ਗੁਰਮੁਖੀ ਵਰਣਮਾਲਾ

The Gurmukhi alphabet is the set of 35 letters used to write Punjabi in India, and learning it is the true first step in learning Punjabi: once you can read the letters, every sign, song lyric and page of the Guru Granth Sahib Ji opens up to you. The 35 letters are called the ਪੈਂਤੀ (painti, "the thirty-five"), and they are arranged in seven rows of five, ordered by where in the mouth each sound is made. Gurmukhi is an abugida, which means every consonant carries a built-in short "a" sound, and small vowel signs change that sound. It is written from left to right, it has no capital letters, and most letters hang from a headline stroke called the ਸ਼ਿਰੋ ਰੇਖਾ (shiro rekha). The script was standardised in the 16th century by Guru Angad Dev Ji, the second Sikh Guru, so that ordinary people could read and write; its name means "from the mouth of the Guru".

The 35 letters (painti), row by row

Row 1: the carriers and the base sounds. ੳ (ura) carries the u, oo, o and au vowels. ਅ (aira) carries the short a and, on its own, sounds like the "a" in "about". ੲ (iri) carries the i, ee, e and ai vowels. ਸ (sassa) is "sa", as in "sun". ਹ (haha) is a breathy "ha". The first three are not consonants at all: they are the vowel carriers (matra vahak) that the independent vowels are built on.

Row 2: the throat sounds (velars). ਕ (kakka) "ka", as in "kite" without a puff of air. ਖ (khakkha) "kha", the same sound with a puff. ਗ (gagga) "ga", as in "go". ਘ (ghagga) is written "gha" but said with a low, falling tone, a sound Punjabi makes instead of the old breathy "gha". ਙ (ngangnga) is "nga", the "ng" of "sing", and it almost never begins a word.

Row 3: the palate sounds. ਚ (chachcha) "cha", as in "chair". ਛ (chhachha) "chha", with a puff of air. ਜ (jajja) "ja", as in "jam". ਝ (jhajja) is the tonal partner of the row, written "jha" and said with a low tone. ਞ (nyannya) is "nya", like the "ny" in "canyon", and is rare in modern words.

Row 4: the tongue-curled sounds (retroflex). ਟ (tainka) "ta" with the tongue curled back. ਠ (thattha) "tha", curled back with a puff. ਡ (dadda) "da", curled back. ਢ (dhadda) is the tonal letter of the row, written "dha". ਣ (naana) is a curled-back "na". English has none of these sounds, but your ear learns them quickly from words like ਪੰਜਾਬੀ names and places: ਟ appears in ਪਟਿਆਲਾ (Patiala).

Row 5: the teeth sounds (dentals). ਤ (tatta) "ta" with the tongue on the teeth. ਥ (thattha) "tha", dental with a puff. ਦ (dadda) "da" on the teeth. ਧ (dhaddha) is the tonal letter, written "dha". ਨ (nanna) "na". The difference between row 4 and row 5, tongue curled against tongue on teeth, is the difference between ਟੀਕਾ and ਤੀਕਾ, so it is worth practising early.

Row 6: the lip sounds (labials). ਪ (pappa) "pa", as in "pen". ਫ (phappha) "pha", with a puff of air, and in some borrowed words it is read "fa". ਬ (babba) "ba", as in "ball". ਭ (bhabha) is the tonal letter of the row, written "bha". ਮ (mamma) "ma", as in "mother".

Row 7: the closing group. ਯ (yayya) "ya", as in "yes". ਰ (raara) "ra", a tapped r. ਲ (lalla) "la", as in "love". ਵ (vaava) "va", a sound between English v and w. ੜ (raarha) "rha", a hard flapped r found across Punjabi, as in ਪਿੰਡ (pind) words like ਘੜਾ. This last letter is one of the script's own inventions, made for a sound the older scripts did not write.

The vowels: carriers, independent vowels and matras

Vowels that begin a word are written as independent letters, built on the three carriers: ਅ a, ਆ aa, ਇ i, ਈ ee, ਉ u, ਊ oo, ਏ e, ਐ ai, ਓ o, ਔ au. After a consonant, the vowel is written as a sign called a ਮਾਤਰਾ (matra), and there are nine of them. Shown here on ਕ (ka): ਕ ka has no sign (this plain form is called ਮੁਕਤਾ, mukta) and sounds like the "a" in "about". ਕਾ kaa adds the ਕੰਨਾ (kanna), "a" as in "car". ਕਿ ki adds the ਸਿਹਾਰੀ (sihari), "i" as in "sit", and it is written before the letter but spoken after it. ਕੀ kee adds the ਬਿਹਾਰੀ (bihari), "ee" as in "see". ਕੁ ku adds the ਔਂਕੜ (aunkar) below, "u" as in "put". ਕੂ koo adds the ਦੁਲੈਂਕੜ (dulainkar) below, "oo" as in "moon". ਕੇ ke adds the ਲਾਂਵ (laanv) above, "e" as in "say". ਕੈ kai adds the ਦੁਲਾਂਵ (dulaanv), "ai" as in "sell". ਕੋ ko adds the ਹੋੜਾ (hora), "o" as in "go". ਕੌ kau adds the ਕਨੌੜਾ (kanaura), "au" as in "off". Learn the matras on one letter and you can read them on all thirty-five.

The small marks: addhak, tippi, bindi and the dot letters

Three marks complete everyday Gurmukhi. The ਅੱਧਕ (addhak, ੱ) sits above a letter and doubles the consonant that follows it: ਪਤਾ (pata, "address, knowledge") against ਪੱਤਾ (patta, "leaf"). The ਟਿੱਪੀ (tippi, ੰ) adds a nasal sound with short vowels, as in ਹੰਸ (hans, "goose") and ਕੰਮ (kamm, "work"). The ਬਿੰਦੀ (bindi, ਂ) does the same job with long vowels, as in ਮੈਂ (main, "I") and ਬਾਂਹ (baanh, "arm"). A fourth sign, the dot placed under a letter (nukta), makes six extra letters for sounds that came with borrowed words: ਸ਼ sha, ਖ਼ kha, ਗ਼ ga, ਜ਼ za, ਫ਼ fa and ਲ਼ la, as in ਸ਼ਹਿਰ (sheher, "city"). You will also meet the ਦੰਡੀ (dandi, ੤), the traditional full stop of Gurmukhi, and the double dandi (੥) that closes a verse in scripture.

How the script works, and how to learn it

Three habits make Gurmukhi friendly to learn. First, it is almost perfectly phonetic: one letter, one sound, so if you can say a word you can nearly always spell it. Second, the headline (shiro rekha) joins the letters of a word into one visual unit, so fluent readers read word shapes, not single letters. Third, the tonal letters ਘ, ਝ, ਢ, ਧ and ਭ are not read with a puff of breath as in Hindi; they mark Punjabi's tones, which is why a name like ਘੁੰਮਣ is said with a low, level tone. Most learners can sound out simple words within two to three weeks of daily practice: one row a day, then the matras on ਕ, then real words. The natural next steps are Punjabi numbers and the family terms, and the full path is laid out in the Learn Punjabi guide.

How many letters are in the Gurmukhi alphabet?

The Gurmukhi alphabet has 35 base letters, the ਪੈਂਤੀ (painti), in seven rows of five. On top of those come nine vowel signs (matras), the addhak, tippi and bindi marks, and six dotted letters used in borrowed words.

Who standardised the Gurmukhi script?

Guru Angad Dev Ji, the second Sikh Guru, standardised Gurmukhi in the 16th century, building on older scripts of the region so that ordinary Punjabis, not only priests and scholars, could read and write. The Guru Granth Sahib Ji is written in this script.

What is a matra in Gurmukhi?

A matra is a vowel sign that attaches to a consonant and changes its built-in short "a" sound. There are nine matras; for example the kanna turns ਕ (ka) into ਕਾ (kaa), and the sihari turns it into ਕਿ (ki).

Is Gurmukhi hard to learn?

No. Gurmukhi is one of the easier scripts to learn because it is phonetic: each letter keeps its sound, words are written as they are spoken, and there are no capital letters. Most learners can sound out simple words within two to three weeks of daily practice.

ਗੁਰਮੁਖੀ ਵਿੱਚ ਕਿੰਨੇ ਅੱਖਰ ਹਨ?

ਗੁਰਮੁਖੀ ਵਰਣਮਾਲਾ ਵਿੱਚ 35 ਅੱਖਰ ਹਨ, ਜਿਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਪੈਂਤੀ ਕਿਹਾ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ੤ ਇਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਤੋਂ ਇਲਾਵਾ ਨੌਂ ਮਾਤਰਾਵਾਂ ਅਤੇ ਅੱਧਕ, ਟਿੱਪੀ ਅਤੇ ਬਿੰਦੀ ਵਰਗੇ ਚਿੰਨ੍ਹ ਹਨ੤