Numbers and Counting in Urdu

Overview

Learning numbers in Urdu is a CEFR A1 essential that opens the door to telling time, shopping, giving addresses, and discussing quantities. Urdu uses both Eastern Arabic numerals (۰ ۱ ۲ ۳) and Western Arabic numerals (0 1 2 3), with the Eastern form more common in traditional and formal Urdu text.

Urdu numbers from 1 to 100 are largely unique individual words rather than systematic combinations. This makes the first 100 numbers more challenging to memorize compared to languages with more regular counting systems. Beyond 100, numbers become compositional.

The number system is shared with Hindi, and the spoken forms are essentially identical. The only difference is the script used to write them.

How It Works

Numbers 1-10

Number	Urdu	Transliteration
1	ایک	ek
2	دو	do
3	تین	tīn
4	چار	chār
5	پانچ	pāṅch
6	چھ	chhe
7	سات	sāt
8	آٹھ	āṭh
9	نو	nau
10	دس	das

Numbers 11-20

Number	Urdu	Transliteration
11	گیارہ	gyārah
12	بارہ	bārah
13	تیرہ	tērah
14	چودہ	chaudah
15	پندرہ	pandrah
16	سولہ	solah
17	سترہ	satrah
18	اٹھارہ	aṭhārah
19	انیس	unnīs
20	بیس	bīs

Tens

Number	Urdu	Transliteration
20	بیس	bīs
30	تیس	tīs
40	چالیس	chālīs
50	پچاس	pachās
60	ساٹھ	sāṭh
70	ستر	sattar
80	اسّی	assī
90	نوے	navve
100	سو	sau

Eastern Arabic vs Western Numerals

Western	Eastern	Urdu Word
0	۰	صفر
1	۱	ایک
5	۵	پانچ
10	۱۰	دس

Examples in Context

Urdu	Transliteration	English	Note
ایک دو تین چار پانچ	ek do tīn chār pāṅch	1, 2, 3, 4, 5	Basic counting
چھ سات آٹھ نو دس	chhe sāt āṭh nau das	6, 7, 8, 9, 10	Completing first ten
بیس بائیس تیس	bīs bāīs tīs	20, 22, 30	Note irregular بائیس
پچاس ساٹھ ستر اسّی نوے سو	pachās sāṭh sattar assī navve sau	50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100	Tens
میرے پاس تین کتابیں ہیں۔	mere pās tīn kitābeṅ haiṅ	I have three books.	Number + plural noun
دو سو پچاس	do sau pachās	250	Compound number
ایک ہزار	ek hazār	1,000	Thousand
ایک لاکھ	ek lākh	100,000	South Asian unit
ایک کروڑ	ek karoṛ	10,000,000	South Asian unit

Common Mistakes

Trying to Construct Numbers Logically

• Wrong: Assuming 22 is "بیس دو" (twenty-two by combining tens + ones)
• Right: 22 is بائیس bāīs — a unique word
• Why: Numbers up to 100 are largely individual words in Urdu, not regular combinations.

Forgetting the South Asian Numbering System

• Wrong: Using "million" and "billion" exclusively
• Right: Using لاکھ (100,000) and کروڑ (10,000,000) in Urdu contexts
• Why: South Asian numbering groups digits differently: 1,00,000 (ایک لاکھ) rather than 100,000.

Not Using Plural After Numbers Greater Than One

• Wrong: تین کتاب
• Right: تین کتابیں (three books, plural)
• Why: Nouns following numbers greater than one take the plural form.

Usage Notes

In everyday Pakistani life, English numbers are frequently used alongside Urdu numbers, especially in business and technology contexts. However, knowing Urdu numbers is essential for bazaar shopping, reading Urdu newspapers, and formal contexts.

The number ایک also functions as the indefinite article ("a/an") in Urdu: ایک لڑکا (a boy). Context distinguishes "one" from "a."

Practice Tips

• Memorize numbers 1-20 first, as these are the most irregular and frequent.
• Practice the tens (20, 30, 40...) separately, then fill in the in-between numbers.
• Use numbers in daily activities: count objects, tell prices, read phone numbers in Urdu.

Related Concepts

• Next steps: Time and Day Expressions — Numbers are needed for telling time
• Next steps: Shopping and Money — Numbers in commercial contexts