Counting is one of the very first topics you can learn while getting to know a new language. It’s basic, easy, and a great trick at parties! “Hey, guess how many languages I can count in?” is always a wonderful conversation starter. Add bonus points for cuteness if your kid does it.
An effective and fun way to teach Urdu counting to kids is to introduce counting through rhymes. Rhymes that use simple, repetitive language are easier for children to learn and remember. The visual aids and the catchy melody makes the rhymes more engaging and memorable for the children. Not only this, music can help children remember words and phrases more easily, as well as improve their pronunciation. If you’re looking for fun Urdu rhymes to teach Urdu counting to your kids and not sure which ones to introduce according to the age group or familiarity level, I’ve gathered a few Urdu counting rhymes for you below. Here, you’ll find the rhymes as per the kids’ familiarity level with Urdu (beginner, intermediate, advanced) and a general age group to which the rhymes could be helpful for.
1) Dhobi aaya, Dhobi Aaya (Beginner)
This is the best rhyme for your child if he/she is a preschooler and has started learning new words and building vocabulary. It’s short, simple, and has enough repetition where the focus of the rhyme remains on learning the counting from 1 to 10. The simplicity of each sentence and the length of the rhyme makes it easy for kids under 5 to learn, retain, and repeat Urdu counting with fun and joy. This rhyme has been tried and tested in my ‘Speaking Urdu with Shairu’ class, and from my experience with kids of ages 4-6, this was a total hit for the 4 year olds too. They learned, remembered, and were eager to sing along. Even for older kids (between 6 yo and 12 yo) who have little to no Urdu knowledge, this would be a perfect way to start remembering counting in Urdu along with small bonus experience of Urdu sentences.
Pro Tip: Tell your child how often “bus” is used by native Urdu speakers to stop anything. “Bus” means stop or that’s it.
Dhobi aaya, Dhobi aaya, (Washer person came, washer person came)
Kitnay Kupray laaya? (How many clothes did he bring?)
Ek, Dou, Teen, (One, Two, Three)
Chaar, Paanch, Chay, (Four, Five, Six)
Saat, Aath, Naw, (Seven, Eight, Nine)
Dus, Aur Bus. (Ten, and That’s It.)
BONUS: Gamify everyday actions with counting. Here’s how!
Use different people or professions and make your own rhyme by adding what did they bring. I’m sharing five different examples below to help you get started.
Example 1: Phul waala aaya, phul waala aaya, kitnay phul laaya? (The fruit seller came, the fruit seller came, how many fruits did he bring?)
Example 2: Subzi waala aaya, subzi waala aaya, kitni subzi (plural: subziyaan) laaya? (The vegetable seller came, the vegetable seller came, how many vegetables did he bring?)
Example 3: Ammi aain, ammi aain, kitnay tohfay laain? (Mom came, mom came, how many gifts did she bring?)
Example 4: Abbu aaye, abbu aaye, kitnay tohfay laain? (Dad came, dad came, how many gifts did he bring?
Example 5: Doctor aaya, doctor aaya, kitni duwaaiyyaan laaya? (The doctor came, the doctor came, how many medicines did he bring?)
Notes: Urdu has names for different people because it’s common to have street sellers selling fruits or vegetables while walking with their carts in every street. In Pakistani households, it’s common to purchase fruits or vegetables from the street sellers. Another interesting thing that you may have noticed is how the word “how many” in Urdu changes with the gender of the object. Kitnay is used for masculine objects that are brought such as phul and tohfay. For feminine objects such as duwaai (duwaaiyaan) and subzi (subziyaan), use kitni. Similarly, the word “came” in Urdu changes with the gender of the person. Aaya is used for singular/informal masculine such as subzi waala or phul waala. Aaye is used for singular/formal masculine such as abbu. And aain is used for singular/plural feminine such as ammi.
Most important reminder: As you try this activity with the kids, don’t forget to have fun!
2) Ek, Dou, Teen, Haathi Niklay (Beginner)
This is the perfect rhyme for young kids. Beautifully written and sung by Bilal Maqsood only recently in March 2022 and has stuck on my mind as well. Honestly, I was listening to this one on repeat as I was creating course content for some of my courses. Loved it! If you’re connected with me on my Instagram and watched my stories, you’d know this already haha!
You can imagine how kids would love it too. This rhyme has been tried and tested in my Speaking Urdu with Shairu class, and from my experience with kids of ages 4-6, this was a total hit for the 4 year old ones too. They learned, remembered, and were eager to sing more. The watch time during the class was even more fun as the video has fun animations and the creativity with which the expressions of the elephant and the tortoise are shown, PHENOMENAL! I’m just glad Bilal Maqsood did this, I feel so happy! I specifically enjoyed the creativity and imagination within the rhyme. Mind you, there are only a handful Urdu rhymes where the imagination runs wild.
I’d recommend this one for all ages, but since the second sentence may be a little too long for the kids under 5, I’d recommend it for any age from 5 to 10, and older as well who loves nice animations, good music, and loves to watch fun stuff (like myself). Also, I loved how simple this rhyme was made for the kids by constant repetition of the second sentence. Hopefully, once your younger ones (< 5 yo) are over and beyond “Dhobi Aaya”, this may be the next step to introducing more vocabulary with creativity and imagination.
Ek, Dou, Teen, (One, Two, Three,)
Haathi niklay meray school kay chotay bustay say (Elephants came out of my small backpack)
Chaar, Paanch, Chay, (Four, Five, Six,)
Haathi niklay meray school kay chotay bustay say (Elephants came out of my small backpack)
Saat, Aath, Naw, Dus (Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten)
Haathi niklay meray school kay chotay bustay say (Elephants came out of my small backpack)
2) Dhobi aaya, Dhobi Aaya (Intermediate)
A bit advanced version of the one we talked about earlier. Much of the rhyme is similar to it but it has longer sentences. This rhyme would be suitable for kids who are a bit older e.g. 5-10 year olds or for children who have some familiarity with the words in Urdu. It starts with a melody, setting the scene. Then the part where the counting begins, the sentences are short, simple, and repetitive. These qualities make it perfect for new and eager learners as their curiosity will be built up initially, leading to the main objective of the rhyme.
Dhobi aaya, Dhobi aaya, (Washer person came, washer person came)
Kitnay Kupray laaya? (How many clothes did he bring?)
Ek, Dou, Teen, (One, Two, Three)
Chaar, Paanch, Chay, (Four, Five, Six)
Saat, Aath, Naw, (Seven, Eight, Nine)
Dus, Aur Bus. (Ten, and That’s It.)
Teacher Tip: I must add that children can benefit from exposure to rhymes and songs in different languages from a very early age, even as early as infancy. Byers-Heinlein, Morin-Lessard, & Lew-Williams (2017) have mentioned that infants as young as six months old can detect differences in sounds between languages, and that exposure to multiple languages can have cognitive and developmental benefits. However, the optimal age for exposing children to rhymes of different languages may vary depending on the child’s individual characteristics and the cultural and linguistic environment they grow up in. Some children may be more receptive to language learning at an earlier age, while others may benefit from waiting until they are a bit older.
4) Ek, Dou, Teen, Chaar (Advanced)
This rhyme is for advanced learners, suitable for older kids. It begins with simple counting in groups of four, which is easy enough to follow if your kid has mastered rhymes like Dhobi Aaya and wants to try something new.
It includes counting from 1-30. It makes Urdu counting easier and more interesting by singing about a school setting. A plus point of this rhyme is that along with Urdu counting, kids can also enjoy basic lessons on how going to school is good and fun. Due to the long nature of the rhyme, I would recommend it to children over the age of 5 if they are advanced learners, and over the age of 8, if they are yet new to the language.
Note: The best way to enjoy this rhyme is breaking it into parts to ensure each group of counting numbers is understood and memorized before you move onto the next one. Slow and steady wins the race!
Ek, Dou, Teen, Chaar, (One, Two, Three, Four)
Chalo chalen, school yaar. (Let’s go to school, friend)
Paanch, Chay, Saat, Aath, (Five, Six, Seven, Eight)
Perhna likhna achi baat. (Studying is good)
Naw, Dus, Giyaara, Baara, (Nine, Ten, Eleven, Twelve)
School humaara subsay piyaara. (Our school is the best)
Tera, Chawda, Pundra, Sola, (Thirteen, Fourteen, Fifteen,Sixteen)
Mummy nay ye piyaar say bola. ( Mummy said it with love)
Sutra, Athaara, Un’nis, Bees, (Seventeen, Eighteen, Nineteen, Twenty)
School say milti achi cheez. (We get fun things from school)
Ik’kis Baa’is, Tay’is, Chawbis, (Twenty one, Twenty two, Twenty three, Twenty four)
Tiffin mein laatay bread aur cheese.(We bring a cheese sandwich in our lunchbox)
Puch’chis, Chub’bis, Sut’taais, (Twenty five, Twenty six, Twenty seven)
Teacher saaray hotay nice. ( All teachers are nice)
Athaa.is, Unat.tis, Tees. (Twenty eight, Twenty nine, Thirty)
Puppa school ki bhurtay fees. (Papa pays the school fees)
5) Chaar Chaar, Laal Timaater (Advanced)
This rhyme is also for advanced learners, suitable for older kids. Unlike other rhymes, this one begins in the middle from 4. Since there is no repetition with extensive vocabulary, I’d recommend it for kids above 5 who have prior language familiarity, and for those who don’t, 8+ might be an appropriate age.
There’s actually an interesting story behind the addition of this rhyme. While researching for this post, I remembered this rhyme from my childhood when my mother used to sing it to me. I have a baby daughter now and the fact that I still remember it is proof of how much I enjoyed singing along to this. Naturally, I wanted to share it here. BUT when I looked it up on Google, I was surprised to see 0 relevant search results. So, I called my mom and asked her how she knew this incredibly unsearchable rhyme. She told me she read it from a book once and sang it back to me. I asked around and apparently nobody has heard this rhyme before! Unbelievable, right? To know something that Google doesn’t haha!
Without further ado, I’m writing the lyrics here.
Chaar chaar laal timaater (Four, four red tomatoes)
Aalu, kheera, aur chukunder (Potato, cucumber and beet)
Paanch pay roti khaaye bunder (On Five, the monkey eats roti)
Chay pay khichri, pait kay under (On Six , the khichri goes in my tummy)
Saat huay ub Aath pay aaja (Seven is done, let’s come to Eight)
Bhaag kay aaja, bhaag kay aaja (Run to me, run to me)
Naw, naw, naw meri naa sun (Nine, nine, nine listen to me)
Hulvay say badaam na chun (Don’t pick the almonds from the halva)
Dus pay aa kay khaa lay phul (On Ten, you can eat the fruit)
Baaqi kul bhai baaqi kul (And do the rest tomorrow)
So, here are a few rhymes to learn and enjoy with your kids. Simple and short, they make a good activity for children of various ages and language levels. The best part about these rhymes is that they are catchy enough for even an adult to sing along. So, don’t be shy to join your kids to sing!
Teen, dou, ek, chalo Urdu mein ginti seekhtay hain!
References:
Byers-Heinlein, K., Morin-Lessard, E., & Lew-Williams, C. (2017). Bilingual infants control their languages as they listen. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 114(34), 9032-9037.
