The 35 letters of the Gurmukhi script with pronunciation, vowel signs (lagan matra), barakhadi, subjoined letters and numerals. Tap any letter to hear it.
The Punjabi alphabet (ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਵਰਣਮਾਲਾ) is written in the Gurmukhi script, the script used for Punjabi in India. It is written from left to right. Gurmukhi is traditionally credited to Guru Angad, the second Sikh Guru, and it is also the script of the Guru Granth Sahib. Punjabi is spoken by well over 100 million people in India and Pakistan, but Gurmukhi is the standard script of Indian Punjab, while Punjabi in Pakistan is usually written in Shahmukhi (see the FAQ below).
The traditional name of the Gurmukhi alphabet is ਪੈਂਤੀ ਅੱਖਰ (painti akhar), which means "thirty-five letters". The 35 letters are arranged in 7 rows of 5. Unlike Hindi, Gurmukhi does not list separate full-sized vowel letters first. Instead there are three vowel bearers, ੳ (ura), ਅ (airha) and ੲ (iri), which sit at the start of the first row. All ten independent vowels are built from these three: ਅ, ਆ and ਐ use ਅ; ਇ, ਈ and ਏ use ੲ; ਉ, ਊ, ਓ, ਔ use ੳ. In the same way, the vowel signs (lagan matra) are attached to a consonant to change its vowel.
Besides the 35 letters, six letters with a dot below (pairin bindi) are used for sounds borrowed from Persian, Arabic and English: ਸ਼, ਖ਼, ਗ਼, ਜ਼, ਫ਼ and ਲ਼. This page lists every letter with an example word, the vowel signs, a barakhadi table, subjoined letters, the nasal signs tippi, bindi and addak, and the Gurmukhi numerals.
Punjabi Vowels (ਸਵਰ)
Punjabi Consonants (ਵਿਅੰਜਨ)
ੳ ਅ ੲ ਸ ਹ (row 1: vowel bearers, ਸ and ਹ)
ਕ ਖ ਗ ਘ ਙ (row 2: velar)
ਚ ਛ ਜ ਝ ਞ (row 3: palatal)
ਟ ਠ ਡ ਢ ਣ (row 4: retroflex)
ਤ ਥ ਦ ਧ ਨ (row 5: dental)
ਪ ਫ ਬ ਭ ਮ (row 6: labial)
ਯ ਰ ਲ ਵ ੜ (row 7: semivowels and ੜ)
Vowel Signs (Lagan Matra)
The vowel signs of Gurmukhi are called lagan matra. The first vowel, ਅ, has no sign (mukta): it is the inherent vowel of every consonant. The others are kanna (ਾ) for aa, sihari (ਿ) for i, bihari (ੀ) for ee, aunkar (ੁ) for u, dulainkar (ੂ) for oo, lanv (ੇ) for e, dulavan (ੈ) for ai, hora (ੋ) for o and kanaura (ੌ) for au. Sihari is written before the consonant it follows in sound: ਕਿ is read ki, but the sign is drawn on the left of ਕ.
Vowel
Sign
With ਸ
Sound
ਅ
-
ਸ
sa
ਆ
◌ਾ
ਸਾ
saa
ਇ
◌ਿ
ਸਿ
si
ਈ
◌ੀ
ਸੀ
see
ਉ
◌ੁ
ਸੁ
su
ਊ
◌ੂ
ਸੂ
soo
ਏ
◌ੇ
ਸੇ
se
ਐ
◌ੈ
ਸੈ
sai
ਓ
◌ੋ
ਸੋ
so
ਔ
◌ੌ
ਸੌ
sau
Punjabi Barakhadi (Gurmukhi Barakhadi)
Every consonant combined with every lagan matra. The nasal signs tippi and bindi can be added to any of these syllables. Scroll sideways on small screens, and tap any syllable to hear it.
Subjoined Letters (Pairin Akhar)
Gurmukhi has very few conjuncts compared with Hindi. Only three letters can be written below another consonant as a small subjoined form (pairin): ਰ, ਹ and ਵ. The second consonant is written below the first, joined by the virama sign (੍), as in ਪ੍ਰ (pra) and ਕ੍ਰ (kra). Subjoined ਹ is common in verbs such as ਪੜ੍ਹਨਾ (to read) and ਚੜ੍ਹਨਾ (to climb), where it marks a tone rather than a separate "h" sound. Subjoined ਵ is rare and mostly found in Sanskrit-origin words.
Punjabi Numerals
Letters with a Dot (Pairin Bindi)
Six extra letters are made by placing a dot below an existing letter. This dot is called pairin bindi (or nukta). They are used mainly for sounds that came into Punjabi from Persian, Arabic and English, and they are not part of the traditional 35. For example, ਸ਼ (sha) is in ਸ਼ੇਰ (sher, lion), ਖ਼ (kha, as in the Arabic sound) is in ਖ਼ਬਰ (khabar, news), ਗ਼ (gha) is in ਗ਼ਰੀਬ (gareeb, poor), ਜ਼ (za) is in ਜ਼ਮੀਨ (zameen, land) and ਫ਼ (fa) is in ਫ਼ੌਜ (fauj, army). The letter ਲ਼ is a retroflex "l" found in only a few words. In everyday writing the dot is sometimes left out, so ਜ਼ is often written as plain ਜ.
Tippi, Bindi and Addak
Gurmukhi has three marks that are not letters but change how a word is read. Tippi (ੰ) and bindi (ਂ) both add a nasal sound. Tippi is written with the short vowels ਅ, ਇ and ਉ, as in ਪੰਜਾਬ (panjaab), ਅੰਬ (amb, mango) and ਕਿੰਨਾ (kinnaa, how much). Bindi is written with the long vowels, as in ਹਾਂ (haan, yes), ਮਾਂ (maa, mother) and ਗਾਂ (gaan, cow). Addak (ੱ) is a small sign placed above a letter that doubles the consonant which follows, as in ਪੱਕਾ (pakkaa, ripe, cooked), ਸੱਤ (satt, seven) and ਬੱਚਾ (bachchaa, child).
ਘ ਝ ਢ ਧ ਭ in Modern Punjabi
In the older, traditional description, ਘ, ਝ, ਢ, ਧ and ਭ are the aspirated (breathy) partners of ਗ, ਜ, ਡ, ਦ and ਬ. In modern spoken Punjabi, these five letters are generally not pronounced with breath. At the start of a word they are usually said like the unvoiced letters ਕ, ਚ, ਟ, ਤ and ਪ, together with a low tone, so ਘਰ (house) sounds close to "kar" with a falling tone. In the middle or at the end of a word they are said like ਗ, ਜ, ਡ, ਦ and ਬ, and the tone falls on the vowel before them. The spelling stays the same, which is why you must learn the letters even when the sound has changed. Standard textbooks and the usual romanization still treat them as gha, jha, Dha, dha and bha.
Type in Punjabi with an English keyboard
Practise the letters by typing them. Type words in English letters and get Gurmukhi script instantly, with no special keyboard needed.
The traditional Punjabi (Gurmukhi) alphabet has 35 letters, called painti akhar, arranged in 7 rows of 5. Six more letters with a dot below (ਸ਼, ਖ਼, ਗ਼, ਜ਼, ਫ਼, ਲ਼) are added for borrowed sounds, which brings the practical total to 41. Counts vary slightly by book.
What is painti akhar (ਪੈਂਤੀ ਅੱਖਰ)?
Painti akhar (ਪੈਂਤੀ ਅੱਖਰ) is the traditional name of the Gurmukhi alphabet. It means "thirty-five letters". Punjabi children learn it by reciting the 7 rows in order, starting with ੳ ਅ ੲ ਸ ਹ and ending with ਯ ਰ ਲ ਵ ੜ.
Which script is used for Punjabi, Gurmukhi or Shahmukhi?
Both are used. Gurmukhi is the script of Punjabi in India and the script of the Sikh scriptures. Shahmukhi is the Perso-Arabic script, written from right to left in a style like Urdu, and it is used for Punjabi in Pakistan, where most Punjabi speakers live. The two scripts write the same language, but the letters are completely different.
What are ੳ, ਅ and ੲ in Punjabi?
ੳ (ura), ਅ (airha) and ੲ (iri) are the three vowel bearers of Gurmukhi. Every independent vowel is written by adding a vowel sign to one of them: ਅ, ਆ, ਐ use ਅ; ਇ, ਈ, ਏ use ੲ; and ਉ, ਊ, ਓ, ਔ use ੳ. This is why Punjabi has no separate vowel letters like those in Hindi.
What is barakhadi in Punjabi?
Barakhadi is the table made by joining every consonant with each vowel sign, for example ਕ, ਕਾ, ਕਿ, ਕੀ, ਕੁ, ਕੂ, ਕੇ, ਕੈ, ਕੋ, ਕੌ. Practising it shows how the lagan matra attach to a letter. The table on this page covers 30 consonants.
What is the difference between tippi and bindi in Punjabi?
Both add a nasal sound, but they go with different vowels. Tippi (ੰ) is used with short vowels, as in ਪੰਜਾਬ, while bindi (ਂ) is used with long vowels, as in ਹਾਂ (yes). Addak (ੱ) is a different sign: it doubles the following consonant, as in ਪੱਕਾ.
Is Gurmukhi the same as Devanagari (Hindi script)?
No. Both belong to the same Brahmic family and many letters share sounds and order, but the shapes are different. Gurmukhi has a horizontal headline like Devanagari, yet it uses its own letter forms, its own vowel signs and numerals, and has far fewer conjuncts. Punjabi also has tones, which Hindi does not.
How do I type Punjabi on an English keyboard?
You do not need a Gurmukhi keyboard. Type Punjabi words in English letters (for example "sat sri akal") and a transliteration tool converts them into Gurmukhi as you type. You can use the free tool at /english-to-punjabi-typing/ and then copy the text into any app.
