Before we take a closer look at the letter ‘miim’, let us refresh our memory and let’s look at it again.

Above: The letter ‘miim’ in its full-form

18.3.1: In the Initial position

To see how ‘miim’ changes shape and joins with ‘alif’, let’s look at the word “maa.n” (माँ), meaning “mother”:

Above: The word “maa.n”. Notice the change in shape of the ‘miim’.

Did you notice the dramatic change in the shape of ‘miim’ in the word above? Here’s a comparative illustrating this:

Above: Comparative illustrating the short-form assumed by ‘miim’ in the initial position when joining with ‘alif’

Therefore, here’s a break-down of the word “maa.n” in the short-form notation:

Above: ‘miim’ + ‘alif’ + ‘nuun Gunna’ = “maa.n”

Similarly, here’s the word “maal” (माल), meaning “wealth/stock”:

Above: ‘miim’ + ‘alif’ + ‘laam’ = “maal”

INTERESTING

In the two examples - “maa.n” and “maal”, shown above, notice the similarity in their appearance. This is because the ‘nuun Gunna’ and the ‘laam’ look similar in curvature but the ‘laam’ is differentiated substantially by its height. Here’s a comparative:

Above: The ‘laam’, being much taller, creates the visual distinction in the words shown above

The examples presented above show how ‘miim’ joins with ‘alif’. Now let’s look at words where it joins with other consonants, starting with the word “man” (मन), meaning “the mind”:

Above: ‘miim’ + ‘nuun’ = “man”

Here, we can see a difference in the short-form assumed by the ‘miim’. Look at the comparative below:

Above: Comparative illustrating the short-form assumed by ‘miim’ in the initial position when joining with a consonant

Therefore, here’s the word “man” again in short-form notation:

Above: Short-form of ‘miim’ + ‘nuun’ = “man”

Let’s take this a step further and look at the word “miThaas” (मिठास), meaning “sweetness”:

Above: ‘miim’ + ‘The’ + ‘alif’ + ‘nuun’ = “miThaas”

18.3.2: In the Medial position

To look at the medial-position short-form of ‘miim’, let’s start by looking at the word “chaman” (चमन), meaning “garden/flourishing place”:

Above: The word “chaman”. Notice the short-form assumed by ‘miim’ in the medial position.

Here’s the short-form of ‘miim’ in an isolated view:

Above: Comparative illustrating the short-form assumed by ‘miim’ in the medial position in the word “chaman”

And here’s a break-down of the word “chaman” in the short-form notation:

Above:  Short-form of  ‘che’ + short-form of  ‘miim’ + ‘nuun’ = “chaman”

Similarly, here’s the word “qamar” (क़मर), meaning “moon”:

Above: ‘qaaf’ + ‘miim’ + ‘re’ = “qamar”

18.3.3: In the Final position

As is common with Urdu letters, ‘miim’ does not change shape in the final position. This can be seen in the simple word “nam” (नम), meaning “moist/wet”:

Above: The word “nam”. Notice that the ‘miim’ does not change shape.

And here’s a break-down:

Above: ‘nuun’ + ‘miim’ = “nam”

Let’s add an ‘alif’ to the mix and look at the word “naam” (नाम), meaning “name”:

Above: ‘nuun’ + ‘alif’ + ‘miim’ = “naam”

And now, here’s a word where ‘miim’ appears both, in the initial and final positions - the name of the letter itself -  “miim” (मीम):

Above: ‘miim’ + ‘chhoTii ye’ + ‘miim’ = “miim”

18.3.4: Some more words

And here are a few more words with the letter ‘miim’ for you to learn. Have fun!

Awesome! This bring us to the end of this unit. Learning ‘laam’ and ‘miim’ really does open up the majority of the Urdu vocabulary to us. Prepare well for the quiz up ahead!