Sher shayari is the oldest unit of Urdu poetry, a complete thought in two lines that can stand alone or sit inside a ghazal. This page carries 30 new sher and shayari lines in our library style, Hindi script first, Roman English under it, so shero shayari hindi english searches land on the same couplet either way.
Below the sher you will find a short working lesson on matla, maqta, radif and qafiya, using a couplet from this very page, because the parts of a sher make more sense on a line you have just read. For two line pieces built for status boxes, see 2 line urdu shayari, and for chains of linked couplets, see ghazal shayari.
Sher Shayari in Hindi: The Classic Two Lines
Six sher about the sher itself, the shape every mehfil respects. Hindi sher shayari reads best slowly, one breath per misra.
शेर वो है जो दो मिसरों में तूफ़ान रखे,
लफ़्ज़ थोड़े हों मगर पूरा बयान रखे।
Sher wo hai jo do misron mein toofaan rakhe,
Lafz thode hon magar poora bayaan rakhe.
शेर लिखा नहीं जाता, जिया जाता है,
दर्द चुपचाप स्याही में पिया जाता है।
Sher likha nahi jaata, jiya jaata hai,
Dard chupchaap syaahi mein piya jaata hai.
पहले मिसरे में इक पर्दा गिराते हैं,
दूसरे में वही पर्दा उठाते हैं।
Pehle misre mein ik parda giraate hain,
Doosre mein wahi parda uthaate hain.
दाद की फ़िक्र में सुख़न को ना तोलिए,
दिल जो कहे, वही मेहफ़िल में बोलिए।
Daad ki fikr mein sukhan ko na toliye,
Dil jo kahe, wahi mehfil mein boliye.
शेर वही जो चुभे भी और सहलाए भी,
ज़ख़्म दिखाए और मरहम बताए भी।
Sher wahi jo chubhe bhi aur sehlaaye bhi,
Zakham dikhaaye aur marham bataaye bhi.
शेर दो लाइन का छोटा सा मकान है,
रहने वाला मगर पूरा जहान है।
Sher do line ka chhota sa makaan hai,
Rehne waala magar poora jahaan hai.
Shero Shayari Urdu Mehfil Lines
Shero shayari urdu style, written for reading aloud. The first one is also the worked example in the craft guide below.
मेहफ़िल में सलीक़े से उतरता है शेर,
दिल से निकलता है तो ठहरता है शेर।
Mehfil mein saleeqe se utarta hai sher,
Dil se nikalta hai to thehrta hai sher.
शेर पढ़ो तो ठहराव से पढ़ा करो,
लफ़्ज़ों के बीच की साँसें भी सुना करो।
Sher padho to thehraav se padha karo,
Lafzon ke beech ki saansein bhi suna karo.
मुशायरे की रौनक़ सिर्फ़ शायर से नहीं,
दाद देने वाले भी किसी हुनर से कम नहीं।
Mushaayare ki raunaq sirf shaayar se nahi,
Daad dene waale bhi kisi hunar se kam nahi.
पुराने दीवानों में रखा है जो ख़ज़ाना,
उसी से रौशन है हर नया अफ़साना।
Puraane deewaanon mein rakha hai jo khazaana,
Usi se raushan hai har naya afsaana.
शेर में तख़ल्लुस यूँ सजाया जाता है,
जैसे ख़त के आख़िर में नाम आता है।
Sher mein takhallus yun sajaaya jaata hai,
Jaise khat ke aakhir mein naam aata hai.
महफ़िल उजड़ जाए तो भी शेर रहते हैं,
अच्छे लफ़्ज़ वक़्त से आगे बहते हैं।
Mehfil ujad jaaye to bhi sher rehte hain,
Achchhe lafz waqt se aage behte hain.
Hyderabadi Sher Shayari
Hyderabadi sher shayari has its own mithaas, hau for yes, nakko for no, kaiku for why, and a pace that refuses to hurry. Six lines in that Dakhani mood.
हैदराबादी शाम और चारमीनार की गली,
यादों की चूड़ी यहाँ हर मोड़ पे मिली।
Hyderabadi shaam aur Charminar ki gali,
Yaadon ki choodi yahan har mod pe mili.
कैकू इतना सोचते बोलो, हौले से जियो,
हल्लू हल्लू चलते रहो, चाय गरम पियो।
Kaiku itna sochte bolo, haule se jiyo,
Hallu hallu chalte raho, chai garam piyo.
नक्को बोलो ग़म को, हौ बोलो उम्मीद को,
अपनों के बीच रहो, नक्को उस भीड़ को।
Nakko bolo gham ko, hau bolo ummeed ko,
Apnon ke beech raho, nakko us bheed ko.
पुराना शहर बोला, हल्लू चलो मियाँ,
जल्दी में गुज़र जाती है ये ज़िंदगी यहाँ।
Puraana shehar bola, hallu chalo miyaan,
Jaldi mein guzar jaati hai ye zindagi yahaan.
शाम ढली तो हुसैन सागर ठहर गया,
डूबता सूरज पानी में उतर गया।
Shaam dhali to Hussain Sagar theher gaya,
Doobta sooraj paani mein utar gaya.
बात में मिठास और लहजे में ठहराव,
हैदराबादी शेर का यही है छुपा लगाव।
Baat mein mithaas aur lehje mein thehraav,
Hyderabadi sher ka yahi hai chhupa lagaav.
Sher Aur Shayari on Zindagi
Sher aur shayari about daily life, the kind of shero shayari in hindi that people save for hard mornings.
गिर के उठने का हुनर आ जाए जिसे,
वक़्त भी झुक के सलाम करे उसे।
Gir ke uthne ka hunar aa jaaye jise,
Waqt bhi jhuk ke salaam kare use.
धूप में तपे बिना रंग नहीं निखरता,
मुश्किलों के बिना इंसान नहीं सँवरता।
Dhoop mein tape bina rang nahi nikharta,
Mushkilon ke bina insaan nahi sanwarta.
अपनी क़ीमत का शोर नहीं करते हीरे,
परखने वाले ख़ुद आते हैं धीरे धीरे।
Apni qeemat ka shor nahi karte heere,
Parakhne waale khud aate hain dheere dheere.
अब उनके सलाम में वो गर्मी नहीं रहती,
महफ़िल वही है, मगर हमदमी नहीं रहती।
Ab unke salaam mein wo garmi nahi rehti,
Mehfil wahi hai, magar hamdami nahi rehti.
किसी के हिस्से की रौशनी ना चुराइए,
अपना सूरज ख़ुद उगाना सीख जाइए।
Kisi ke hisse ki raushni na churaaiye,
Apna sooraj khud ugaana seekh jaaiye.
सच बोलने की आदत महँगी ज़रूर है,
मगर इसी से चेहरे पे नूर है।
Sach bolne ki aadat mehngi zaroor hai,
Magar isi se chehre pe noor hai.
Bold Lines: Pathan Sher o Shayari Andaz
Pathan sher o shayari means a bold, straight-backed delivery, loud in dignity, never in volume. Six sher in that andaz, including two on the sher and sherni themselves.
लहजा नरम है, इरादे चट्टान रखते हैं,
हम दोस्ती में भी वफ़ा की शान रखते हैं।
Lehja naram hai, iraade chattaan rakhte hain,
Hum dosti mein bhi wafa ki shaan rakhte hain.
झुकते हैं सिर्फ़ अपनों की दुआओं में,
वरना क़द ऊँचा रखते हैं हवाओं में।
Jhukte hain sirf apnon ki duaaon mein,
Warna qad ooncha rakhte hain hawaaon mein.
शेर चलता है तो रस्ते ख़ुद सँभल जाते हैं,
दहाड़ से पहले ही इरादे बदल जाते हैं।
Sher chalta hai to raste khud sambhal jaate hain,
Dahaad se pehle hi iraade badal jaate hain.
शेरनी सी हिम्मत हो तो घर रौशन रहता है,
माँ के क़दमों से ही सब गुलशन रहता है।
Sherni si himmat ho to ghar raushan rehta hai,
Maa ke qadmon se hi sab gulshan rehta hai.
वफ़ा हमारी ज़ुबान का पहला हर्फ़ है,
दुश्मनी में भी अदब हमारा ज़र्फ़ है।
Wafa hamaari zubaan ka pehla harf hai,
Dushmani mein bhi adab hamaara zarf hai.
आख़िरी शेर में लिखने वाला उतर आता है,
मक़्ता क्या है, शायर का पता बताता है।
Aakhiri sher mein likhne waala utar aata hai,
Maqta kya hai, shaayar ka pata bataata hai.
Matla, Maqta, Radif and Qafiya, on One of Our Own Sher
Take sher 7 from the mehfil section above.
Mehfil mein saleeqe se utarta hai sher,
Dil se nikalta hai to thehrta hai sher.
- Radif is the part repeated word for word at the end of both lines. Here it is hai sher.
- Qafiya is the rhyming word just before the radif. Here utarta and thehrta rhyme on the same sound.
- Matla is the opening sher of a ghazal, where both lines carry the qafiya and radif. The couplet above is built exactly like a matla.
- Maqta is the closing sher, where the poet slips in a takhallus, a pen name. Sher 30 above describes this move, like a signature at the end of a letter.
Read any couplet on this page again and try to spot the qafiya. Once you see the machinery, a good sher becomes twice the pleasure, and the ghazal shayari page shows what happens when many sher share one radif.
Sher vs Shayari: Two Words People Mix Up
Shayari is the whole art, every form of it. A sher is one two line unit of that art, so sher and shayari sit together in our library the way a brick sits in a building. When people say shero shayari, or sher o shayari, they mean an evening or a page full of such couplets. The phrase is the same whether you type shero shayari in hindi, shero shayari urdu or hindi shero shayari in english, only the script changes, which is why every item here carries both scripts.
A nazm, by contrast, is a longer poem on one subject, and a ghazal is a chain of sher in one rhyme scheme. If you want the shortest possible pieces, the 2 line urdu shayari shelf keeps everything to two lines.
How to Deliver a Sher in a Mehfil
A sher is a performance, even on WhatsApp. In a real gathering, say irshaad or arz kiya hai to ask for attention, read the first misra, then read it again. The repeat is not a mistake, it lets listeners lean in before the second line lands. Pause one beat, deliver the second misra, and let the daad come to you. The bold pathan style keeps the chest open and the pace slow, while the Hyderabadi style wins with mithaas and a smile.
Online, the same logic works. Post the first line as the caption hook, put the full sher in the image, and let the turn do its job. The Shayari Library home has forty more Urdu pieces to practise on, and the poet pages, like Mirza Ghalib, show how the masters shaped the same two lines.
Reader questions
What is sher shayari?
A sher is a complete two line poem with a rhythm and usually a rhyme, and sher shayari simply means poetry made of such couplets. Each line is called a misra. A sher can stand alone or join other sher inside a ghazal.
What is the difference between sher and shayari?
Shayari is the whole art of this poetry, while a sher is one two line unit of it. Saying sher aur shayari together is like saying songs and music. This page holds 30 standalone sher, all original.
What makes hyderabadi sher shayari special?
The Dakhani flavour. Words like hau, nakko, kaiku and hallu, a relaxed pace, and gentle humour. Our Hyderabadi section above keeps that tone with images from the old city, Charminar and Hussain Sagar.
What is pathan sher o shayari?
It is a popular name for a bold, dignified style of reciting, straight posture, slow pace, full confidence. The last section above is written in that andaz, lines about wafa, zarf and standing tall without shouting.
What do matla, maqta, radif and qafiya mean?
Radif is the repeated ending, qafiya is the rhyme before it, matla is a ghazal's opening sher where both lines rhyme, and maqta is the closing sher carrying the poet's pen name. The craft guide above walks through all four using sher 7 from this page.
Can I get this shero shayari hindi english both?
Yes. Every sher here is printed in Hindi script with the Roman English version below it, so you can copy whichever your friends read. For pages built Roman-first, open shayari in English.
