Writing
Urdu is written in “cursive” form: the letters within a word are connected to each other (with a few exceptions).
A letter may take different shapes depending on its position within a word, and in order to facilitate connections with its neighbors.
Most letters of the Urdu alphabet have four possible shapes:
- Detached: when written alone (non-connected)
- Initial: e.g. the first letter in a word (left-connected)
- Medial: e.g. in the middle of a word (both-connected)
- Final: e.g. at the end of a word (right-connected)
| Final | Medial | Initial | Detached |
|---|---|---|---|
| ٮج | ج | ج | ج |
Most letters have a recognizable “core” that is common to all of the letter’s possible shapes. Some letters, however, have no “core” and occur in forms that seem to have no relation to each other.
In the Tutorial, you will learn the different possible shapes of each letter and how to connect each letter to its neighbors.