Gurmukhi
Gurmukhi is written left to right, and almost everything is spelled the way it sounds. 35 letters, 6 more with a dot underneath, and 10 vowel signs that hang off them. That is the whole system.
Before the letters
start hereHow the script works
7 short ideas that make the letters far easier: the line along the top, the vowel that is already inside every consonant, where the signs hang, and why the small marks change the word.
Nothing to memorise
Reading
the point of all thisReading trainer
Five levels, letters through to whole sentences. Knowing the letters and reading Punjabi are two different skills; this is where the second one is practised, with the transliteration switched off when you are ready.
208 items across 5 levels
Learning them
a row at a sittingLearn the letters
The same letters, taught a row at a time: what the row has in common, the sound, a word it appears in, stroke order and somewhere to write it.
Sounds that get confused
ਕ against ਖ, ਤ against ਟ, ਰ against ੜ — the contrasts English does not make, with where the tongue goes for each one.
The letters
41 letters — referenceVowel carriers
ūṛā
carries the u, ū and o vowels
ਉੱਲੂullūowl
aiṛā
carries the a, ā, e and ai vowels
ਅੱਜajjtoday
īṛī
carries the i and ī vowels
ਇੱਕikkone
ਸ and ਹ
sassā
s as in sun
ਸੇਬsebapple
hāhā
h as in hat
ਹੱਥhatthhand
Back of the mouth
kakkā
k as in skin, with no puff of air
ਕਮਰਾkamrāroom
khakkhā
kh — like k in kite, with a strong puff of air
ਖੰਡkhaṇḍsugar
gaggā
g as in go
ਗਾਂgā̃cow
ghaggā
gh — in practice a k sound with the voice dipping low
ਘਰgharhouse, home
ṅaṅṅā
ng as in sing
ਸਿੰਘsiṅghlion (as in the name Singh)
Middle of the mouth
caccā
ch as in cheese, but lighter and with no puff of air
ਚਾਹcāhtea
chacchā
chh — like ch in cheese with a strong puff of air
ਛੱਤchattroof
jajjā
j as in jam
ਜੁੱਤੀjuttīshoe
jhajjā
jh — in practice a ch sound with the voice dipping low
ਝੰਡਾjhaṇḍāflag
ñaññā
ny as in canyon
ਪੰਜਾਬੀpañjābīPunjabi
Tongue curled back
ṭaiṅkā
t with the tongue curled back against the roof of the mouth
ਟਮਾਟਰṭamāṭartomato
ṭhaṭṭhā
ṭh — curled-back t with a strong puff of air
ਠੀਕṭhīkfine, okay
ḍaḍḍā
d with the tongue curled back
ਡੱਬਾḍabbābox
ḍhaḍḍā
ḍh — in practice a curled-back ṭ with the voice dipping low
ਢੋਲḍholdrum
ṇāṇā
n with the tongue curled back
ਪਾਣੀpāṇīwater
Tongue on the teeth
tattā
t with the tongue against the back of the top teeth
ਤਾਰਾtārāstar
thatthā
th — dental t with a strong puff of air
ਥਾਲੀthālīplate
daddā
d with the tongue against the back of the top teeth
ਦੁੱਧduddhmilk
dhaddā
dh — in practice a dental t with the voice dipping low
ਧੰਨਵਾਦdhannvādthank you
nannā
n as in net
ਨਾਮnāmname
Lips
pappā
p as in spin, with no puff of air
ਪਿੰਡpiṇḍvillage
phapphā
ph — like p in pin, with a strong puff of air
ਫਲphalfruit
babbā
b as in bus
ਬੱਚਾbaccāchild
bhabbā
bh — in practice a p sound with the voice dipping low
ਭੈਣbhaiṇsister
mammā
m as in map
ਮਾਂmā̃mother
The last row
yayyā
y as in yes
ਯਾਦyādmemory
rārā
r — a light tap of the tongue, as in Spanish pero
ਰੋਟੀroṭīroti, bread
lallā
l as in let
ਲੱਸੀlassīlassi
vāvā
v or w — between the two English sounds
ਵੱਡਾvaḍḍābig
ṛāṛā
ṛ — flick the curled-back tongue down off the roof of the mouth
ਘੋੜਾghoṛāhorse
Pairī̃ bindī letters
sasse pairī̃ bindī
sh as in ship
ਸ਼ਹਿਰśahircity
khakkhe pairī̃ bindī
kh made at the back of the throat, as in Scottish loch
ਖ਼ਬਰxabarnews
gagge pairī̃ bindī
a throaty g, like a French r made with the voice on
ਗ਼ਲਤġalatwrong
jajje pairī̃ bindī
z as in zoo
ਸਬਜ਼ੀsabzīvegetable
phapphe pairī̃ bindī
f as in fan
ਫ਼ੋਨfonphone
lalle pairī̃ bindī
l with the tongue curled back
ਵਾਲ਼vāḷhair
The vowel signs
shown on ਕEach sign is taught on the same consonant, ਕ, so what changes is only the vowel. Learn the ten shapes here and they work on every other letter unchanged.
muktā ਮੁਕਤਾ
a short uh, as in the a of about
ਘਰgharhouse
kannā ਕੰਨਾ
a long aa, as in father
ਮਾਤਾmātāmother
sihārī ਸਿਹਾਰੀ
a short i, as in sit
ਕਿਤਾਬkitābbook
bihārī ਬਿਹਾਰੀ
a long ee, as in see
ਰੋਟੀroṭīroti, bread
auṅkaṛ ਔਂਕੜ
a short u, as in put
ਕੁੜੀkuṛīgirl
dulaiṅkaṛ ਦੁਲੈਂਕੜ
a long oo, as in food
ਦੂਰdūrfar
lā̃ ਲਾਂ
a long ay, as in day
ਸੇਬsebapple
dulāvā̃ ਦੁਲਾਵਾਂ
an open e, close to the a in cat
ਪੈਸਾpaisāmoney
hoṛā ਹੋੜਾ
a long o, as in go
ਮੋਰmorpeacock
kanauṛā ਕਨੌੜਾ
an open o, close to the aw in saw
ਕੌਣkauṇwho
The marks
A small curl sitting on the top bar. It stands for a nasal sound — n, m or ng — and which one it is depends on the letter that follows. You do not have to memorise that: say it naturally and your mouth picks the right one, exactly as English does in the same place.
ਪੰਜਾਬੀpañjābīPunjabiਪਿੰਡpiṇḍvillageਰੰਗraṅgcolourਬੰਦbandclosed
A dot above the line. Unlike tippi it does not add a separate n sound — it nasalises the vowel itself, the way the French word bon does. It appears on many of the commonest words in Punjabi, so you meet it immediately.
ਮੈਂmaĩIਹਾਂhā̃yesਨਹੀਂnahī̃no, notਤੁਸੀਂtusī̃you (respectful)
Written above the line, before the letter it doubles. You hold the consonant for slightly longer, as in the English word bookkeeper. It changes meaning, so it is never optional: ਪਤਾ is an address and ਪੱਤਾ is a leaf.
ਦੁੱਧduddhmilkਸੱਚsacctruthਪੱਤਾpattāleafਵੱਡਾvaḍḍābig
Some letters are written in a small form beneath another letter rather than beside it. The commonest is ਹ. It blends into the letter above it and, in modern Punjabi, usually lowers the tone of the word rather than being heard as a separate h.
ਪੜ੍ਹਨਾpaṛhnāto readਕੱਲ੍ਹkallhtomorrow, or yesterdayਨ੍ਹਾਉਣਾnhāuṇāto bathe
The same idea with ਰ: a small hook below the letter, pronounced straight after it with no vowel in between. It turns up in words borrowed from Sanskrit and in names.
ਪ੍ਰੇਮpremloveਸ੍ਰੀsrīSri (a title of respect)
The least common of the three. Worth recognising so it does not stop you mid-sentence, but you will rarely need to write it.
ਸ੍ਵਰਗsvaragheaven