Where Punjabi is spoken
Punjabi is the everyday language of the Punjab region of South Asia — the name comes from panj āb, "five waters," referring to the rivers of the area. The historical region is now divided between Punjab in India and Punjab in Pakistan, and Punjabi is also a major community language in the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States, Australia, and the Gulf states.
This course teaches the variety used in Indian Punjab and by most of the diaspora — sometimes called Eastern Punjabi — written in the Gurmukhi script. In Pakistani Punjab the language is written in Shahmukhi, an Arabic-based script. We won't cover Shahmukhi here, but it's useful to know it exists so you're not surprised when you meet it online.
| Punjabi | Transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ਪੰਜਾਬੀ | pañjābī | Punjabi (the language) |
| ਪੰਜਾਬ | pañjāb | Punjab (the region) |
| ਗੁਰਮੁਖੀ | gurmukhī | Gurmukhi (the script) |
| ਭਾਰਤ | bhārat | India |
Listen to the words with the audio buttons.
How Punjabi is different from English
A few big differences to expect — you'll learn each of these properly in the grammar articles:
| Feature | English | Punjabi |
|---|---|---|
| Word order | Subject–Verb–Object (I eat bread) | Subject–Object–Verb (I bread eat — SOV) |
| Noun gender | No grammatical gender | Every noun is masculine or feminine |
| Prepositions | Come before the noun (in the house) | Postpositions — come after (house in) |
| Politeness | One 'you' for everyone | Different 'you' forms by closeness and respect |
| Tone | Not used for word meaning | A pitch accent / tone system affects meaning |
SOV order is a strong tendency rather than a rigid rule, but you'll sound most natural following it.
A quick taste of the order difference:
ਮੈਂ ਰੋਟੀ ਖਾਂਦਾ ਹਾਂ
I (masculine speaker) eat bread
Word-by-word: I — bread — eat — am. The verb comes last.
ਉਹ ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਸਿੱਖਦੀ ਹੈ
She is learning Punjabi
She — Punjabi — learning — is.
The script: Gurmukhi
Eastern Punjabi is written in Gurmukhi, a left-to-right script standardized for Punjabi in the 16th century and strongly associated with Sikh religious texts — though today it is simply the everyday writing system of Indian Punjab.
Gurmukhi is not an alphabet in the English sense: consonant letters carry an inherent vowel, and other vowels are written as marks attached above, below, before, or after the letter. The script article walks you through it step by step — you do not need to memorize all the letters before moving on.
| Gurmukhi | Transliteration | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| ਕ | ka | consonant letter (carries an inherent 'a' unless a vowel mark says otherwise) |
| ਕੀ | kī | the same letter with the vowel sign for ī |
| ਹਾਂ | hāṁ | a word with a nasalized vowel (the dot is the nasal mark bindi) |
| ੧੨੩ | 1 2 3 | Gurmukhi digits — you'll also see Western digits everywhere |
Transliteration in this course follows a single consistent romanization convention so the same word is always spelled the same way.
Politeness and respect
Punjabi has more than one word for "you." The safe default for learners is the polite tusīṁ — you'll use it with strangers, elders, shopkeepers, and basically everyone except close friends and children. The pronouns article explains the full picture; for now, remember one rule: when in doubt, be polite.
| Punjabi | Transliteration | Use |
|---|---|---|
| ਤੁਸੀਂ | tusīṁ | you — polite / plural (your default) |
| ਤੂੰ | tūṁ | you — intimate, close friends, children |
| ਜੀ | jī | a little word that adds respect — appended to names and answers |
Your first five Punjabi phrases
Five phrases you can use from day one. The greeting ਸਤਿ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਅਕਾਲ (sat srī akāl) comes from Sikh tradition but is the everyday hello for Punjabi speakers of all backgrounds in India.
| Punjabi | Transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ਸਤਿ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਅਕਾਲ | sat srī akāl | Hello (the standard greeting) |
| ਤੁਸੀਂ ਕਿਵੇਂ ਹੋ? | tusīṁ kiveṁ ho? | How are you? (polite) |
| ਮੈਂ ਠੀਕ ਹਾਂ | maiṁ ṭhīk hāṁ | I'm fine |
| ਧੰਨਵਾਦ | dhannvād | Thank you (formal) |
| ਫਿਰ ਮਿਲਾਂਗੇ | phir milāṅge | See you again |
How to use this course
Work through the articles in order if you're new — script and pronunciation first, then grammar, then practical topics. Every Punjabi word and phrase appears in Gurmukhi with a consistent transliteration and an English gloss. Audio buttons let you hear each word — say them out loud, shadowing is the fastest way to get comfortable with new sounds.
Mini practice
Q1. Which script does this course teach for Punjabi?
- Shahmukhi
- Gurmukhi
- Devanagari
- The Latin alphabet
Answer: Gurmukhi
Q2. What is the typical word order of a Punjabi sentence?
- Subject–Verb–Object, like English
- Verb–Subject–Object
- Subject–Object–Verb — the verb usually comes last
- Free order — anything goes
Answer: Subject–Object–Verb — the verb usually comes last
Q3. Which word for 'you' is the safe, polite default for learners?
- tūṁ
- tusīṁ
- ih
- uh
Answer: tusīṁ
Q4. What does 'Sat srī akāl' mean?
- Goodbye
- Thank you
- Hello
- Excuse me
Answer: Hello
Q5. In 'maiṁ roṭī khāndā hāṁ' (I eat bread), which word is the verb?
- maiṁ
- roṭī
- khāndā
- hāṁ
Answer: khāndā