Vocabulary

'alif (long)
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aab: P n.m. water
aab: P n.f. splendor/elegance/polish/brightness/
temper(steel)/lustre(gems)/sharpness(sword)
aab-e-aa'inah: n.f. polish of a mirror
aab-e-talkh: n.m. bitter water/tears/wine
aab-e-chashm: n.m. tears
aabaad: P adj. populated/inhabited/peopled/prosperous/happy
aabru: P n.f. honor/fame/good name/dignity
aap: H pron. self/selves/respectful term of address
aatish: P n.f. fire
aatmaa: S n.f. soul/spirit/mind
aasim: A n.m. sinner/culprit
aakhir: A adj. last/final
aadaab: A n.m. manners (plu. of adab)
aadmi: P n.m. man (lit. offspring of Adam)
aadmiyyat: A n.f. humanity/human nature/civility
aaraa: P adj. embellishing/adorning
aaraam: P n.m. rest/repose/respite/relief/ease/comfort
aara'ish P n.f. decoration/adornment/beauty
aarzoo: P n.f. yearning/desire/wish/longing
aaz: P n.f. ardent desire/lust/covetousness
aazaad: P n.f. free/unrestrained
aazardah: P adj. annoyed/dejected/uneasy/gloomy/sad
aazmaa'ish: P n.f. trial/experiment/testing/proving
aas: H n.f. longing/desire/hope/faith/shelter/refuge
aasaan: P adj. light/facile/easy
aasraa: H n.m. means of subsistence/protection/shelter
aasmaan: P n.m. heaven/sky
aasmaani: P adj. heavenly/celestial/azure
aasoodah: P adj. opulent/rich/satisfied
aashaa: S n.f. desire/hope/longing
aashuftah: P adj. perplexed/careworn/distracted/confused
aashnaa: P n.m. aquaintance/friend/lover
aashiyaan.: P n.m. nest/house
aakhaaz: P n.m. commencement/outset/beginning
aaghosh: P n.f/m. embrace/lap/bosom
aafaat: A n.f. evils/disasters/misfortunes (plu. of aafat)
aaftaab: P n.m. sun
aag: H n.f. flame/fire (fig. anger/passion/love/lust)
aalaap: H n.f. conversation/preparatory tuning
aan.ch: H n.f. flame/warmth/fervor/loss/grief
aan.chal: H n.m. corner of the 'dopaTTa' worn by women
aan.dhee: H n.f. dust-storm/hurricane
aan.soo: H n.m. tears
aawaarah: P adj. without home
aawaarah: P n.m. wanderer/vagrant/destitute
aawaaz: P n.f. noise/sound/cry/shout
aawaazah: P n.m. rumor/fame/report/reputation
aah: P n.f. sigh
aahistah: P adv. softly/leisurely/slowly
aa'inah: P n.m. mirror
aayandah: P adj. hereafter/in the future


'alif (short)
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ab: H adv. now/presently
ubaal: H n.m. boiling/rage/anger
ibtidaa': A n.f. commencement/beginning
abtar: P adj. ruined/scattered/worthless
ibtisaam: A n.m. smile/cheerfulness
ibtilaa: A n.m. trial/misfortune/suffering
abad: A n.f. eternity
abr: P n.m. cloud
abroo: P n.m. eyebrow
absaar: A n.m. eyes (plu. of basr)
ibn: A n.m. son
abnaa': A n.m. sons (plu. of ibn)
ittiHaad: A n.m. union/alliance
ittifaaq: A n.m. agreement/concord/chance/event/opportunity
ittifaaqaan: A adv. accidentally
ittikaa': A n.m. dependence/reliance
itlaaf: A n.m. loss/ruin/decay
itmaam: A n.m. completion/perfection
ittihaam: A n.m. charge/imputation/blame
aTak: H n.f. obstacle/obstruction
isbaat: A n.m. proof
asar: A n.m. mark/sign/trace/effect
ujaaR: H adj. ruined/waste/abandoned
ijaazat: A n.f. permission/leave/sanction
ajnabee: A n.m. stranger/foreigner/alien
iHtiyaaj: A n.f. need
iHtiyaat: A n.f. caution/heed
aHzaan: A n.m. sorrows (plu. of huzn)
iHsaas: A n.m. feeling/emotion
iHsaan: A n.m. beneficence/favor/good deed
akhbaar: A n.m. news/newspaper
ikhtiyaar: A n.m. choice/option/power/influence/control/authority
akhz: A n.m. grasping/seizing/taking
ikhlaas: A n.m. sincerity/purity/love/selfless worship
adaa: A n.f. payment of debt/settlement
adaa: P n.f. charm/grace/beauty
idraak: A n.m. perception/comprehension
adib: A n.m. learned, man of letters (plu. udabaa')
iraadah: A n.m. aim/object/will/desire
arjmand: P adj. exalted
urdoo: T n.f. army/camp
irshaad: A n.m. instruction/order/command/guidance
arz: A n.f. land/region/earth
armaan: P n.m. desire/yearning/wish
azal: A n.f. eternity/without beginning
asaas: A n.f. foundation
asbaab: A n.m. causes/motives/means
ustaad: P n.m. master/professor
isti'faa: A n.m. resignation
isti'maal: A n.m. application/usage/use
asad: A n.m. lion
asraar: A n.m. secrets (plu. of sirr)
israaf: A n.m. waste/extravagance
asfaar: A n.m. voyages/travels (plu. of safar)
asqaam: A n.m. evils/weaknesses/defects (plu. of suqm)
asir: A n.m. prisoner/captive
ishaarah: P n.m. gesture/symbol/wink/sign
ishtihaar: A n.m. notification/poster/reputation/renown
ishtiyaaq: A n.m. longing/craving/desire
ishraaq: A n.m. dawn/day break/lustre
ashfaaq: A n.m. favors (plu. of shafaq)
ishfaaq: A n.m. compassion/kindness
ashqiyaa': A n.m. cruel/heartless (plu. of shaqi)
ashk: P n.m. tearS
as-haab: A n.m. lords/masters (plu. of saahib)
israar: A n.m. obduracy/persistence/obstinacy
asl: A n.m. root/foundation/essence (plu. usool)
asli: A adj. original/genuine/real/true
iztiraab: A n.m. restlessness/perturbation/anxiety
iztiraar: A n.m. helplessness/agitation/constraint
atfaal: A n.m. children/offspring (plu. of tifl)
iz-haar: A n.m. disclosure/proclamation/statement/testimony
i'tibaar: A n.m. trust/confidence/faith/reliance
i'tiraaz: A n.m. objection/criticism/protest
i'jaaz: A n.m. miracle/marvel/wonder
i'laam: A n.m announcing/notifying
aghlaat: A n.f. mistakes (plu. of ghalat)
aghyaar: A n.m. strangers/rivals (plu. of ghair)
uftaad: P n.f. misery/distress/mishap/foundation
iftikhaar: A n.m. honor/glory/repute/distinction
ifraat: A n.f. excess/exuberance/plenty
afsaanah: P n.m. tale/legend/fiction
afsurdah: P adj. melancholy/depressed
afsos: P n.m. regret/remorse/dejection
ufaq: A n.m. horizon
iqbaal: A n.m. prosperity/good fortune/success/confession
iqraar: A n.m. promise/pledge/confession/declaration/covenant
iqtizaa': A n.m. requirement/need/demand
akbar: A adj. greatest (sup. of kabir)
aksar: A adj. most/much/many/frequent
aksar: A adv. frequently/usually/generally/often
agar: P conj. if/in case
al: A art. the
iltifaat: A n.m. regard/kindness/favor/friendship
alfaaz: A n.m. words (plu. of lafz)
amaanat: A n.f. something given in trust/deposit/security
imtiHaan: A n.m. examination/test/trial/proof/experiment
imtiyaaz: A n.m. discrimination/discernment/distinction
ummid: P n.f. hope/expectation/trust
intikhaab: A n.m. selection/choice/election
intizaar: A n.m. waiting (anxiously)/expectation
intizaam: A n.m. management/order/method/arrangement
intiqaam: A n.m. revenge/reprisal
anjaam: A n.m. end/conclusion/result/issue
anjuman: P n.f. assembly/meeting/society/council
andaazah: P n.m. measurement/guess/rough estimate
an.dar: P prep. within/inside/inward
insaan: A n.m. man/human being/mankind
insaaniyyat: A n.m. humanity/civility
in'aam: A n.m. gift/reward/largesse
inqilaab: A n.m. revolution
inkaar: A n.m. denial/contradiction
auqaat: A n.m. times (plu. of waqt)
auqaat: A n.f. status/position
awwaal: A adj. first/excellent/best
aulaad: A n.f. children (plu. of walad)
imaan: A n.m. belief/faith/creed/conscience

Abbreviations

Grammatical Word Origin
----------- -----------
n.f. : noun feminine P : Persian
n.m. : noun masculine A : Arabic
pron. : pronoun T : Turkish
adj. : adjective H : Hindi
v. : verb S : Sanskrit
adv. : adverb G : Greek
conj. : conjunction
intj. : interjection
prep. : preposition
suff. : suffix
pref. : prefix
fig. : figurative
plu. : plural
lit. : literal
poet. : poetic

Alphabet

Vowel Pronunciation Key
-----------------------
a : "u" in "but"
aa : "a" in "far"
e : "e" in "bed"
i : "i" in "fit"
ee : "ee" in "feet"
o : "o" in "code"
u : "u" in "put"
oo : "oo" in "booed"
au : "ow" in "how"
ai : "ei" in "neighbor"

Notes: 1. ' indicates a glottal stop (pronounced like "uh") in very careful
----- speech. Normally, however, it is not pronounced at the beginning
of a word and in other positions it represents 'aa'.
2. The combination 'ah' at the end of a word is pronounced like 'aa'
or 'e'. For example: 'jagah' could be 'jagaa' or 'jage', i.e., the
h is silent.
3. The combination 'ah' or 'aH' in the middle of a word is pronounced
like 'e'.
4. n. (n period) indicates nasalization.
5. a - is used to distinguish between sh and s+h, kh and k+h, etc.


Letter Transcription Remarks
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'alif : a Could also stand for an unspecified initial vowel
be : b
pe : p Does not occur in Arabic
te : t Used in native words
Te : T Does not occur in Arabic and Persian
se : s Used in loan words
jeem : j
che : ch Does not occur in Arabic
baRi he : H Used in loan words
khe : kh
daal : d
Daal : D Does not occur in Arabic and Persian
zaal : z Used in loan words
re : r
Re : R Does not occur in Arabic and Persian
ze : z Used in native words
zhe : zh Does not occur in Arabic
seen : s
sheen : sh
saad : s Used in loan words
zaad : z Used in loan words
to-e : t Used in loan words
zo-e : z Used in loan words
ain : ' Could also stand for an unspecified initial vowel
ghain : gh
fe : f
qaaf : q
kaaf : k
gaaf : g Does not occur in Arabic
laam : l
meem : m
noon : n
vaa-o : w Stands for oo/o/au at the end of a word. In the
middle it could stand for w/oo/o/au
chhoTi he: h Used in native words
chhoTi ye: y Stand for ee/e/ai at the end of a word. In the
middle it could stand for y/ee/e/ai
baRi ye : y Occurs only at the end of a word and stands for
e or ai