The talwar (Urdu, Pashto: تلوار, Hindi: तलवार, Panjabi: ਤਲਵਾਰ) is a type of curved sword or sabre from the Indian sub-continent, and is found in the modern countries of India , Pakistan and Afghanistan. The word is also spelled talwaar and tulwar.

The talwar originated alongside other curved swords such as the Arab saif, the Persian shamshir, the Turkish kilij and the Afghan pulwar, all such swords being originally derived from earlier curved swords developed in Turkic Central Asia.

The use of talwar became more widespread under the Mughal Dynasty who were of Turko-Mongol origins. The Mughal Emperor Akbar is known to have built large foundries producing the best quality sword blades; Akbar himself is known to have preferred Damascus steel talwars, which were considered the sharpest blades ever used in battle in South Asia.

The blade profile of the British Pattern 1796 light cavalry sabre is similar to some examples of the Mysore talwar utilized by the forces of Tipu Sultan, and expert opinion has suggested that the talwar, due to its effectiveness and successful use in battle in the Indian subcontinent, may have contributed to the design of the British sabre.