Urdu is written in a modified Perso-Arabic script, typically in the elegant Nastaliq calligraphic style, read right-to-left — a defining visual feature distinguishing it from Hindi (written in Devanagari, left-to-right) despite their shared grammatical core.

Urdu's phonology includes sounds inherited from Persian/Arabic (like ख़ /x/, ग़ /ɣ/, ज़ /z/) alongside the native Indic retroflex consonants (ट, ड, ण) shared with Hindi.

• ›The script does not mark short vowels explicitly in regular writing, requiring familiarity with vocabulary to read correctly
• ›Mastering Nastaliq's flowing, connected letterforms is itself a distinct calligraphic skill, valued aesthetically in Urdu literary culture