نو
nau/nɔː/masculine
The Urdu word for nine is نو (nau).
نو is the cardinal number used to represent the quantity of nine.
Meaning: cardinal number (num)
How does it change in a sentence?
The form نو is masculine.
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced /nɔː/ (nau).
Did you know?
- The word نو is actually a doublet, meaning it has two different origins that happened to sound the same. It comes from an ancient Sanskrit root for the number nine, but is also a borrowed Persian word meaning 'new'.
- Because نو means both 'nine' and 'new', Urdu poetry often uses this word to create double meanings. A poet might describe a 'new' feeling while subtly referencing the number nine.
- The spelling of نو is remarkably efficient. It consists of only two primary characters in the Arabic script, making it one of the shortest numbers to write in the language.
Examples in context
- میرے پاس نو قلم ہیں۔mere paas nau qalam hain.I have nine pens.
- اس کتاب میں نو ابواب ہیں۔is kitab mein nau abwab hain.There are nine chapters in this book.
- گھر میں نو لوگ رہتے ہیں۔ghar mein nau log rehte hain.Nine people live in the house.
Example conversation
Ahmed and Zainab are counting apples in a basket.
- احمد Ahmedزینب، یہاں کتنے سیب ہیں؟Zainab, yahan kitne saib hain?Zainab, how many apples are here?
- زینب Zainabیہاں نو سیب ہیں۔Yahan nau saib hain.There are nine apples here.
- احمد Ahmedکیا ہمیں اور چاہئیں؟Kya humein aur chahiyen?Do we need more?
- زینب Zainabنہیں، نو کافی ہیں۔Nahi, nau kafi hain.No, nine are enough.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “nine” translations and entries نو, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries نو, CC BY-SA 4.0.
