· 5 min read
How Long to Learn Urdu? Official Hours
By Language Lab editorial team
How long does it take to learn Urdu? The US State Department figure, what it means at 5, 10 or 20 hours a week, what takes the time and what goes quickly.
Urdu takes an English speaker about 44 weeks of full-time classes, or 1,012 class hours, on US State Department figures. That places it in Category III, which the Department calls hard languages. At ten hours a week, 1,012 hours is about 101 weeks; at twenty, about 51. Speaking can start at once, and if you know Hindi you are well ahead, since the BBC's guide calls spoken Urdu and Hindi almost identical. The time goes on the script: 52 characters, written from right to left. The figure describes a high level, a speaking and listening score of 3 on the Interagency Language Roundtable (ILR) scale, so everyday conversation comes well before it.
The official figure
The US State Department publishes how long its English-speaking students usually need to reach a speaking and listening score of 3 on the Interagency Language Roundtable (ILR) scale. Urdu is listed at about 44 weeks, or 1,012 class hours, in Category III, which it describes as hard languages, with significant linguistic or cultural differences from English. The Department describes a typical week as 23 hours in class and 17 hours of self-study, and notes that actual time varies with ability, prior language-learning experience and time in the classroom. An archived version of the page previously published this list under the name Foreign Service Institute (FSI), with identical class-hour totals to the current one.
| State Department category | Class time | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Category I | 24–30 weeks (552–690 class hours) | Spanish, French, Italian, Dutch |
| Category II | About 36 weeks (828 class hours) | German, Indonesian, Swahili |
| Category III | About 44 weeks (1,012 class hours) | Russian, Polish, Greek, Turkish, Thai |
| Category IV | 88 weeks (2,200 class hours) | Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Korean |
What that means at your pace
| Hours per week | Weeks to cover 1,012 class hours |
|---|---|
| 5 | About 202 |
| 7 (an hour a day) | About 145 |
| 10 | About 101 |
| 20 | About 51 |
The weeks are simple division. Count hours, not days or months: the same total can fill one intensive year or several relaxed ones.
What takes the time in Urdu
- The script: 39 basic letters and 13 extra characters, written from right to left.
- Short vowels, whose marks are often left off.
- Irregular pronunciation: the word for exactly is written bal kul and pronounced bil kul.
- Three forms of you: tu, tum and aap.
What goes quickly
- Spoken Urdu and Hindi are almost identical.
- Many English words are common in Urdu: science, glass, court, library, bus, airport.
- Key phrases can be learned by ear before the script.
Milestones before the finish
India's National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language runs a One Year Diploma Course in the Urdu Language through Hindi or English, at Rs. 350 for a direct individual learner. In the United Kingdom, exam boards offer GCSE Urdu.
Shorten the calendar, not the hours
No method reduces the total much, but a poor one wastes it. A 2013 review of ten learning techniques, led by John Dunlosky, rated two as high utility: practice testing and distributed practice. Rereading and highlighting were rated low.
- Test yourself on earlier material before starting anything new.
- Spread study over the week instead of one long session.
- Speak aloud every day.
- Follow one structured course in order.
Language Lab's Urdu course is built around voiced real-life scenarios with an AI tutor, so the hours you put in include speaking hours.
Frequently asked
How long does it take to learn Urdu?
The US State Department allows about 44 weeks, or 1,012 class hours for English speakers. At ten hours a week that is about 101 weeks.
How long does it take to learn Urdu studying one hour a day?
Seven hours a week covers 1,012 class hours in about 145 weeks.
Can I learn Urdu in three months?
Not to the State Department's level. Three months at ten hours a week is about 130 hours, against 1,012. It is enough for a useful start.
Is Urdu the same as Hindi?
In speech they are almost identical, by the BBC's guide. They are written in different scripts.
What level does the State Department figure describe?
A speaking and listening score of 3 on the Interagency Language Roundtable (ILR) scale, reached by full-time students in a typical week of 23 class hours and 17 hours of self-study.
What is the fastest way to learn Urdu?
Follow one structured course in order, test yourself, spread your study over the week and speak every day.
Sources: US Department of State, National Foreign Affairs Training Center, Foreign Language Training; BBC Languages, A Guide to Urdu and A Guide to Hindi (archived); National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language, Diploma in Urdu Language; AQA, GCSE Urdu; Dunlosky et al., Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 2013. Checked on 13 October 2026. Photo: Hunza Valley and Hunza River, Obaid Ahmed / CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons).
