Persian and Urdu facts for kids

Urdu is a very important language spoken in Pakistan and India. It's known for its beautiful sound and rich history. Many languages in the Greater Middle East, Central Asia, and South Asia were shaped by the Persian language, and Urdu is one of them.

What is Urdu?

Urdu is a language that grew from different cultures meeting. It's mainly spoken in Pakistan and India, but you can find Urdu speakers all over the world. It has a unique sound because it mixes words and grammar from several languages.

How Urdu Began

Urdu started to form a long time ago, around the 11th century. This was after Mahmud of Ghazni, a ruler from a place called Ghazni, conquered parts of South Asia. His army spoke languages like Persian and Turkic. When these soldiers met the local people, they started to mix their languages with local dialects.

This new language was first called Zaban-e-Ordu, which means 'language of the army'. It was also the language used in the royal courts. Later, people just called it Urdu. Locals sometimes called it Lashkari or Lashkari Zaban. It grew from the daily talks between soldiers and the people living there.

Persian's Big Influence

The Persian language had a huge impact on Urdu. Because of this influence, Urdu adopted the Persian alphabet for writing. It also took on a special cursive writing style called Nasta'liq. New letters were added to this script to make sure it could write all the sounds of the local Indic languages. Even the national anthem of Pakistan has a lot of Persian words!

Urdu also got many literary styles and special words from Persian. For example, some grammar rules from Persian, like ezāfe, became part of Urdu. Writers also used a special pen name called takhallus, just like in Persian poetry.

Urdu: An Indo-Aryan Language

Even with all the Persian influence, Urdu is not an Iranian language like Persian. Instead, it belongs to the Indo-Aryan language family. This family includes other languages like Punjabi, Gujarati, and Sindhi.

Urdu quickly became famous in literature and culture. This was because it was a mix of different languages and traditions. Many types of Persian poetry, like Ghazal, Qasida, Marsia, and Nazms, became popular in Urdu literature. This created a special blend of Iranian and South Asian cultures.

Famous Writers and Literature

One very famous writer who helped mix these cultures was Amir Khusro. He wrote poems in both Persian and Urdu. Even today, his poems are read and loved across South Asia. His work shows how beautifully Persian and local traditions came together in Urdu.