Essential Urdu Phrases, Words and Numbers You Need to Know for Traveling Pakistan

AsiaPakistan

Jun 18

Last updated on: 10 June 2022

Planning on traveling to Pakistan? Read our guide filled with essential Urdu phrases, words and numbers you need to know for traveling Pakistan!

The national language of Pakistan is Urdu, which is one of the two official languages in Pakistan with English being the other official language. In addition to these official languages it is reported that there are 70+ other languages spoken within the country including Punjabi, Pashto, Sindhi and many others. During our travels we found that English was widely spoken, and if someone did not know any English that there would be someone in the vicinity who did and would be able to help. However, it does not hurt to know a bit of Urdu, keep on reading to find out the 20 essential phrases and words you need to know for traveling Pakistan!

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Languages in Pakistan

As mentioned above Pakistan knows two official languages: Urdu and English. Here are some things you might like to know about Urdu:

Urdu has a lot of similarities and similar words to Hindi, however it is written in Arabic script and influenced by the Arabic and Persian language
Urdu is written and read from right to left
Urdu is the national language of Pakistan
According to Wikipedia 30 Million people in Pakistan speak it as their native language, 94 million people in Pakistan speak it as their second language

And while Urdu and English are the official languages of Pakistan, over 70 other languages are spoken in Pakistan with 4 languages having more native speakers then Urdu:

Punjabi - Punjabi is spoken by almost 39% of the population as their first language and is mainly spoken in the Punjab Province.
Pashto - Pashto is spoken by 18% of the population as their first language and is mainly spoken in KPK and Northern Balochistan
Sindhi - Sindhi is spoken by 15% of the population as their first language and is mainly spoken in the Sindh Province
Saraiki - Saraiki is spoken by 12% of the population as their first language and is mainly spoken in Southern Punjab Province

While Urdu is not the biggest language spoken natively, it is the language that is taught in school and the lingua franca of Pakistan. Keep on reading to find our which useful Urdu phrases, sentences and numbers can help you to prepare for your trip to Pakistan!

Useful Urdu Travel Phrases & Words for Traveling Pakistan

basic urdu phrases & sentences

Greetings
“As-salamu alaikum” - Used as a greeting, literally meaning “may peace be upon you”
“Wa Alaikum Assalam: - Used as a response to the former greeting, literally meaning “and unto you peace”
How are you?
For men: Aap kaise hain? And for women: Aap kaisi hain?
I’m fine, thank you
Mai theek hoon, shukriya
What is your name?
Aap ka nam kia hai?
My name is …
Mera naam … hai
Nice to meet you
Aap say mil kar khushi huee
How much is this?
Yeh kitna paisa hai?
Where are you from?
Aap kaha say hai?
Do you speak English?
Aap Angrezi/English boltay hain?
Where is the …?
… kahan hai?

Basic Urdu Words

Please
Bara e Meharbani
Thank you
Shukriya
Yes
Ji, Haan or Ji Haan
No
Nahin
Okay
Theek hai
Tasty
Mazedar
Goodbye
Khuda hafiz or Allah hafiz
Help
Madad
Good
Accha
Sorry
Mazrat

Numbers in Urdu for Traveling Pakistan

20
Bees
30
Tees
40
Chalees
50
Pachaas
60
Saath
70
Sattar
80
Aassi
90
Naway
100
Aik sou
1000
Aik Hazaar

1
Aik
2
Dou (like dough without the gh)
3
Teen
4
Char
5
Paanch
6
Che
7
Saat
8
Aath
9
Nou
10
Dass

You can combine these numbers for different number combinations, for example:

250
Urdu: Dou - Sou - Pachaas
English: Two - Hundred - Fifty
400
Urdu: Char - Sou
English: Four - Hundred
820
Urdu: Aath - Sou - Bees
English: Eight - Hundred - Twenty
2000
Urdu: Dou - Hazaar
English: Two - Thousand
4550
Urdu: Char - Hazaar - Paanch - Sou - Pachaas
English: Four - Thousand - Five - Hundred - Fifty

EXPLORE Pakistan WITH OUR TRAVEL GUIDES

And there you have it, the 20 essential Urdu words and phrases you need for traveling Pakistan. Any words or phrases that we should know and have forgotten? Be sure to share it in the comment section down below! Oh, and before you go don’t forget to check out some of our other travel guides filled with tips and tricks on traveling Pakistan:

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