THERE are, presumably, 2,600 words that are common in Urdu and the Turkish language, as listed in Purdil Khatak’s book Urdu Aur Turki Ke Mushtarak Alfaaz (Islamabad, 1987). But many of these words are originally either Persian or Arabic and borrowed by the Turkish language as well as Urdu. Hence, calling all of them common words in Urdu and Turkish would not be correct technically.

Still, there are a large number of purely Turkish-origin words that have found their way into Urdu and are in use in Urdu since long. Interestingly, some Turkish words were borrowed by Persian and they might have been absorbed in Urdu either directly or via Persian.

Here is a brief list of purely Turkish words used in Urdu, with almost the same or slightly altered meanings. Though the actual pronunciation of many words in Turkish may vary, we have listed these Turkish words here on the basis of their Urdu pronunciation. The information given here is derived from a few dictionaries and three separate articles by Dr Muhammad Sabir, Dr Sheikh Inayatullah and Dr Arkan Turkmen.aapa: a sister, elder sister. Aibak: a chieftain; an idol; beloved; name of a tribe. agha: a gentleman; master, owner; elder brother. alghaaron: too much, in excess (now rarely used in Urdu). ana/anna: a woman employed to suckle someone else’s baby, a wet nurse. armaghaan/armughaan: a gift; something rare. ataaleeq: a teacher; master. baaji: elder sister, an elderly woman. baaverchi: (literally) someone with a good liver; a cook, chef. bahadur: a brave man, courageous, title given to government officials. Baig: a prince; master; a title given to Mughals. Barlaas: a horseman, name of a tribe. begam (in Turkish: begum): a noble woman, a lady. bulaaq: a nasal ring, a nasal ornament. buqcha: something wrapped in a piece of cloth, a bundle. chaaq: healthy, active, strong. chaaqoo: a knife. chamcha: a spoon or ladle. chapqalish: (literally) a sword; turmoil, disorder; rift. chaqmaaq: a piece of flint used to ignite a fire. chechak: smallpox, a disease. chiq: a screen or curtain, especially one made of reeds. chuqandar: red beet, beetroot. daagh: A spot, stain; wound. dada: grandfather. elchi: an emissary, envoy. ghoul: crowd. haraaval: a guard, vanguard. khatoon: a noble woman, a lady. koka/kokaltaash: a foster brother of a king. kooch: departure. kornish: bending with respect. kotvaal: police chief. kulcha: a bread baked in oven. naukar: servant.

Pasha: chief, lord, a title given to officials. qaab: a large plate, tray. qaaboo: control. qaash: a slice of a fruit. qaaz: a goose. qadghan: warning; great care. qainchi: a pair of scissors. qalaanch: distance between two hands; jump. qamchi: a thin stick, rod, cane. qanaat: curtain, sheets of a tent. qashqa: a mark on the forehead. qazzaaq: a robber, pirate. qeema: minced meat. Qizilbaash: (literally) red head; name of a group of Turkic soldiers who wore red caps. qorma: a dish of meat with curry. quli: a porter.saachiq: gifts sent to bride’s house. saughaat: a gift from a place visited, souvenir. suraagh: sign, trace, hint. surma: kohl, collyrium.

Taimoor (in Turkish: Timur): iron; name of a tribe. tamgha: a seal, stamp, insignia; medal. top: a large field gun, cannon. toshak: a mattress made of cotton. tughra: royal signature, stamp. tughral (Turkish: tughrul): a bird of prey, falcon, hawk. tuzuk: a king’s diary; law, rules. ulush: leftover food. urdu (Turkish: ordu): military, army camp. utaaq: a room, especially for guests or travellers. Uzbek/Ozbeg: A leader; someone independent; name of a Turkic tribe.yalghaar (Turkish: ilghaar): an attack. yaldaram (Turkish: yildirim): thunderbolt, lightening. yurish: an attack.

drraufparekh@yahoo.com

Published in Dawn, May 5th, 2025