Vocabulary
85 words, each one checked before it was added. Tap ☆ to keep a word for review.
Greetings
2 wordsਸਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਅਕਾਲ
sat srī akāl
hello (the standard Punjabi greeting)
Used for both hello and goodbye, at any time of day. It is a Sikh greeting that is now the everyday greeting across Punjabi speakers.
ਸਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਅਕਾਲ ਜੀ।
sat srī akāl jī.
Hello. (with jī, which adds respect)
ਧੰਨਵਾਦ
dhannvād
thank you
ਧੰਨਵਾਦ ਜੀ।
dhannvād jī.
Thank you. (politely)
Expressions
3 wordsਜੀ
jī
a word added to show respect
It has no English equivalent. Added after a greeting, a name or yes and no, it makes the whole sentence polite.
ਹਾਂ ਜੀ।
hā̃ jī.
Yes. (politely)
ਹਾਂ
hā̃
yes
The same spelling is also the verb am, as in ਮੈਂ ਠੀਕ ਹਾਂ. Which one it is comes from the sentence, never from the spelling.
ਹਾਂ ਜੀ।
hā̃ jī.
Yes. (politely)
ਨਹੀਂ
nahī̃
no, not
ਨਹੀਂ ਜੀ।
nahī̃ jī.
No. (politely)
Pronouns
9 wordsਮੈਂ
maĩ
I
ਮੈਂ ਠੀਕ ਹਾਂ।
maĩ ṭhīk hā̃.
I am fine.
ਤੁਸੀਂ
tusī̃
you (respectful, and for more than one person)
Punjabi has two words for you. ਤੁਸੀਂ is the safe one: use it with anyone older, anyone you have just met, and any group.
ਤੁਸੀਂ ਕਿਵੇਂ ਹੋ?
tusī̃ kivẽ ho?
How are you?
ਤੂੰ
tū̃
you (to a friend, a child, or someone younger)
Warm between friends, insulting to an elder or a stranger. Until you are sure, use ਤੁਸੀਂ — nobody is ever offended by being addressed too politely.
ਤੂੰ ਕਿੱਥੇ ਹੈਂ?
tū̃ kitthe haĩ?
Where are you?
ਇਹ
ih
this, these; he, she, it (someone near)
Said more like eh than ih — the ਹ barely sounds. It points at whatever is close by, including a person standing next to you.
ਇਹ ਮੇਰਾ ਘਰ ਹੈ।
ih merā ghar hai.
This is my house.
ਉਹ
uh
that, those; he, she, it (someone further away)
Said more like oh. Punjabi has no separate he and she, so ਉਹ covers both — who is meant comes from the conversation.
ਉਹ ਮੇਰੀ ਭੈਣ ਹੈ।
uh merī bhaiṇ hai.
That is my sister.
ਅਸੀਂ
asī̃
we
ਅਸੀਂ ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਬੋਲਦੇ ਹਾਂ।
asī̃ pañjābī bolde hā̃.
We speak Punjabi.
ਮੇਰਾ
merā
my
It changes to match what is owned, not who owns it: ਮੇਰਾ ਘਰ (my house, masculine), ਮੇਰੀ ਭੈਣ (my sister, feminine), ਮੇਰੇ ਭਰਾ (my brothers, plural).
ਇਹ ਮੇਰਾ ਘਰ ਹੈ।
ih merā ghar hai.
This is my house.
ਤੁਹਾਡਾ
tuhāḍā
your (matching ਤੁਸੀਂ)
The polite your, and the one to use with anyone you would call ਤੁਸੀਂ. It agrees with the thing owned exactly as ਮੇਰਾ does.
ਤੁਹਾਡਾ ਨਾਂ ਕੀ ਹੈ?
tuhāḍā nā̃ kī hai?
What is your name?
ਮੈਨੂੰ
mainū̃
to me, me
Punjabi says liking, needing and knowing to a person rather than by a person: literally tea is pleasing to me. Expect ਮੈਨੂੰ wherever English would start with I feel or I like.
ਮੈਨੂੰ ਚਾਹ ਪਸੰਦ ਹੈ।
mainū̃ cāh pasand hai.
I like tea.
Adjectives
5 wordsਠੀਕ
ṭhīk
fine, all right
ਮੈਂ ਠੀਕ ਹਾਂ।
maĩ ṭhīk hā̃.
I am fine.
ਚੰਗਾ
caṅgā
good
Changes with what it describes: ਚੰਗਾ ਘਰ, ਚੰਗੀ ਕਿਤਾਬ, ਚੰਗੇ ਬੱਚੇ. Also used on its own to mean all right, the way English says fine, then.
ਇਹ ਚੰਗਾ ਹੈ।
ih caṅgā hai.
This is good.
ਵੱਡਾ
vaḍḍā
big; older
Size and age are the same word: ਵੱਡਾ ਭਰਾ is an older brother, not a large one.
ਮੇਰਾ ਭਰਾ ਵੱਡਾ ਹੈ।
merā bharā vaḍḍā hai.
My brother is older.
ਛੋਟਾ
choṭā
small; younger
ਮੇਰਾ ਕਮਰਾ ਛੋਟਾ ਹੈ।
merā kamrā choṭā hai.
My room is small.
ਬਹੁਤ
bahut
very, a lot
ਦਾਲ ਬਹੁਤ ਸੁਆਦ ਹੈ।
dāl bahut suād hai.
The dal is very tasty.
Question words
8 wordsਕਿਵੇਂ
kivẽ
how
ਤੁਸੀਂ ਕਿਵੇਂ ਹੋ?
tusī̃ kivẽ ho?
How are you?
ਕੀ
kī
what
Also placed at the front of a sentence to turn it into a yes-or-no question, the way a raised voice does in English.
ਇਹ ਕੀ ਹੈ?
ih kī hai?
What is this?
ਕੌਣ
kauṇ
who
ਉਹ ਕੌਣ ਹੈ?
uh kauṇ hai?
Who is that?
ਕਿੱਥੇ
kitthe
where
ਤੁਸੀਂ ਕਿੱਥੇ ਰਹਿੰਦੇ ਹੋ?
tusī̃ kitthe rahinde ho?
Where do you live?
ਕਦੋਂ
kadõ
when
ਤੁਸੀਂ ਕਦੋਂ ਆਓਗੇ?
tusī̃ kadõ āoge?
When will you come?
ਕਿਉਂ
kiũ
why
ਤੁਸੀਂ ਕਿਉਂ ਜਾ ਰਹੇ ਹੋ?
tusī̃ kiũ jā rahe ho?
Why are you going?
ਕਿੰਨਾ
kinnā
how much, how many
Agrees with what is being counted, like an adjective: ਕਿੰਨਾ ਪਾਣੀ, ਕਿੰਨੀ ਚਾਹ, ਕਿੰਨੇ ਬੱਚੇ.
ਕਿੰਨਾ ਪਾਣੀ ਚਾਹੀਦਾ ਹੈ?
kinnā pāṇī cāhīdā hai?
How much water do you need?
ਕਿਹੜਾ
kihṛā
which
ਕਿਹੜਾ ਰੰਗ ਚੰਗਾ ਹੈ?
kihṛā raṅg caṅgā hai?
Which colour is good?
Numbers
11 wordsਇੱਕ
ikk
one
The ੱ (adhak) doubles the k, so it is ik-k, not ik. Punjabi hears that doubling clearly.
ਮੇਰੇ ਕੋਲ ਇੱਕ ਕਿਤਾਬ ਹੈ।
mere kol ikk kitāb hai.
I have one book.
ਦੋ
do
two
ਮੇਰੇ ਦੋ ਭਰਾ ਹਨ।
mere do bharā han.
I have two brothers.
ਤਿੰਨ
tinn
three
ਸਾਡੇ ਘਰ ਤਿੰਨ ਕਮਰੇ ਹਨ।
sāḍe ghar tinn kamre han.
Our house has three rooms.
ਚਾਰ
cār
four
ਮੇਜ਼ ਦੀਆਂ ਚਾਰ ਲੱਤਾਂ ਹਨ।
mez dīā̃ cār lattā̃ han.
A table has four legs.
ਪੰਜ
pañj
five
Worth knowing on the first day: ਪੰਜ (five) + ਆਬ (water) is where the name Punjab comes from.
ਪੰਜਾਬ ਦਾ ਮਤਲਬ ਪੰਜ ਦਰਿਆ ਹੈ।
pañjāb dā matlab pañj dariā hai.
Punjab means five rivers.
ਛੇ
che
six
ਛੇ ਵਜੇ ਹਨ।
che vaje han.
It is six o'clock.
ਸੱਤ
satt
seven
ਹਫ਼ਤੇ ਵਿੱਚ ਸੱਤ ਦਿਨ ਹੁੰਦੇ ਹਨ।
hafte vicc satt din hunde han.
There are seven days in a week.
ਅੱਠ
aṭṭh
eight
Two hard sounds at once: the ਠ is retroflex (tongue curled back) and aspirated (a puff of air).
ਮੈਂ ਅੱਠ ਵਜੇ ਆਵਾਂਗਾ।
maĩ aṭṭh vaje āvāṅgā.
I will come at eight.
ਨੌਂ
naũ
nine
ਨੌਂ ਬੱਚੇ ਬਾਹਰ ਖੇਡ ਰਹੇ ਹਨ।
naũ bacce bāhar kheḍ rahe han.
Nine children are playing outside.
ਦਸ
das
ten
ਮੇਰੇ ਕੋਲ ਦਸ ਰੁਪਏ ਹਨ।
mere kol das rupae han.
I have ten rupees.
ਸੌ
sau
hundred
ਇਹ ਕਿਤਾਬ ਸੌ ਰੁਪਏ ਦੀ ਹੈ।
ih kitāb sau rupae dī hai.
This book costs a hundred rupees.
Family
12 wordsਪਰਿਵਾਰ
parivār
family
ਸਾਡਾ ਪਰਿਵਾਰ ਵੱਡਾ ਹੈ।
sāḍā parivār vaḍḍā hai.
Our family is big.
ਮਾਂ
mā̃
mother
The ਂ (bindi) puts the sound through the nose. Children usually say ਮੰਮੀ instead.
ਮੇਰੀ ਮਾਂ ਘਰ ਹੈ।
merī mā̃ ghar hai.
My mother is at home.
ਪਿਤਾ
pitā
father
Usually said with ਜੀ after it. In everyday speech people more often say ਪਾਪਾ or ਡੈਡੀ; ਪਿਤਾ is the word you will see written.
ਮੇਰੇ ਪਿਤਾ ਜੀ ਕੰਮ ਤੇ ਹਨ।
mere pitā jī kamm te han.
My father is at work.
ਭਰਾ
bharā
brother
ਮੇਰਾ ਭਰਾ ਵੱਡਾ ਹੈ।
merā bharā vaḍḍā hai.
My brother is older.
ਭੈਣ
bhaiṇ
sister
Ends in ਣ, the retroflex n — tongue curled back to the roof of the mouth, not the ਨ of English n.
ਮੇਰੀ ਭੈਣ ਪੜ੍ਹਦੀ ਹੈ।
merī bhaiṇ paṛhdī hai.
My sister studies.
ਪੁੱਤਰ
puttar
son
Also used affectionately to any younger person, the way English uses son or lad.
ਉਹ ਮੇਰਾ ਪੁੱਤਰ ਹੈ।
uh merā puttar hai.
He is my son.
ਧੀ
dhī
daughter
ਉਹ ਮੇਰੀ ਧੀ ਹੈ।
uh merī dhī hai.
She is my daughter.
ਬੱਚਾ
baccā
child
Plural ਬੱਚੇ. Words ending in -ਾ are nearly always masculine and nearly always change that -ਾ to -ੇ in the plural.
ਬੱਚਾ ਸੌਂ ਰਿਹਾ ਹੈ।
baccā saũ rihā hai.
The child is sleeping.
ਦਾਦਾ
dādā
grandfather (father's father)
ਮੇਰੇ ਦਾਦਾ ਜੀ ਪਿੰਡ ਰਹਿੰਦੇ ਹਨ।
mere dādā jī piṇḍ rahinde han.
My grandfather lives in the village.
ਦਾਦੀ
dādī
grandmother (father's mother)
ਮੇਰੀ ਦਾਦੀ ਜੀ ਕਹਾਣੀ ਸੁਣਾਉਂਦੇ ਹਨ।
merī dādī jī kahāṇī suṇāunde han.
My grandmother tells a story.
ਨਾਨਾ
nānā
grandfather (mother's father)
Your mother's side takes ਨਾਨਾ and ਨਾਨੀ; your father's side takes ਦਾਦਾ and ਦਾਦੀ. Punjabi never blurs the two.
ਮੇਰੇ ਨਾਨਾ ਜੀ ਆਏ ਹਨ।
mere nānā jī āe han.
My grandfather has come.
ਨਾਨੀ
nānī
grandmother (mother's mother)
ਮੈਂ ਆਪਣੀ ਨਾਨੀ ਨੂੰ ਮਿਲਿਆ।
maĩ āpṇī nānī nū̃ miliā.
I met my grandmother.
Food and drink
12 wordsਪਾਣੀ
pāṇī
water
Three parts: ਪ + ਾ + ਣ + ੀ. The ਣ is retroflex — the tongue curls back, which is what makes it sound different from ਨ.
ਮੈਨੂੰ ਪਾਣੀ ਚਾਹੀਦਾ ਹੈ।
mainū̃ pāṇī cāhīdā hai.
I need water.
ਰੋਟੀ
roṭī
bread; a meal
It means flatbread, but ਰੋਟੀ ਖਾਧੀ? (have you eaten roti?) is how people ask whether you have eaten at all.
ਰੋਟੀ ਤਿਆਰ ਹੈ।
roṭī tiār hai.
The food is ready.
ਦੁੱਧ
duddh
milk
ਬੱਚਾ ਦੁੱਧ ਪੀਂਦਾ ਹੈ।
baccā duddh pīndā hai.
The child drinks milk.
ਚਾਹ
cāh
tea
Offered constantly, and refusing twice before accepting is normal.
ਚਾਹ ਪੀ ਲਓ।
cāh pī lao.
Have some tea.
ਦਾਲ
dāl
lentils, dal
ਦਾਲ ਬਹੁਤ ਸੁਆਦ ਹੈ।
dāl bahut suād hai.
The dal is very tasty.
ਸਬਜ਼ੀ
sabzī
vegetable; a cooked vegetable dish
Spelled with ਜ਼ — ਜ with a dot underneath, which turns j into z. The dot only ever appears in words borrowed from Persian, Arabic or English.
ਅੱਜ ਸਬਜ਼ੀ ਬਣਾਈ ਹੈ।
ajj sabzī baṇāī hai.
I have made vegetables today.
ਚੌਲ
caul
rice
Treated as plural in Punjabi — grains, not a mass — so the verb is ਹਨ, not ਹੈ.
ਮੈਨੂੰ ਚੌਲ ਪਸੰਦ ਹਨ।
mainū̃ caul pasand han.
I like rice.
ਫਲ
phal
fruit
ਫ is p with a puff of air after it, not the f of English fruit.
ਫਲ ਖਾਓ।
phal khāo.
Eat fruit.
ਖੰਡ
khaṇḍ
sugar
ਚਾਹ ਵਿੱਚ ਖੰਡ ਪਾਓ।
cāh vicc khaṇḍ pāo.
Put sugar in the tea.
ਲੂਣ
lūṇ
salt
ਦਾਲ ਵਿੱਚ ਲੂਣ ਘੱਟ ਹੈ।
dāl vicc lūṇ ghaṭṭ hai.
There is not enough salt in the dal.
ਦਹੀਂ
dahī̃
yoghurt
ਮੈਂ ਦਹੀਂ ਖਾਂਦਾ ਹਾਂ।
maĩ dahī̃ khāndā hā̃.
I eat yoghurt.
ਖਾਣਾ
khāṇā
food, a meal
The same word is the verb to eat. Punjabi uses a verb's -ਣਾ form as a noun freely, exactly as English turns eating into a thing.
ਖਾਣਾ ਤਿਆਰ ਹੈ।
khāṇā tiār hai.
The food is ready.
Verbs
13 wordsਹੋਣਾ
hoṇā
to be
The most important verb in the language, and the one you have already met: ਹਾਂ, ਹੈ, ਹੋ and ਹਨ are all ਹੋਣਾ, changed to match who is speaking.
ਮੈਨੂੰ ਤਿਆਰ ਹੋਣਾ ਹੈ।
mainū̃ tiār hoṇā hai.
I have to get ready.
ਜਾਣਾ
jāṇā
to go
ਮੈਂ ਘਰ ਜਾਣਾ ਹੈ।
maĩ ghar jāṇā hai.
I am going home.
ਆਉਣਾ
āuṇā
to come
ਕੱਲ੍ਹ means both yesterday and tomorrow. The verb tense tells you which one is meant, and nobody finds it confusing.
ਮੈਨੂੰ ਕੱਲ੍ਹ ਆਉਣਾ ਹੈ।
mainū̃ kallh āuṇā hai.
I have to come tomorrow.
ਪੀਣਾ
pīṇā
to drink
ਮੈਨੂੰ ਦੁੱਧ ਪੀਣਾ ਪਸੰਦ ਹੈ।
mainū̃ duddh pīṇā pasand hai.
I like drinking milk.
ਕਰਨਾ
karnā
to do, to make
Punjabi builds whole verbs out of a noun plus ਕਰਨਾ: ਕੰਮ ਕਰਨਾ to work, ਗੱਲ ਕਰਨਾ to talk, ਯਾਦ ਕਰਨਾ to remember.
ਮੈਨੂੰ ਕੰਮ ਕਰਨਾ ਹੈ।
mainū̃ kamm karnā hai.
I have to work.
ਬੋਲਣਾ
bolṇā
to speak
ਆਉਂਦਾ ਹੈ literally says it comes to me. That is how Punjabi says someone can do something.
ਮੈਨੂੰ ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਬੋਲਣਾ ਆਉਂਦਾ ਹੈ।
mainū̃ pañjābī bolṇā āundā hai.
I know how to speak Punjabi.
ਸਿੱਖਣਾ
sikkhṇā
to learn
Same root as ਸਿੱਖ — a Sikh is, literally, a learner.
ਮੈਂ ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਸਿੱਖਣਾ ਚਾਹੁੰਦਾ ਹਾਂ।
maĩ pañjābī sikkhṇā cāhundā hā̃.
I want to learn Punjabi.
ਪੜ੍ਹਨਾ
paṛhnā
to read, to study
The ੍ਹ under the ੜ is a pairī̃ ਹ — an h tucked beneath the letter above it, because it would not fit alongside.
ਮੈਂ ਗੁਰਮੁਖੀ ਪੜ੍ਹਨਾ ਸਿੱਖ ਰਿਹਾ ਹਾਂ।
maĩ gurmukhī paṛhnā sikkh rihā hā̃.
I am learning to read Gurmukhi.
ਲਿਖਣਾ
likhṇā
to write
ਮੈਨੂੰ ਗੁਰਮੁਖੀ ਲਿਖਣਾ ਆਉਂਦਾ ਹੈ।
mainū̃ gurmukhī likhṇā āundā hai.
I know how to write Gurmukhi.
ਵੇਖਣਾ
vekhṇā
to see, to look at
ਦੇਖਣਾ is the same word with a d, and both are correct — which one you hear depends on where the speaker is from.
ਮੈਨੂੰ ਪੰਜਾਬ ਵੇਖਣਾ ਹੈ।
mainū̃ pañjāb vekhṇā hai.
I want to see Punjab.
ਦੇਣਾ
deṇā
to give
ਮੈਨੂੰ ਜਵਾਬ ਦੇਣਾ ਹੈ।
mainū̃ javāb deṇā hai.
I have to give an answer.
ਲੈਣਾ
laiṇā
to take, to get
ਮੈਨੂੰ ਦੁੱਧ ਲੈਣਾ ਹੈ।
mainū̃ duddh laiṇā hai.
I have to get milk.
ਰਹਿਣਾ
rahiṇā
to live, to stay
Where do you live? is ਤੁਸੀਂ ਕਿੱਥੇ ਰਹਿੰਦੇ ਹੋ? — the same verb, conjugated.
ਮੈਨੂੰ ਇੱਥੇ ਰਹਿਣਾ ਹੈ।
mainū̃ itthe rahiṇā hai.
I have to stay here.
Home
5 wordsਘਰ
ghar
house, home
ਘ is a g with breath behind it — closer to the gh of doghouse than to the g of go.
ਇਹ ਮੇਰਾ ਘਰ ਹੈ।
ih merā ghar hai.
This is my house.
ਕਮਰਾ
kamrā
room
ਮੇਰਾ ਕਮਰਾ ਛੋਟਾ ਹੈ।
merā kamrā choṭā hai.
My room is small.
ਦਰਵਾਜ਼ਾ
darvāzā
door
ਦਰਵਾਜ਼ਾ ਖੁੱਲ੍ਹਾ ਹੈ।
darvāzā khullhā hai.
The door is open.
ਕੁਰਸੀ
kursī
chair
ਕੁਰਸੀ ਉੱਤੇ ਬੈਠੋ।
kursī utte baiṭho.
Sit on the chair.
ਮੇਜ਼
mez
table
ਕਿਤਾਬ ਮੇਜ਼ ਉੱਤੇ ਹੈ।
kitāb mez utte hai.
The book is on the table.
School
1 wordsਕਿਤਾਬ
kitāb
book
Feminine, so the adjective ends in -ੀ: ਚੰਗੀ, not ਚੰਗਾ.
ਇਹ ਕਿਤਾਬ ਚੰਗੀ ਹੈ।
ih kitāb caṅgī hai.
This book is good.
Work
1 wordsਕੰਮ
kamm
work, a job, a task
ਮੇਰਾ ਕੰਮ ਖ਼ਤਮ ਹੋ ਗਿਆ।
merā kamm xatam ho giā.
My work is finished.
Places
2 wordsਪਿੰਡ
piṇḍ
village
Ask a Punjabi where they are from and the answer is usually a ਪਿੰਡ, even from someone who has never lived there.
ਸਾਡਾ ਪਿੰਡ ਸੋਹਣਾ ਹੈ।
sāḍā piṇḍ sohṇā hai.
Our village is beautiful.
ਸ਼ਹਿਰ
śahir
city, town
ਮੈਂ ਸ਼ਹਿਰ ਵਿੱਚ ਰਹਿੰਦਾ ਹਾਂ।
maĩ śahir vicc rahindā hā̃.
I live in the city.
Time
1 wordsਅੱਜ
ajj
today
ਅੱਜ ਸਬਜ਼ੀ ਬਣਾਈ ਹੈ।
ajj sabzī baṇāī hai.
I have made vegetables today.