Urdu Shaayari is the most popular genre of Urdu writing and is often the first exposure to the Urdu language for most of us. One can read Shaayari in Urdu or in English or in Hindi. Many of the Urdu words used in Shaayari may be familiar to Indians for whom Urdu is not the first language. But one often comes across unfamiliar words (and phrases or compound words) the meaning of which are not known. And these unfamiliar words rob the entire sher of its magic!

The vast majority of words in general dictionaries are commonplace – most unfamiliar words found in well-known shers are not found in these dictionaries. Moreover, normal dictionaries do not give the meanings of Urdu phrases or compound words. One has to painfully refer to the meaning of each individual word comprising a compound word go make sense of the phrase, only to discover that the correct nuance of the compound word is different from that derived from putting individual words together!

Presenting ‘The Urdu Dictionary of Shaayari – In English’ – a comprehensive dictionary dedicated exclusively to Urdu Shaayari. It is filled with 350+ Urdu phrases or compound words and 3300+ Urdu words drawn from the well-known shers of the Masters of Urdu Shaayari of South Asia. The moment you encounter an unfamiliar word or phrase, just pop open ‘The Urdu Dictionary of Shaayari – In English’ and return quickly to the sher, which now resonates with meaning! The Urdu words are transliterated in English and arranged alphabetically for ease of reference, with the word meaning in English. In addition, the Urdu word is transliterated in Hindi since the pronunciation is rendered truer in Hindi.