Urdu (اُردُو) is one of the world's major languages, ranked among the top ten most widely spoken, with approximately 246 million total speakers worldwide. It belongs to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European family and is written in Nastaliq, a flowing calligraphic form of the Perso-Arabic script that is among the most visually distinctive writing systems in the world. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan, and holds official status in India as one of the languages recognized by the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution, with additional official recognition in several Indian states including Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, and both Telugu-speaking states. It occupies a unique place in South Asian culture as the vehicle of a rich poetic, literary, and courtly tradition stretching across many centuries. 

Urdu and Hindi are closely related, so closely that in some contexts it makes sense to speak of them as one language. They share the same grammatical structure and a core vocabulary drawn from Sanskrit and Prakrit, and are mutually intelligible in everyday conversation, sometimes grouped together under the combined designation Hindi-Urdu or Hindustani. The two languages diverge most notably in script—Urdu is written in Nastaliq while Hindi uses Devanagari—and in the sources of their formal and literary vocabularies: Urdu draws heavily on Persian and Arabic, while Hindi draws on Sanskrit. As a result, mutual intelligibility decreases as the level of formality increases, and the two languages have developed distinct literary and cultural identities. 

 
The literary tradition in Urdu is one of the richest in South Asia, with roots going back to the 12th century. The language's earliest major poet, Amir Khosrow (1253–1325), set in motion a poetic tradition of extraordinary sophistication that would later flourish in the ghazals and nazms of Mir Taqi Mir, Mirza Ghalib, and Allama Iqbal. The 20th century produced further giants in Faiz Ahmed Faiz, whose politically charged poetry achieved worldwide renown, and Parveen Shakir, whose lyric voice brought new dimensions to the ghazal form. Urdu prose came into its own in the novels and short stories of writers like Saadat Hasan Manto, Ismat Chughtai, and Qurratulain Hyder, engaging themes of love, loss, political upheaval, and social critique with remarkable power. 

 
Today, Urdu remains a vital language of media, journalism, film, and digital culture across Pakistan and India, and in large diaspora communities in the United Kingdom, the United States, and the Gulf states. It is the language of a thriving tradition of film song and classical music, and continues to produce significant contemporary writing. Urdu's global reach is growing alongside Pakistan's increasing engagement in international affairs, and it is an important language for those pursuing careers in South Asian studies, diplomacy, journalism, and development work in the region.

Urdu at Penn

Penn offers a full sequence of Urdu courses, from beginning through advanced levels, with an emphasis on communicative proficiency alongside engagement with authentic literary and cultural materials. These courses provide students with a structured path to pursue various interests in Urdu: connecting with heritage, professional preparation, research, or the pleasure of accessing one of the world's great literary and cultural traditions in its original language. 

 
At the beginning level, Urdu and Hindi are taught together as a single two-semester sequence, reflecting their shared grammar and core vocabulary. Students choose one script—Nastaliq for Urdu or Devanagari for Hindi—and access all course materials through that script, so there is no expectation of learning both. From the Intermediate level onward, Urdu courses are conducted exclusively in Urdu and the Nastaliq script. Students continue through a two-semester Intermediate Urdu sequence before reaching Advanced Urdu, which surveys literary, journalistic, historical, and contemporary materials and may be taken multiple times for credit as its content varies each semester. 

 
Each Urdu course is designed to provide students with a practical ability to use the language in the real world. By the end of the beginning sequence, students can handle essential everyday tasks and interactions to live and get around in Urdu-speaking environments. After the intermediate sequence, students can hold extended conversations with native speakers and access factual written sources and Urdu entertainment media with confidence. Advanced Urdu prepares students to engage with Urdu literature, participate in the full range of social situations with native speakers, and function in professional settings where Urdu is the primary language.