Sounds that get confused
Punjabi separates sounds that English runs together, and English separates some that Punjabi does not. These are the pairs worth slowing down for — swapping them does not make a word sound foreign, it makes it a different word.
ਕ ਖ ਗ ਘ
Four letters made in the same place, at the back of the mouth. What separates them is breath and voice: ਕ is a bare k, ਖ is the same k with a puff of air behind it, ਗ is a g, and ਘ is written gh but in modern Punjabi is heard as a k with the voice dipping low.
Hold your palm in front of your mouth. ਕ barely moves it; ਖ pushes a clear puff of air against it.
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
ਤ and ਟ
Both are a t, made in two different places. For ਤ the tip of the tongue touches the back of the top teeth, which sounds softer than any English t. For ਟ the tongue curls back and taps the roof of the mouth — this is the one closer to the English t in top.
ਤ: tongue on the teeth. ਟ: tongue curled up and back.
tattā
t with the tongue against the back of the top teeth
ਤਾਰਾtārāstar
ṭaiṅkā
t with the tongue curled back against the roof of the mouth
ਟਮਾਟਰṭamāṭartomato
ਦ and ਡ
The same pair of positions with the voice on. ਦ is a soft d against the teeth; ਡ is a d with the tongue curled back. Punjabi treats them as completely separate sounds, so swapping them changes the word.
ਦ: tongue on the teeth. ਡ: tongue curled up and back.
daddā
d with the tongue against the back of the top teeth
ਦੁੱਧduddhmilk
ḍaḍḍā
d with the tongue curled back
ਡੱਬਾḍabbābox
ਰ and ੜ
ਰ is a light tap, close to the r in Spanish pero. ੜ is made by curling the tongue back and flicking it down off the roof of the mouth. It never starts a word, and it is not a variation of ਰ — ਘੋੜਾ, a horse, cannot be written with ਰ.
For ੜ, start with the tongue curled back as for ਟ, then flick it forward.
rārā
r — a light tap of the tongue, as in Spanish pero
ਰੋਟੀroṭīroti, bread
ṛāṛā
ṛ — flick the curled-back tongue down off the roof of the mouth
ਘੋੜਾghoṛāhorse
ਨ and ਣ
ਨ is an ordinary n with the tongue on the teeth. ਣ is an n with the tongue curled back, and it never begins a word. It is very common inside words: ਪਾਣੀ, water, is the one to remember it by.
ਣ: say n with the tongue curled up towards the roof of the mouth.
nannā
n as in net
ਨਾਮnāmname
ṇāṇā
n with the tongue curled back
ਪਾਣੀpāṇīwater
ਪ ਫ ਬ ਭ
The lip sounds, following the same pattern as the ਕ group. ਪ is a bare p, ਫ is p with a puff of air, ਬ is b, and ਭ is written bh but is heard as a p with the voice dipping low. Note that ਫ is not an f — the f sound is written ਫ਼, with a dot beneath.
ਪ as in spin, ਫ as in pin. English p is usually closer to ਫ.
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
These contrasts really want ears rather than eyes, and the listening drills that belong here are waiting on recorded audio. There is none yet, and a synthetic voice mispronounces exactly these sounds — so rather than drill you against a wrong model, the page stops here. Find a Punjabi speaker and read these words at them; they will correct you in seconds.