Raising bilingual kids
Urdu for toddlers: 20 first words and how to teach them
Twenty first Urdu words for toddlers and preschoolers, with pictures and audio, and simple ways to teach them at home: name things in routines, wait for your child to ask, and keep it short and warm.
The best first Urdu words for a toddler are the ones they can use every day: family names, food and drink, yes and no, and a few action words like aao (come) and khao (eat). Toddlers learn them from hearing them in everyday routines, not from lessons, so start with the moments you already share.
People
- امیAmmiMomHear it in the app
- ابوAbuDadHear it in the app
These come first because a toddler hears them all day and gets an instant reward for saying them: someone turns around and smiles.
Food and drink
- روٹیRotiBread (roti)Hear it in the app
- کیلاKelaBananaHear it in the app
Yes, no and please
- ہاںHaanYesHear it in the app
- نہیںNahinNoHear it in the app
Action words
- بیٹھوBaithoSitHear it in the app
- کھاؤKhaoEatHear it in the app
- پیوPiyoDrinkHear it in the app
- دیکھوDekhoLookHear it in the app
- سو جاؤSo jaoGo to sleepHear it in the app
Action words work well with toddlers because they come with a movement: aao with open arms, baitho as you pat the floor, dekho as you point.
How to teach them
Name things in routines. Say the Urdu word every time the thing appears: paani at every drink, doodh at every bottle or cup, so jao at every bedtime. Repetition in context is how toddlers learn any word.
Wait before you help. When your toddler reaches for the cup, pause for a moment and look at them. That pause gives them a reason to say paani. If they don’t, say it for them and hand it over; no pressure.
Echo, don’t correct. If they say “water”, say “Paani! Here’s your paani” and give it to them. Hearing the word again, warmly, works better than “No, say it in Urdu”.
Keep it short. A few minutes of play is plenty. Stop while it’s still fun.
Make it theirs. Point at real things and real people. Nani means more on a video call with Nani than on a flashcard.
Using an app with a toddler
If you use an app, choose one built for this age: no reading, very few choices on screen, and the child speaking rather than just tapping. Bulbul, the iPhone and iPad app we make, was designed around a four-year-old tester. For 3–5-year-olds it shows at most two picture choices, needs no reading, and opens the microphone by itself after “Ab tum bolo” (now you say it), so little ones can simply talk. It never tells a child they were wrong. Lessons take about five minutes, and each one ends with an idea to try together at home.
You can try a few of these words with audio here; the rest are in the app.
Questions parents ask
What age can a child start learning Urdu?
From birth. Toddlers learn Urdu the same way they learn English: by hearing it often in everyday moments and being invited to use it. There's no need to wait until they can read.
What Urdu words should a toddler learn first?
Words they can use every day: Ammi, Abu, Nani, Dadi, paani (water), doodh (milk), roti, haan (yes), nahin (no), aao (come) and khao (eat).
My toddler mixes Urdu and English. Is that a problem?
Mixing is a normal part of growing up with two languages. Keep speaking Urdu and repeating the Urdu word warmly. If you have any concerns about your child's speech development, talk to your doctor or a speech and language therapist.
