extra ا changes bal to baal.

Short vs Long: Length and Meaning

A short vowel is quick, a long vowel is held longer. The difference can change the meaning of a word.

Examples with /a/ and /aa/

Urdu	Pronunciation	Vowel type	Meaning (simple)
دل	dil	short	heart
دال	daal	long	lentil
تر	tar	short	wet, fresh (context)
تار	taar	long	wire, string

Examples with /i/ vs /ii/

Urdu	Pronunciation	Vowel type	Meaning (simple)
دل	dil	short	heart
دیل	diil (less common spelling)	long	would be long /ii/ sound
گل	gil	short (unnatural as a common word)	hypothetical
گیل	geel / giil	long	hypothetical example

Real Urdu vocabulary will give stronger examples later in the course, but even now you can see that doubling the length changes the word.

Examples with /u/ vs /uu/

Urdu	Pronunciation	Vowel type	Meaning (simple)
سُر	sur	short	musical note, tone
سور	soor / suur	long	pig (in some contexts)
گُل	gul	short	flower
گول	gool / gool (long, by و)	long	round

Key idea:
Urdu distinguishes word meaning by vowel length.
Short and long vowels are not the same. Do not pronounce maa and ma in the same way.

Short Vowel Marks with Long Vowel Letters

Sometimes a short vowel mark combines with a long vowel letter. This often happens at the beginning of words or in special syllable structures. Here we only show simple patterns.

Initial Vowel Sounds

In Urdu, a word cannot start with a vowel alone. It normally starts with ا that works as a support for the vowel.

Sound at word start	Common spelling	Explanation
a / aa	اَ / آ / ا	forms of alif + marks (details later)
i / ee	اِ / ای	alif with zair, or alif ye
u / oo	اُ / او	alif with pesh, or alif vaav

Even at this level, you only need to recognize that:

ای often gives an ee / ay type sound
او often gives an oo / o type sound

For now, focus on:

ا + ی together often sound like a long /ee/ or /e/
ا + و together often sound like a long /oo/ or /o/

Hearing the Difference: Listening Practice Ideas

Because short vowel marks are often not written, your ear is very important.

Try to imagine pairs:

ba vs baa
bi vs bee
bu vs boo

Say them slowly:

ba [short], baa [held longer]
bi [short], bee [held longer]
bu [short], boo [held longer]

You can tap your fingers:

Short vowel = tap finger once quickly: “ba”
Long vowel = tap finger and hold: “baa”

This physical difference helps your brain feel the length.

Reading Mini Syllables: Practice with One Consonant

Take the consonant ب “b”.

With short vowels (with marks)

Form	Sound
بَ	ba
بِ	bi
بُ	bu

With long vowels (with letters)

Form	Sound
با	baa
بی	bee
بو	boo

Do the same with م “m”.

Short:

مَ = ma
مِ = mi
مُ = mu

Long:

ما = maa
می = mee
مو = moo

And with ک “k”.

Short:

کَ = ka
کِ = ki
کُ = ku

Long:

کا = kaa
کی = kee
کو = koo

You can make your own table by choosing any consonant and combining it with these patterns.

Comparing Written Forms: What Changes on the Page

Look at how adding one long vowel letter changes spelling.

Short pattern (with mark)	Long pattern (with letter)	Pronunciation idea
بَ	با	ba → baa
بِ	بی	bi → bee
بُ	بو	bu → boo
مَ	ما	ma → maa
مُ	مو	mu → moo

Remember that in real text the short vowel marks often disappear, so you may just see a bare consonant or a consonant plus a long vowel letter.

Beginners’ Reading Tips for Vowels

Here are some simple strategies you can use when you begin to read:

Look for و and ی after consonants
Often they show a long vowel (oo / ee type sound).
Look for ا after consonants
Often it shows a long aa sound.
If there is no vowel letter after a consonant
There is probably a short vowel, which you must guess. The most common short vowel in everyday speech is a short /a/ type sound.
Do not skip vowel letters
If you see ا, و, or ی in the middle of a word, they usually affect the vowel length.

Practical rule for beginners:
When you see:

consonant + ا, read it as consonant + “aa”
consonant + ی, read it as consonant + “ee”
consonant + و, read it as consonant + “oo”
You will learn the exceptions later.

Practice: Guessing Pronunciations

Below are some simple patterns. Pronounce them using what you know about short and long vowels.

با
→ b + aa = baa
مِ
→ m + short i = mi
بو
→ b + oo = boo
مُ
→ m + short u = mu
کی
→ k + ee = kee
کو
→ k + oo = koo

You do not need to know the meanings yet. This exercise is only for sound and length.

Vocabulary List

Here are some simple words that clearly show short and long vowels. Focus on sound and spelling, not on memorizing meanings perfectly.

Urdu	Transliteration	Vowels used	Meaning (simple)
ما	maa	long aa	mother (short form)
باپ	baap	long aa	father
دل	dil	short i	heart
دال	daal	long aa	lentil
گل	gul	short u	flower (also گُل)
گول	gool / gol	long oo / o	round
بی	bee	long ee	“B” (letter name), also in names
بو	boo	long oo	smell (context)
کا	kaa	long aa	of (postposition, later)
کو	koo	long oo	to (postposition, later)

New Vocabulary (Summary)

زبر (zabar), short “a” mark َ
زیر (zair), short “i” mark ِ
پیش (pesh), short “u” mark ُ
ا (alif), used for long “aa” after a consonant and to support initial vowels
ی (ye), used for long “ii / ee”
و (vaav), used for long “uu / oo”
دل (dil), heart
دال (daal), lentil
گل / گُل (gul), flower
گول (gool), round
باپ (baap), father
ما (maa), mother (short form)

In later chapters you will see how these vowels work inside full words and sentences, and you will combine them with more consonants and grammar.

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