What is the basic difference between Arabic and Urdu?

As a linguistics expert with a focus on Indo-European and Semitic languages, I can provide a comprehensive comparison between Arabic and Urdu. It's important to note that while both languages have roots in different language families and have distinct characteristics, they have also influenced each other over time, particularly in the context of the Indian subcontinent. Arabic is a Semitic language that belongs to the Afro-Asiatic language family. It is the liturgical language of Islam and is widely spoken across the Middle East and North Africa. The Arabic script is derived from the Nabataean alphabet and has been adapted for various languages, including Urdu. Arabic is known for its rich vocabulary, complex grammar, and the use of triliteral roots to form words. Urdu, on the other hand, is an Indo-Aryan language that belongs to the Indo-European language family. It is primarily spoken in Pakistan and India and has been heavily influenced by Persian and Arabic. Urdu developed from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi, which was influenced by Persian and Arabic during the Delhi Sultanate and Mughal Empire periods. The Urdu script is indeed similar to the Arabic script, but it is written in a distinct style known as Nastaliq, which is a calligraphic art form and is considered more cursive and flowing compared to the Arabic script. The claim that "Urdu alphabets are similar to the Arabic" is partially correct. While the scripts share some commonalities due to historical influences, they are not identical. The Urdu script has additional letters to accommodate sounds that do not exist in Arabic, and the Nastaliq script is a unique writing system that is not a superset of the Arabic script but rather a distinct form of writing that has been adapted for Urdu. The statement that "These two scripts are completely different from each other" is a bit misleading. While the Nastaliq script used for Urdu is distinct and has its own aesthetic and calligraphic traditions, it is not entirely unrelated to the Arabic script. Both scripts share a common origin in the sense that the Arabic script was a model for the development of writing systems for other languages, including Urdu. Regarding grammar, Urdu has indeed been influenced by Hindi, and the two languages share a significant amount of vocabulary due to their common roots in the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European language family. However, to say that "Urdu is identical to Hindi and at the spoken level they are mutually intelligible" is an oversimplification. While there is a high degree of mutual intelligibility between Urdu and Hindi, especially in their standard or literary forms, they are not identical languages. Urdu has a stronger Persian and Arabic influence in its vocabulary, which distinguishes it from Hindi. In summary, the basic differences between Arabic and Urdu lie in their historical development, the influence of other languages on their vocabulary and script, and their grammatical structures. Arabic is a Semitic language with a rich and complex grammar, while Urdu is an Indo-Aryan language with a significant Persian and Arabic influence, particularly in its vocabulary and script.

Urdu alphabets are similar the Arabic, but words meaning are different. Urdu is written in Nastaliq script, which is the superset of modern-day Arabic script. These two scripts are completely different from each other. ... Grammatically, Urdu is identical to Hindi and at the spoken level they are mutually intelligible.