It is written from right to left like Arabic and Persian and in the same script. By the 18th century, Urdu became a well-developed language with a body of literature that consisted mainly of poetry.

Shiv Kishan Bissa, popularly known as Sheen Kaaf Nizam, a celebrated Urdu poet and literary scholar from Jodhpur, has been awarded the Padma Shri for his exceptional contributions to Urdu literature.