All Urdu punctuation marks at a glance
| Mark | Urdu name | English | Main use |
|---|---|---|---|
| ۔ | ختمہ | Full stop | Ends a sentence |
| ، | سکتہ | Comma | Short pause, lists |
| ؛ | وقفہ | Semicolon | Longer pause between linked clauses |
| : | رابطہ | Colon | Before a quote or explanation |
| :- | تفصیلیہ | Colon-dash | Before a detailed list |
| ؟ | سوالیہ | Question mark | Ends a question |
| ! | ندائیہ / فجائیہ | Exclamation | Calling, surprise, emotion |
| ‘‘ ’’ | واوین | Quotation marks | Exact words, titles |
| ( ) | قوسین | Brackets | Extra information |
| — | خط | Dash | A break or aside |
How to use each mark, with examples
ختمہ (۔) — full stop
The ختمہ ends a complete sentence. It is a short dash-like mark, not a dot. Using the English dot (.) at the end of an Urdu sentence is the single most common error in typed Urdu.
وہ کل لاہور گئے تھے۔
سکتہ (،) — comma
Use it for a short pause, to separate items in a list, and after a person's name when addressing them. Note that it faces the opposite way from the English comma.
ہم نے چاول، دال، سبزی اور پھل خریدے۔
وقفہ (؛) — semicolon
A longer pause than the comma, used between two connected parts of a sentence that could almost stand alone.
بارش رک گئی؛ بچے باہر کھیلنے نکل آئے۔
رابطہ (:) and تفصیلیہ (:-)
The رابطہ introduces a quote, a saying or an explanation. The تفصیلیہ is used in school and formal writing before a detailed list or breakdown.
استاد نے کہا: ’’محنت کا کوئی نعم البدل نہیں۔‘‘
سوالیہ (؟) — question mark
The Urdu question mark is a mirrored version of the English one. Use it at the end of a direct question.
آپ کب واپس آئیں گے؟
ندائیہ / فجائیہ (!) — exclamation
Used after calling someone or to show surprise, joy or grief. Use it sparingly in formal writing.
واہ! کیا خوبصورت منظر ہے۔
واوین (‘‘ ’’) — quotation marks
Urdu writing traditionally uses double inverted commas written as two single marks, ‘‘ ’’, around someone's exact words or the title of a book or poem.
Spacing rules for Urdu punctuation
- No space before a mark. Write ہیں؟, not ہیں ؟.
- One space after a mark when the sentence continues.
- Brackets and quotes hug the words inside: no space after the opening mark or before the closing one.
- Never two spaces between words. In justified print they create visible gaps.
The most common punctuation mistakes in typed Urdu
- English dot instead of ختمہ. It looks tiny and out of place in Nastaliq text and confuses sentence counters.
- English comma and question mark. They face the wrong way in a right-to-left line.
- A space before the mark, which can push the mark onto the next line on narrow phone screens.
- Mixing quote styles in one document, for example “ ” in one paragraph and ‘‘ ’’ in another.
These are easy to miss when you write fast. Proper punctuation also helps tools work correctly: the Urdu word counter, for example, uses ۔ and ؟ to count sentences.
How to type Urdu punctuation marks
- On an Urdu phone keyboard, the marks are on the symbols page, usually reached with the
?123or!#1key. Long-press the full stop or comma key to see more options on many keyboards. - On a Windows or Mac Urdu keyboard layout, the marks sit on the keys where English punctuation normally is, but the exact keys depend on the layout you installed.
- Copy them from here: ۔ ، ؛ ؟ ‘‘ ’’
- Or skip the effort: type with English punctuation and run the text through the Urdu text cleaner, or type in Roman Urdu with our Roman Urdu to Urdu converter, which converts punctuation for you.
For developers and designers: in Unicode, ، is U+060C, ؛ is U+061B, ؟ is U+061F and ۔ is U+06D4. You can see all of them in the official Unicode Arabic script chart, which also covers Urdu.
If you are moving old printed material online, our guide on converting InPage files to MS Word explains how to bring the text across first.
Frequently asked questions
What is punctuation called in Urdu?
Punctuation in Urdu is called رموزِ اوقاف (rumooz-e-auqaf), which means signs of pause.
What is the Urdu full stop called?
It is called ختمہ (khatma) and is written as ۔ rather than the English dot.
Is the Urdu comma different from the English comma?
Yes. The Urdu comma (،), called سکتہ, is a separate character that faces the other way, which suits right-to-left writing.
Should I put a space before the Urdu question mark?
No. Write the question mark directly after the last word, with a space only after it if the text continues.
Can I convert English punctuation in Urdu text automatically?
Yes. The free Urdu Text Cleaner on Store Online Digital converts English punctuation next to Urdu words into the correct Urdu marks and fixes spacing.
Adnan works on SEO, WordPress development and digital marketing, and builds the free tools on Store Online Digital. His guides come from hands-on website and content work.