Tag Archives: Punjabi

Punjabi Alphabet: Vowels

This is a companion post to a previous post that lists the consonants of the Punjabi alphabet. Or, in other words, now I can finally provide some closure to being able to read Punjabi. (Making sense of what I read, of course, is a totally different problem.) The first three letters of the alphabet -- ੳ, ਅ, and ੲ -- are not used by themselves. Each serves as a foundation on which independent vowels are formed. Vowels take two forms: (1) independent vowels, which stand alone or can be used as the first letter in a word, are formed by adding a vowel sign to one of the three bases; and (2) dependent vowels, which are formed by adding a vowel sign to a consonant (in the second case, the vowel can not be the first letter of the word).

Dependent Vowels

Vowel sign Transliteration Name Joined with ਮ
(invisible) a ਮੁਕਤਾ muk-tā
ā ਕਾੱਨਾ kaṃ-nā ਮਾ
ਿ i ਸਿਹਾਰੀ si-hā-rī ਮਿ
ī ਬਿਹਾਰੀ bi-hā-rī ਮੀ
u ਔਂਕੜ auṃ-kaṛ ਮੁ
ū ਦੁਲੈਂਕੜੇ du-laiṃ-ka-ṛe ਮੂ
e ਲਾਂਵ lāṃv ਮੇ
ai ਦੁਲਾਂਵਾਂ du-lāṃ-vāṃ ਮੈ
o ਹੋੜਾ ho-ṛā ਮੋ
au ਕਨੌੜਾ ka-nau-ṛā ਮੌ

Independent Vowels

Base + Vowel Sign Independent Vowel Transliteration
ੳ + ੁ u
ੳ + ੂ ū
ੳ + ੋ o
ਅ + (invisible) a
ਅ + ਾ ā
ਅ + ੈ ai
ਅ + ੌ au
ੲ + ਿ i
ੲ + ੀ ī
ੲ + ੇ e

Punjabi Alphabet

Key

lettertransliteration of letter

name of lettertransliteration of letter name

  • Generally, h denotes aspiration.
  • For ਤ, ਥ, ਦ, and ਧ, t and d denote dental consonants, i.e., the tongue is placed behind the front teeth. ਟ, ਠ, ਡ, and ਢ, while and denote retroflex consonants, i.e., the tongue is placed further back in the mouth with its tip against the palate.
  • The first three letters, ੳ, ਅ, and ੲ, are not used on their own. They are used in combination with dependent vowels to form independent vowels, e.g., ਉ is u, ਆ is ā, and ਈ is ī, however by themselves they represent nothing.
  • Alphabetical order is left to right, down to the next row then left to right, etc.

Punjabi Alphabet

...

ਊੜਾūṛ-ā

...

ਐੜਾaiṛ-ā

...

ਈੜੀīṛ-ī

s

ਸੱਸਾsas-sā

h

ਹਾਹਾhā-hā

k

ਕੱਕਾkak-kā

kh

ਖੱਖਾkhakh-khā

g

ਗੱਗਾgag-gā

gh

ਘੱਗਾghag-gā

ਙੰਙਾṅaṃ-ṅā

c

ਚੱਚਾcac-cā

chh

ਛੱਛਾchach-chā

j

ਜੱਜਾjaj-jā

jh

ਝੱਜਾjhaj-jā

ñ

ਞੰਞਾñaṃ-ñā

ਟੈਂਕਾṭain-kā

ṭh

ਠੱਠਾṭath-ṭā

d

ਡੱਡਾdad-dā

dh

ਢੱਡਾdhad-dā

ਣਾਣਾṇā-ṇā

t

ਤੱਤਾtat-tā

th

ਥੱਥਾthath-thā

d

ਦੱਦਾdad-dā

dh

ਧੱਦਾdhad-dā

n

ਨੱਨਾ

nan-nā

p

ਪੱਪਾpap-pā

ph

ਫੱਫਾphaph-phā

b

ਬੱਬਾbab-bā

bh

ਭੱਬਾbhab-bā

m

ਮੱਮਾmam-mā

y

ਯੱਯਾyay-yā

r

ਰਾਰਾrar-rā

l

ਲੱਲਾlal-lā

v

ਵੱਵਾvav-vā

ੜṛ

ੜਾੜਾṛā-ṛā

ਸ਼ś

ਸ਼ੱਸ਼ਾśaś-śā

ਖ਼kh

ਖ਼ੱਖ਼ਾkhakh-khā

ਗ਼ġ

ਗ਼ੱਗ਼ਾġā

ਜ਼z

ਜ਼ੱਜ਼ਾzaz-zā

ਫ਼f

ਫ਼ੱਫ਼ਾfaf-fā

Punjabi: 21 to 31

ਇੱਕੀ (ikkī) - twenty-one

ਬਾਈ (bāī) - twenty-two

ਤੇਈ (teī) - twenty-three

ਚੌਵੀ (cauvī) - twenty-four

ਪੰਝੀ (paṃjhī) - twenty-five

ਛੱਬੀ (chabbī) - twenty-six

ਸਤਾਈ (satāī) - twenty-seven

ਅਠਾਈ (aṭāī) - twenty-eight

ਉਨੱਤਈ (unattī) - twenty-nine

ਤੀਹ (tīh) - thirty

ਇੱਕਤੀ (ikkatī) - thirty-one

How did I develop this? (1) I used Punjabi-English/English-Punjabi Dictionary and (2) Teach Yourself Panjabi.

Punjabi: 11 to 20

ਗਿਆਰਾਂ (giārāṃ) - eleven

ਬਾਰਾਂ (bārāṃ) - twelve

ਤੇਰਾਂ (terāṃ) - thirteen

ਚੌਦਾਂ (caudāṃ) - fourteen

ਪੰਦਰਾਂ (paṃdarāṃ) - fifteen

ਸੋਲਾਂ (solāṃ) - sixteen

ਸਤਾਰਾਂ (satārāṃ) - seventeen

ਅਠਾਰਾਂ (aṭhārāṃ) - eighteen

ਉੱਨੀ (unnī) - nineteen

ਵੀਹ (vīh) - twenty

How did I develop this? (1) I used Punjabi-English/English-Punjabi Dictionary and (2) Teach Yourself Panjabi.

Punjabi: Months

ਮਹੀਨਾ (mahīnā) - m. month

ਜਨਵਰੀ (janvarī) - January

ਫਰਵਰੀ (farvarī) - February

ਮਾਰਚ (mārc) - March

ਅਪਰੈਲ (aprail) - April

ਮਈ (maī) - May

ਜੂਨ (jūn) - June

ਜੁਲਾਈ (julāī) - July

ਅਗਸਤ (agast) - August

ਸਤੰਬਰ (sataṃbar) - September

ਅਕਤੂਬਰ (aktūbar) - October

ਨਵੰਬਰ (navaṃbar) - November

ਦਸੰਬਰ (dasaṃbar) - December

How did I develop this? I used Teach Yourself Panjabi.

Punjabi: Days

ਦਿਨ (din) - day

ਸੋਮਵਾਰ (somvār) - Monday

ਮਂਗਲਵਾਰ (maṃgalvār) - Tuesday

ਬੁਧਵਾਰ (budhvār) - Wednesday

ਵੀਰਵਾਰ (vīrvār) - Thursday

ਸ਼ੁੱਕਰਵਾਰ (shukravār) - Friday

ਸਨਿੱਚਰਵਾਰ (sanicharvār) - Saturday

ਐਤਵਾਰ (aitvār) - Sunday

How did I develop this? (1) I used Punjabi-English/English-Punjabi Dictionary and (2) Teach Yourself Panjabi.