Urdu numbers 1 to 10 for kids (with audio)

Counting to ten in Urdu goes aik, do, teen, chaar, paanch, chhe, saat, aath, nau, das. Cards with a play button have Bulbul’s narration; the rest you can hear in the app. Then count something real together.

One to ten

• ایکAikOne
• دوDoTwoHear it in the app
• تینTeenThreeHear it in the app
• چارChaarFourHear it in the app
• پانچPaanchFiveHear it in the app
• چھChheSixHear it in the app
• ساتSaatSevenHear it in the app
• آٹھAathEightHear it in the app
• نوNauNineHear it in the app
• دسDasTenHear it in the app

Roman Urdu has no fixed spelling, so you’ll see ek and aik, char and chaar, chay and chhe. They’re the same words. Follow the sound, not the spelling.

The tricky sounds

• Paanch (5) has a slightly nasal “aa”, said a little through the nose.
• Chhe (6) starts with a puffed ch, and aath (8) ends with a puffed t. Hold a hand in front of your mouth: you should feel the puff of air.
• Do (2) rhymes with “go”, not with the English word “do”.

Young children don’t need to get these exactly right. Hearing them often and saying them out loud is what matters; the sounds settle with time.

Eleven to twenty

Bulbul’s lessons cover one to ten. For older children ready for more, these are the next ten (no audio yet):

Unlike English, Urdu numbers up to a hundred each have their own word rather than a simple pattern, which is why most families teach them a few at a time.

Counting games for home

1. Stairs. Count every step out loud on the way up to bed: aik, do, teen…
2. Snack count. Put a few grapes on a plate. Your child counts them in Urdu before eating. Then ask Mujhe angoor chahiye مجھے انگور چاہیے (I want grapes) for more.
3. Hide and count. One person counts to das with eyes closed while the other hides.
4. Fingers. Hold up fingers and let your child say the number. Then swap.

Where these come from

The numbers come from Bulbul, the iPhone and iPad app we make to help children speak Urdu. In the app, children hear each number, find it in a picture and say it out loud. Try a few with audio on our Urdu words page.