Nouns (اسم)

In Urdu, nouns — called ism (اسم) — are the words that name people, places, things, or ideas. Like English, they can be singular or plural, concrete or abstract, proper or common. Unlike English, however, Urdu nouns carry grammatical gender, number, and case, which affect how they interact with adjectives, verbs, and postpositions.

Gender (مذکر / مونث)

Every Urdu noun is either masculine (مذکر) or feminine (مونث). Gender is one of the most important grammatical features in Urdu because verbs and adjectives must agree with it.

Common Gender Patterns

Masculine nouns often end in ـا (ā), while feminine nouns often end in ـی (ī) or a consonant sound like ـہ (a).

Masculine	Feminine
لڑکا (boy)	لڑکی (girl)
کمرہ (room)	کرسی (chair)
استاد (teacher)	کتاب (book)
آدمی (man)	عورت (woman)

However, not all nouns follow these endings. Some Arabic or Persian loanwords have fixed gender that must be memorized.

Tip: Always learn new Urdu nouns with their gender. For example, memorize "کتاب (fem.)" instead of just "کتاب".

Number (واحد / جمع)

Urdu nouns change form to mark singular (واحد) and plural (جمع). Plural formation depends on the noun's gender and ending.

Masculine Nouns Ending in ـا (ā)

Form	Urdu	Transliteration	English
Singular	لڑکا	laṛkā	boy
Plural (direct)	لڑکے	laṛke	boys
Oblique singular	لڑکے	laṛke	(for the boy)
Oblique plural	لڑکوں	laṛkoṅ	(for the boys)

Plural is formed by replacing ـا (ā) with ـے (e). The oblique plural adds ـوں (oṅ).

Feminine Nouns Ending in ـی (ī)

Form	Urdu	Transliteration	English
Singular	لڑکی	laṛkī	girl
Plural (direct)	لڑکیاں	laṛkiyān	girls
Oblique plural	لڑکیوں	laṛkiyoṅ	(for the girls)

Feminine nouns ending in ـی (ī) take ـیاں (iyān) in the plural, and ـیوں (iyoṅ) in the oblique plural.

Feminine Nouns Ending in a Consonant

Singular	Plural	Example
کتاب (kitāb)	کتابیں (kitābeṅ)	books
رات (rāt)	راتیں (rāteṅ)	nights

The oblique plural changes ـیں (eṅ) to ـوں (oṅ) when followed by a postposition:
کتابوں پر (on the books).

Case (حال / حالت)

Urdu has three grammatical cases: direct, oblique, and vocative.

Direct Case

Used when the noun stands alone as subject or object, without a postposition.

لڑکا آیا۔
Laṛkā āyā.
The boy came.

Oblique Case

Used before postpositions like کو, میں, پر, سے.

Sentence	Translation
میں لڑکے کو جانتا ہوں۔	I know the boy.
وہ لڑکیوں کے ساتھ گئی۔	She went with the girls.

Notice how لڑکے and لڑکیوں are in the oblique form before postpositions.

Vocative Case

Used when addressing someone directly.
It's rare in modern Urdu except in fixed expressions.

اے دوست! — O friend!
اے خدا! — O God!

Proper, Common, and Abstract Nouns

Type	Definition	Examples
Proper (عَلَم)	Names of specific people or places	احمد (Ahmad), لاہور (Lahore), پاکستان (Pakistan)
Common (اسمِ جنس)	General names	کتاب (book), کمرہ (room), شہر (city)
Abstract (اسمِ معنی)	Ideas or qualities	خوشی (happiness), محبت (love), آزادی (freedom)

Collective nouns (اسمِ مجموعہ) like عوام (public) or لوگ (people) refer to groups but act grammatically as singular.

Compound and Derived Nouns

Urdu frequently creates nouns through compounding, especially from Persian and Arabic roots.

Compound Examples

Compound	Meaning
بادشاہ	king
بادشاہت	kingship
علم	knowledge
علمِ نحو	grammar ("knowledge of syntax")
دفترِ تعلیم	department of education

The linking particle ـِ (e) is called izāfat and shows possession or relation, similar to "of" in English.

Arabic and Persian Plurals

Many Urdu words of Arabic or Persian origin use non-native plural patterns, especially in formal writing.

Compound Examples

Singular	Plural	Meaning
لفظ (lafz)	الفاظ (alfāz)	word(s)
مسئلہ (masʾala)	مسائل (masāʾil)	issue(s)
استاد (ustād)	اساتذہ (asātiza)	teacher(s)

These plurals behave grammatically like regular Urdu nouns:
الفاظ پر (on the words), مسائل سے (from the issues).

Countable and Uncountable Nouns

Countable nouns can take numbers or plural forms.
Uncountable nouns refer to substances or abstract concepts and don't usually pluralize.

Countable	Uncountable
کتاب (book)	پانی (water)
کرسی (chair)	دودھ (milk)
دوست (friend)	خوشی (happiness)

You quantify uncountables with measure words:
ایک گلاس پانی (a glass of water), تھوڑا سا دودھ (a little milk).

Definiteness and Indefiniteness

Urdu lacks articles like "the" and "a/an." Context and other words express definiteness.

Function	Example	Translation
Indefinite	ایک کتاب میز پر ہے۔	There is a book on the table.
Definite	کتاب میز پر ہے۔	The book is on the table.
Specific	وہ کتاب اچھی ہے۔	That book is good.

The numeral ایک (ek) works as "a/an," while یہ (yeh) and وہ (woh) act like "this/that" or "the."

Postpositions and Oblique Nouns

Because Urdu uses postpositions instead of prepositions, nouns must change to the oblique form before them.

Postposition	Meaning	Example	Translation
کو	to / for	لڑکے کو	to the boy
میں	in	لاہور میں	in Lahore
سے	from / with / by	قلم سے	with a pen
پر	on	میز پر	on the table
تک	up to	گھر تک	up to the house
کے ساتھ	with	دوست کے ساتھ	with a friend

Example:
میں اسکول کو جا رہا ہوں۔ — I am going to school.
وہ کتابوں پر لکھ رہا ہے۔ — He is writing on the books.

Honorifics and Kinship Nouns

Certain nouns reflect respect or familiarity, especially kinship terms and titles. These often have fixed gender.

Masculine	Feminine	Translation
بھائی	بہن	brother / sister
چاچا	چاچی	uncle / aunt
بیٹا	بیٹی	son / daughter
دوست	—	friend (gender-neutral)

Honorific nouns like صاحب (sir), بیگم (madam), or حضرت (respected) convey politeness

احمد صاحب آئے۔ — Mr. Ahmad came.
بیگم صاحبہ گھر پر ہیں۔ — Madam is at home.

Summary

Feature	Key Points
Gender	Masculine (مذکر) or Feminine (مونث); affects adjectives and verbs
Number	Singular and plural endings differ by gender
Case	Nouns shift to oblique form before postpositions
Origin	Native, Arabic, Persian, or compound forms
Articles	None — context and demonstratives show definiteness