Table of Contents
Understanding Aspirated and Unaspirated Consonants in Urdu
In Urdu, many consonants come in pairs that sound very similar to English speakers, but they differ in one important way: aspiration. Learning to hear and produce this difference is crucial, because it often changes the meaning of a word completely.
This chapter focuses only on aspirated vs. unaspirated consonants. Other pronunciation topics, such as retroflex sounds or stress and intonation, are discussed in their own chapters.
What is Aspiration?
Aspiration is a small burst of air that follows a consonant. In English, you already use aspiration without noticing it.
Say these English words slowly and put your hand in front of your mouth:
- pin
- spin
In pin, you will feel a stronger puff of air after p.
In spin, there is much less air.
In Urdu, this presence or absence of the puff of air is not just a variation, it can be the only difference between two different consonants, and therefore between two different words.
Key rule:
- Unaspirated consonant: pronounced with little or no extra puff of air.
- Aspirated consonant: pronounced with a noticeable puff of air immediately after the consonant.
- In Urdu, aspirated and unaspirated consonants are different sounds and can create different words and meanings.
How Aspiration Is Written in Urdu
Urdu uses the regular consonant letters plus a special letter ھ (called do chashmi he, literally "two-eyed he") to show aspiration.
- Unaspirated consonant: written with a single consonant letter.
- Aspirated consonant: written as consonant + ھ.
For example:
| Type | Urdu script | Transliteration | Approx. sound idea |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unaspirated | ب | b | like English b in "bat" |
| Aspirated | بھ | bh | b + strong breath of air |
You will see many such pairs. The vowel symbols and letters around them may change, but the core idea is: add ھ to make it aspirated.
Common Aspirated / Unaspirated Pairs
Urdu has several pairs of consonants where one is unaspirated and the other is aspirated.
Below is an overview table. The exact detailed pronunciation of some places of articulation (like retroflex) belongs to other chapters, so here we focus only on the aspiration contrast.
| Unaspirated | Aspirated | Urdu examples (unaspirated) | Urdu examples (aspirated) |
|---|---|---|---|
| ک (k) | کھ (kh) | کر kar (to do) | گھر ghar (house) |
| گ (g) | گھ (gh) | گانا gānā (to sing) | گھڑی ghaṛī (watch, clock) |
| چ (ch) | چھ (chh) | چار chār (four) | چھے chhe (six) |
| ج (j) | جھ (jh) | جا jā (go, imperative) | جھاڑू jhāṛū (broom) |
| ت (t) | تھ (th) | تم tum (you) | تھوڑا thōṛā (a little) |
| ٹ (ṭ) | ٹھ (ṭh) | ٹھنڈا (with unaspirated in other positions) | ٹھیک ṭhīk (fine, OK) |
| د (d) | دھ (dh) | دن din (day) | دھوپ dhūp (sunlight) |
| ڈ (ḍ) | ڑھ (ṛh)\* | ڈبہ ḍabbā (box) | rarely used, more in loans / advanced words |
| پ (p) | پھ (ph) | پانی pānī (water) | پھول phūl (flower) |
| ب (b) | بھ (bh) | بس bas (enough / bus) | بھوک bhūkh (hunger) |
\* ڑھ is relatively rare and often appears in more advanced or borrowed words, so beginners will meet it less frequently.
Notice that aspirated خ and غ are separate consonants, not just ک + ھ or گ + ھ, but at the beginner level you will mostly see aspiration written as consonant + ھ.
How to Feel and Hear Aspiration
Hand test
- Place your open hand 2–3 cm in front of your mouth.
- Say the unaspirated sound and then the aspirated one.
For example, ک / کھ:
- ک: say ka, as in کب kab (when).
- کھ: say kha, as in کھانا khānā (food, to eat).
You should feel much more air on your hand for کھ than for ک.
You can repeat with other pairs:
- p / ph: پانی pānī vs پھول phūl
- t / th: تم tum vs تھا thā (was, masculine)
- b / bh: بابا bābā vs بھابی bhābī (sister in law)
Paper test
- Hold a small piece of paper lightly in front of your lips.
- Say ka, kha, pa, pha, ta, tha.
- The paper should move more strongly for aspirated consonants.
This makes it visual. The paper is your "aspiration detector."
Aspirated vs. Unaspirated in Real Words
Below are minimal or near-minimal pairs that show how aspiration can change meaning. Do not worry if you do not remember all vocabulary now. The aim is to hear and feel the difference.
1. ک / کھ (k / kh)
| Unaspirated | Meaning | Aspirated | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| کر kar | do (imperative) | کھا khā | eat (imperative) |
| کا kā | of (masc. sg.) | کھا khā | eat (same writing but with aspirated) |
| کو ko | to (postposition) | خود khud | self, oneself |
Example sentences:
- یہ کام کر.
ye kām kar.
Do this work. - یہ کھانا کھا.
ye khānā khā.
Eat this food.
The difference between kar and khā is not just the vowel, but also aspiration on the consonant.
2. گ / گھ (g / gh)
| Unaspirated | Meaning | Aspirated | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| گانا gānā | song, to sing | گھر ghar | house, home |
| گم gum | lost | گھوم ghūm | roam, wander |
Example:
- میں گانا گاتا ہوں.
maĩ gānā gātā hū̃.
I sing a song. - میں گھر جاتا ہوں.
maĩ ghar jātā hū̃.
I go home.
Here gānā starts with گ and ghar starts with گھ.
3. چ / چھ (ch / chh)
| Unaspirated | Meaning | Aspirated | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| چار chār | four | چھے chhe | six |
| چاہے chāhe | even if / whether | چھاننا chhānnā | to sift, to filter |
Example:
- میرے پاس چار کتابیں ہیں.
mere pās chār kitābẽ haĩ.
I have four books. - اس کے پاس چھے قلم ہیں.
us ke pās chhe qalam haĩ.
He / she has six pens.
Listen for the stronger puff in چھے compared with چار.
4. ت / تھ (t / th)
| Unaspirated | Meaning | Aspirated | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| تم tum | you (informal) | تھا thā | was (masc.) |
| تک tak | till, up to | تھکنا thaknā | to get tired |
Example:
- تم کہاں ہو؟
tum kahā̃ ho?
Where are you? - وہ تھکا ہوا ہے.
vo thakā huā hai.
He is tired.
In تھکا thakā, there is a strong breath after ت.
5. ٹ / ٹھ (ṭ / ṭh)
These are retroflex sounds, which are explained more fully in the retroflex chapter. Here we only highlight aspiration.
| Unaspirated | Meaning | Aspirated | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| ٹرک ṭrak | truck | ٹھیک ṭhīk | fine, OK |
| ٹوٹا ṭoṭā | broken (masc. sg.) | ٹھہَرنا ṭhairnā | to stay, stop |
Example:
- میں ٹھیک ہوں.
maĩ ṭhīk hū̃.
I am fine. - گلاس ٹوٹا ہے.
gilās ṭūṭā hai.
The glass is broken.
Compare ṭ in ṭūṭā with ṭh in ṭhīk.
6. د / دھ (d / dh)
| Unaspirated | Meaning | Aspirated | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| دن din | day | دھوپ dhūp | sunshine |
| دروازہ darvāza | door | دھاگا dhāgā | thread |
Example:
- آج بہت دھوپ ہے.
āj bahut dhūp hai.
Today it is very sunny. - دن اچھا ہے.
din achchhā hai.
The day is good.
7. پ / پھ (p / ph)
| Unaspirated | Meaning | Aspirated | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| پانی pānī | water | پھول phūl | flower |
| پتہ patta / pata | leaf / address (depends on vowels) | پھل phal | fruit |
Example:
- مجھے پانی دو.
mujhe pānī do.
Give me water. - مجھے پھول پسند ہیں.
mujhe phūl pasand haĩ.
I like flowers.
8. ب / بھ (b / bh)
| Unaspirated | Meaning | Aspirated | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| بس bas | enough, or bus | بھوک bhūkh | hunger |
| بارش bāriş | rain | بھاری bhārī | heavy |
Example:
- بس! کافی ہے.
bas! kāfī hai.
Enough! It is sufficient. - مجھے بہت بھوک لگی ہے.
mujhe bahut bhūkh lagī hai.
I am very hungry.
Again, feel the strong breath in bhūkh.
Aspirated Sounds Written with One Letter
A few Urdu letters are often pronounced with a kind of breathy or aspirated quality but are not written as consonant + ھ. Two common ones are:
- خ usually pronounced near kh (like German "Bach")
- غ usually pronounced with a voiced, throaty sound near gh
At this level, you can think of them as consonants with an inbuilt breath. However, they function as single letters, not as a consonant + ھ pair.
Examples:
| Letter | Word | Transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| خ | خوبصورت | khūbsūrat | beautiful |
| خ | خیریت | khairiyat | well-being |
| غ | غصہ | ghussā | anger |
| غ | غلام | ghulām | servant / slave (historical word) |
Common Difficulties for English Speakers
1. Ignoring aspiration
English speakers often do not clearly distinguish aspirated and unaspirated consonants in Urdu, especially inside words. This can lead to misunderstanding.
For example:
- پتر puttar (son, in Punjabi-influenced speech)
vs - پھتر phattar (stone, dialectal / non-standard)
In standard Urdu, think more simply:
- پانی pānī vs پھول phūl
If you pronounce phūl as pūl, it may sound like a different word or just wrong.
2. Adding aspiration where it does not exist
Sometimes learners add a puff of air even where the script does not show ھ.
For example, بہت bohat "very" has ھ, so expect breath in bh (written بہ, not بھ here but pronounced with a breathy effect).
However, in بس bas there is no aspiration. If you say bhas, it sounds strange.
Practical rule:
- If you see a consonant followed by ھ in Urdu script (like کھ, بھ, پھ), always pronounce it with a strong puff of air.
- If you do not see ھ after the consonant, do not add a strong puff of air.
Simple Practice Exercises
Exercise 1: Listen and repeat (self-practice idea)
Make pairs and repeat aloud:
- کَ, کھَ, کَ, کھَ
ka, kha, ka, kha - پَ, پھَ, پَ, پھَ
pa, pha, pa, pha - تَ, تھَ, تَ, تھَ
ta, tha, ta, tha - بَ, بھَ, بَ, بھَ
ba, bha, ba, bha
Use the hand or paper test to see if the aspirated sounds really have more air.
Exercise 2: Word pairs
Read each pair and try to pronounce them distinctly:
| Pair | Word 1 | Meaning | Word 2 | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | پانی pānī | water | پھول phūl | flower |
| 2 | دن din | day | دھوپ dhūp | sunlight |
| 3 | گانا gānā | song / to sing | گھر ghar | house |
| 4 | تم tum | you | تھا thā | was (masc.) |
| 5 | بس bas | enough / bus | بھاری bhārī | heavy |
| 6 | چار chār | four | چھے chhe | six |
| 7 | ٹرک ṭrak | truck | ٹھیک ṭhīk | fine / OK |
Say each pair several times and focus only on the breath difference.
Summary
- Aspiration is a puff of air after a consonant.
- In Urdu, aspiration is phonemic, which means it can change the meaning of a word.
- Aspirated consonants are usually written as consonant + ھ (for example, کھ, بھ, پھ, گھ, دھ, ٹھ).
- Use your hand or a piece of paper to test if you are really producing a stronger airflow for aspirated consonants.
- Do not add aspiration when there is no ھ, and do not forget it when you see ھ.
Vocabulary from this Chapter
Below is a list of important words that appeared in this chapter. The meanings are kept simple for now.
| Urdu script | Transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| کر | kar | do (imperative) |
| کھانا | khānā | food, to eat |
| گھر | ghar | house, home |
| گانا | gānā | song, to sing |
| گھڑی | ghaṛī | watch, clock |
| چار | chār | four |
| چھے | chhe | six |
| تم | tum | you (informal) |
| تھا | thā | was (masc.) |
| ٹھیک | ṭhīk | fine, OK |
| دن | din | day |
| دھوپ | dhūp | sunshine |
| پانی | pānī | water |
| پھول | phūl | flower |
| بس | bas | enough, or bus |
| بھوک | bhūkh | hunger |
| بارش | bāriş | rain |
| بھاری | bhārī | heavy |
| دروازہ | darvāza | door |
| دھاگا | dhāgā | thread |
| ٹرک | ṭrak | truck |
| ٹوٹا | ṭūṭā | broken (masc. sg.) |
| ٹھہَرنا | ṭhairnā | to stay, to stop |
| خوبصورت | khūbsūrat | beautiful |
| خیریت | khairiyat | well-being |
| غصہ | ghussā | anger |
| غلام | ghulām | servant, slave (historical) |
| چاہے | chāhe | even if, whether |
| چھاننا | chhānnā | to sift, to filter |
| تھوڑا | thōṛā | a little, a bit |
| تھکنا | thaknā | to get tired |
| کہیں / کہاں | kahī̃ / kahā̃ | somewhere / where |
| خود | khud | self, oneself |
Use these words to keep practicing the difference between aspirated and unaspirated consonants whenever you read or speak Urdu.