Days of the Week in Urdu: Script, Pronunciation and Meaning
The days of the week in Urdu are a small history lesson: three of them are Sanskrit planets, three are Persian and Arabic, and one is the word for "week" doing double duty as Saturday. This is the honest guide: all seven days in Urdu script with romanization and pronunciation you can say, what each name means and where it came from, the Hindi lookalikes, the grammar for "on Monday" and "every Friday", and the everyday phrases for asking the day and making plans in Karachi, Lahore or Lucknow.
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What's in this guide
- The days of the week in Urdu
- How to pronounce the days of the week in Urdu
- What the Urdu days are named after
- Days of the week in Urdu vs Hindi
- Saying "on Monday" and "every Friday" in Urdu
- Asking the day and making plans
- Jumma: why Friday matters
- Common mistakes with days of the week in Urdu
- Say them out loud
- Frequently asked questions
- Frequently asked questions
The days of the week in Urdu
| English | Urdu | Romanization | Pronunciation | Also heard |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | پیر | Peer | peer | Somwaar (سوموار) |
| Tuesday | منگل | Mangal | MUN-gul | |
| Wednesday | بدھ | Budh | budh (aspirated dh) | |
| Thursday | جمعرات | Jumeraat | joo-may-RAAT | |
| Friday | جمعہ | Jumma | JOOM-ah | Jumu'ah in careful religious usage |
| Saturday | ہفتہ | Hafta | HUF-tah | Sanichar (سنیچر), older |
| Sunday | اتوار | Itwaar | it-WAAR | Itvaar |
The everyday set is Peer, Mangal, Budh, Jumeraat, Jumma, Hafta, Itwaar. Learn those seven and you are done. The alternatives in the last column exist and are understood, but they are what your grandparents say or what you read in an old book.
Note that Urdu, unlike Hindi and Punjabi, does not attach a "-vaar" ending to most days. Mangal is just Mangal, Budh is just Budh. Only Somwaar and Itwaar keep it.
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How to pronounce the days of the week in Urdu
Peer (peer). Rhymes with "beer". One syllable, long ee. The same word means a spiritual guide or elder, which is where the day name comes from.
Mangal (MUN-gul). The first vowel is the "u" of "cut", not "man". The g is hard. Stress on the first syllable.
Budh (budh). The "u" of "put", then an aspirated dh: a d with a strong puff of air after it. If you say "bud" like the flower, you will be understood, but the aspiration is what makes it Urdu. Do not say "boodh".
Jumeraat (joo-may-RAAT). Three syllables, stress on the last. The first is "joo", the second a light "may" or "meh", and the last rhymes with "cart" with a long a. In fast speech the middle vowel nearly disappears: "jum-RAAT".
Jumma (JOOM-ah). Two syllables. The doubled m is held a beat. In careful religious speech and in Arabic, it is jumu'ah, with a glottal catch before the final syllable; in everyday Urdu it is simply jumma.
Hafta (HUF-tah). The first vowel is the "u" of "cut". The f is a real f, not a p. Two syllables, stress on the first.
Itwaar (it-WAAR). The first syllable is a short "it", the second rhymes with "car" with a long a and a light w. You will also hear "itvaar" with a v; both are correct, and the Urdu letter و covers both sounds.
What the Urdu days are named after
Urdu grew up between the Sanskrit-based languages of North India and the Persian and Arabic of the Muslim courts, and its week shows both parents.
| Urdu | Origin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Peer | Persian | "Elder" or "spiritual guide". Monday is associated in the Persian tradition with the pir, the Sufi master; the Sanskrit-derived Somwaar (Moon-day) survives as an alternative. |
| Mangal | Sanskrit | Mangala, the planet Mars, exactly as in Hindi Mangalvaar and Punjabi Mangalvaar, and matching Spanish martes and French mardi. |
| Budh | Sanskrit | Budha, the planet Mercury (not the Buddha). Matches Hindi Budhvaar and Spanish miércoles. |
| Jumeraat | Arabic + Persian | Jumu'ah (Friday) + raat (night) = "the night of Friday", meaning the day and evening before it. In Islamic reckoning the day begins at sunset, so Thursday evening is already the start of Friday. |
| Jumma | Arabic | Jumu'ah, "gathering", the day of the congregational prayer that every adult Muslim man attends. The centre of the Urdu week. |
| Hafta | Persian | "Seven", and by extension "week", the seventh day counting from Sunday. Saturday is literally "the week" in Urdu. The older Sanichar (from Sanskrit Shani, Saturn) is still heard from older speakers and in rural areas. |
| Itwaar | Sanskrit | From Aditya, a name of the sun, plus vaar (day). Sun-day. Matches Hindi Itvaar and Punjabi Aitvaar. |
So Tuesday, Wednesday and Sunday are the same planets as in Hindi (Mars, Mercury, the Sun), Monday and Saturday are Persian, and Thursday and Friday are built around the Arabic word for the Friday prayer.
Days of the week in Urdu vs Hindi
Urdu and Hindi are the same spoken language for most everyday purposes, but the days of the week are one of the places where they split, because the Hindi set is fully Sanskrit and the Urdu set is half Persian and Arabic.
| English | Urdu | Hindi | Same? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | Peer (or Somwaar) | Somvaar | Somwaar is understood in both |
| Tuesday | Mangal | Mangalvaar | Nearly |
| Wednesday | Budh | Budhvaar | Nearly |
| Thursday | Jumeraat | Guruvaar / Brihaspativaar | Different |
| Friday | Jumma | Shukravaar | Different |
| Saturday | Hafta | Shanivaar | Different |
| Sunday | Itwaar | Ravivaar / Itvaar | Itvaar is shared |
In practice, an Urdu speaker in Delhi and a Hindi speaker in Lucknow understand each other's days perfectly, and Muslims in India use the Urdu set (Jumma, Jumeraat) regardless of which language they call their own.
Saying "on Monday" and "every Friday" in Urdu
Urdu uses the postposition ko (کو) after a day to mean "on":
- پیر کو (Peer ko) on Monday
- جمعہ کو (Jumma ko) on Friday
- اتوار کو (Itwaar ko) on Sunday
For "every", put har (ہر) before the day, usually still with ko:
- ہر جمعہ کو (har Jumma ko) every Friday
- ہر اتوار کو (har Itwaar ko) every Sunday
- ہر ہفتے (har hafte) every week (note: here hafta means "week")
To identify the day, no postposition:
- آج پیر ہے۔ (Aaj Peer hai.) Today is Monday.
- کل منگل ہے۔ (Kal Mangal hai.) Tomorrow is Tuesday.
- کل اتوار تھا۔ (Kal Itwaar tha.) Yesterday was Sunday.
Kal (کل) means both "yesterday" and "tomorrow"; the verb decides. Hai (is) makes it tomorrow, tha (was) makes it yesterday. Parson (پرسوں) is the day after tomorrow or the day before yesterday, same rule.
Asking the day and making plans
Asking
- آج کون سا دن ہے؟ (Aaj kaun sa din hai?) What day is it today?
- آج کیا دن ہے؟ (Aaj kya din hai?) What day is it today? (more casual)
- کل کون سا دن ہے؟ (Kal kaun sa din hai?) What day is it tomorrow?
Plans
- جمعہ کو ملتے ہیں۔ (Jumma ko milte hain.) Let's meet on Friday.
- ہفتہ کو چھٹی ہے۔ (Hafta ko chhutti hai.) Saturday is a day off.
- میں بدھ کو نہیں آ سکتا۔ (Main Budh ko nahin aa sakta.) I can't come on Wednesday. (Male; a woman says sakti.)
- اتوار کو بازار بند ہوتا ہے۔ (Itwaar ko bazaar band hota hai.) The market is closed on Sundays.
- جمعرات کی شام کو (Jumeraat ki shaam ko) on Thursday evening
- اگلے پیر کو (agle Peer ko) next Monday
- پچھلے جمعہ کو (pichhle Jumma ko) last Friday
Time words
| Urdu | Romanization | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| دن | din | day |
| ہفتہ | hafta | week (and Saturday) |
| مہینہ | mahina | month |
| آج | aaj | today |
| کل | kal | tomorrow / yesterday |
| پرسوں | parson | day after tomorrow / day before yesterday |
| صبح | subah | morning |
| دوپہر | dopahar | afternoon |
| شام | shaam | evening |
| رات | raat | night |
| روز / ہر روز | roz / har roz | daily / every day |
| چھٹی | chhutti | holiday, day off |
| ویک اینڈ | weekend | weekend (borrowed; also "hafte ka aakhir") |
Jumma: why Friday matters
Friday is the heart of the Urdu week, and you will feel it in the language and in the streets. Jumma is the day of salat al-jumu'ah, the congregational prayer at midday that replaces the normal noon prayer, and in Pakistan offices and shops slow down around it. The greeting Jumma Mubarak (جمعہ مبارک), "blessed Friday", is exchanged on WhatsApp, in person and on television every week; the reply is the same phrase back, or "Jumma Mubarak, aap ko bhi" (to you too). Thursday, Jumeraat, takes its name from being the eve of Friday, and Thursday evening is traditionally a time for visiting shrines and family graves.
Saturday, Hafta, marks the end of the cycle, which is why the same word means "week". And Sunday, Itwaar, is the official weekly holiday in Pakistan, so "Itwaar ko chhutti hai" (Sunday is off) is one of the most-said sentences in the country.
Common mistakes with days of the week in Urdu
- Using the Hindi names for Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Guruvaar, Shukravaar and Shanivaar are Hindi. Urdu is Jumeraat, Jumma, Hafta.
- Saying "Somwaar" every time. It is correct, but Peer is what people say. Somwaar sounds formal or Hindi-flavoured.
- Flattening Budh to "bud". Aspirate the dh.
- Confusing Jumma and Jumeraat. Jumma is Friday; Jumeraat (with raat, night) is Thursday.
- Thinking hafta is only "week". It is also Saturday. "Hafta ko" means on Saturday; "har hafte" means every week.
- Forgetting ko. "Peer ko" for on Monday. Without it, you are naming the day, not saying when.
- Reading kal as only tomorrow. Kal + hai = tomorrow; kal + tha = yesterday.
- Stressing Jumeraat on the first syllable. It is joo-may-RAAT, stress at the end.
Say them out loud
Seven short words. The work is in three sounds: the aspirated dh in Budh, the "u" of "cut" in Mangal and Hafta, and the final stress in Jumeraat.
- Say the seven days in order, out loud, ten times: Peer, Mangal, Budh, Jumeraat, Jumma, Hafta, Itwaar.
- Say "Aaj ___ hai, kal ___ hai, kal ___ tha" with the real days.
- Make three plans with ko: "Jumma ko milte hain", "Itwaar ko chhutti hai", "Har Mangal ko..."
- Then say them to something that talks back. SPAIKING's AI speaking partner will ask you what day it is in Urdu, wish you Jumma Mubarak, propose a meeting on Jumeraat and correct the flat d in Budh and the missing ko as you speak. That is how seven words become a conversation.
Reading about it is not speaking it
SPAIKING gives you an AI partner that speaks back and corrects you in real time, so your practice is real reps instead of quiet tapping.
Frequently asked questions
What are the days of the week in Urdu?
Monday to Sunday in Urdu are Peer (پیر), Mangal (منگل), Budh (بدھ), Jumeraat (جمعرات), Jumma (جمعہ), Hafta (ہفتہ) and Itwaar (اتوار). Somwaar is an alternative for Monday and Sanichar an older word for Saturday.
How do you say Friday in Urdu?
Jumma (جمعہ), pronounced JOOM-ah, from the Arabic jumu'ah, meaning "gathering", the day of the congregational prayer. The weekly greeting is Jumma Mubarak, "blessed Friday".
What does Jumeraat mean?
Jumeraat (جمعرات) is Thursday in Urdu. It combines jumu'ah (Friday) and raat (night) and literally means "the night of Friday", because in Islamic reckoning the day begins at sunset, so Thursday evening is the start of Friday.
Why is Saturday called Hafta in Urdu?
Hafta comes from the Persian word for "seven" and means "week"; Saturday is the seventh day counting from Sunday, so the word for the week came to name the day. The older Sanskrit-derived name Sanichar (from Shani, Saturn) is still heard from older speakers.
How do you say "on Monday" in Urdu?
Add ko after the day: Peer ko (on Monday), Jumma ko (on Friday). For "every Monday", say har Peer ko. To simply name the day, use hai without ko: Aaj Peer hai (today is Monday).
Are the days of the week the same in Urdu and Hindi?
Partly. Mangal, Budh and Itwaar match Hindi's Mangalvaar, Budhvaar and Itvaar, and Somwaar is shared. But Urdu uses Peer, Jumeraat, Jumma and Hafta where Hindi uses Somvaar, Guruvaar, Shukravaar and Shanivaar, because those Urdu names come from Persian and Arabic rather than Sanskrit.