Source: https://jugti.com/kosh/words/main/ ਮ [Kosh](https://jugti.com/kosh/)/[Words](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/)/Word Word # ਮੈਂ main Say it**me(n), a nasalised long vowel**Type**Word**Shahmukhiمیں In short Main (ਮੈਂ) is the Punjabi word for 'I', the first-person singular pronoun, the word a speaker uses for themself. It comes from the Sanskrit word maya, an old form of 'I', and it is written میں in Shahmukhi. Its other forms are mainu (to me), maithon (from me) and mera (my, mine), and as a noun it can also mean pride or ego. ## How it's used 1. 1ਮੈਂ ਅੱਜ ਪਿੰਡ ਜਾਵਾਂਗਾ।I will go to the village today. 2. 2ਮੈਨੂੰ ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਬਹੁਤ ਪਸੰਦ ਹੈ।I love Punjabi very much. 3. 3ਮੈਂ ਕੱਲ੍ਹ ਆਵਾਂਗਾ।I will come tomorrow. Show 2 more examples 1. 4ਇਹ ਮੇਰਾ ਘਰ ਹੈ।This is my house. 2. 5ਮੈਥੋਂ ਇਹ ਕੰਮ ਨਹੀਂ ਹੋ ਸਕਦਾ।I cannot do this work. ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਵਿੱਚ ਅਰਥ ਮੈਂ ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਵਿੱਚ ਪਹਿਲਾ ਪੁਰਖ ਇਕਵਚਨ ਪੜਨਾਂਵ ਹੈ। ਬੋਲਣ ਵਾਲਾ ਜਦੋਂ ਆਪਣੇ ਬਾਰੇ ਗੱਲ ਕਰਦਾ ਹੈ, ਤਾਂ ਉਹ 'ਮੈਂ' ਸ਼ਬਦ ਵਰਤਦਾ ਹੈ, ਜਿਵੇਂ 'ਮੈਂ ਜਾ ਰਿਹਾ ਹਾਂ' ਜਾਂ 'ਮੈਂ ਖੁਸ਼ ਹਾਂ'। ਇਹ ਸ਼ਬਦ ਸੰਸਕ੍ਰਿਤ ਦੇ ਮਯਾ ਤੋਂ ਆਇਆ ਹੈ ਅਤੇ ਸ਼ਾਹਮੁਖੀ ਵਿੱਚ ਇਸ ਨੂੰ میں ਲਿਖਿਆ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ। ਇਸ ਦੇ ਹੋਰ ਰੂਪ ਹਨ ਮੈਨੂੰ, ਮੈਥੋਂ ਅਤੇ ਮੇਰਾ। ਨਾਂਵ ਵਜੋਂ ਮੈਂ ਦਾ ਅਰਥ ਹੰਕਾਰ ਵੀ ਹੁੰਦਾ ਹੈ: ਜਦੋਂ ਕਿਸੇ ਵਿੱਚ 'ਮੈਂ' ਵੱਧ ਜਾਵੇ, ਤਾਂ ਉਹ ਹੰਕਾਰੀ ਹੋ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ। ## What does main mean in Punjabi? Main (ਮੈਂ) is the Punjabi word for 'I'. It is the first-person singular pronoun, the word a speaker uses to talk about themself. 'Main janda haan' means 'I am going', and 'main khush haan' means 'I am happy'. It is one of the first words any learner of Punjabi meets, and it turns up in almost every conversation. ## The origin of main Main comes from the Sanskrit word maya, the instrumental form of aham, 'I'. That old form passed down through the languages of the region into Punjabi as main, and the same root gives Hindi main, spelt मैं. The trail runs even further back, to the Proto-Indo-European root \*egh2, the ancient word for 'I' that also sits behind English 'I' and Latin 'ego'. In Shahmukhi, the Perso-Arabic script used for Punjabi in Pakistan, main is written میں. ## What are the forms of main? Main changes its shape depending on its job in the sentence. The plain form, main, is the subject: 'main aaya', I came. When something is given to me, Punjabi says mainu: 'mainu paani deyo', give me water. When something comes from me, it is maithon: 'maithon puchho', ask me. And to say that something belongs to me, the word is mera: 'eh mera ghar hai', this is my house. Mera has its own page in the Kosh, with its feminine form meri and plural mere. ## Can main also mean pride? The same word main can also be a noun, and then it means pride, ego or a sense of self. Wiktionary records this second meaning. Punjabi speakers use it when they talk about pride: to say someone has too much 'main' is to say they are full of themself. The meaning is clear from the sentence, so the two uses are never confused in practice. ## Main and tu: the pair that starts a conversation Main almost always travels with its partner, tu, the word for 'you'. Together they open most Punjabi conversations: 'main theek haan, tu das', I am fine, you tell me. Main speaks for the person talking, tu speaks to the person listening, and between the two of them a whole exchange is built. Tu has its own page in the Kosh, including when to use the respectful tusi instead. ## Related words [ਤੂੰtuYou (informal, intimate, singular)](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/tu/)[ਮੇਰਾmeraMy; mine](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/mera/)[ਹੋਰhorMore; another, other](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/hor/)[ਕਿੱਦਾਂkiddanhow are you? what's up? (informal greeting)](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/kiddan/)[ਕਿਵੇਂkivenHow; in what way](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/kiven/) Advertisement Sources (2) 1. [Wiktionary: ਮੈਂ; from Sanskrit mayā, instrumental of aham, from Proto-Indo-European \*éǵh₂; Shahmukhi میں; also a noun meaning 'I-ness, ego, pride'; forms mainū̃, maithõ, merā](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ਮੈਂ) 2. [Wiktionary: ਮੇਰਾ; genitive of ਮੈਂ, my, mine; from Apabhramsa mera + -ka-; forms merī, mere](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ਮੇਰਾ) [Report a correction](https://jugti.com/corrections/) **Jugti is free and independent.** Reader support keeps the Kosh growing. [Support](https://jugti.com/support/) ## More words [ਚੰਨchannMoon](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/chann/)[ਭਾਬੀbhabhiElder brother's wife; sister-in-law](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/bhabhi/)[ਪਟੋਲਾpatolaslang for a beautiful, stylishly dressed woman; a compliment in Punjabi songs and speech](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/patola/)[ਅੱਤattthe extreme, over the top (slang)](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/att/)[ਖੁਸ਼ੀkhushiHappiness; joy](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/khushi/)[ਕਿੱਥੇkithewhere, in which place](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/kithe/) [ੳ](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/?letter=%E0%A9%B3)[ਅ](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/?letter=%E0%A8%85)[ੲ](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/?letter=%E0%A9%B2)[ਸ](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/?letter=%E0%A8%B8)[ਹ](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/?letter=%E0%A8%B9)[ਕ](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/?letter=%E0%A8%95)[ਖ](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/?letter=%E0%A8%96)[ਗ](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/?letter=%E0%A8%97)[ਘ](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/?letter=%E0%A8%98)[ਙ](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/?letter=%E0%A8%99)[ਚ](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/?letter=%E0%A8%9A)[ਛ](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/?letter=%E0%A8%9B)[ਜ](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/?letter=%E0%A8%9C)[ਝ](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/?letter=%E0%A8%9D)[ਞ](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/?letter=%E0%A8%9E)[ਟ](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/?letter=%E0%A8%9F)[ਠ](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/?letter=%E0%A8%A0)[ਡ](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/?letter=%E0%A8%A1)[ਢ](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/?letter=%E0%A8%A2)[ਣ](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/?letter=%E0%A8%A3)[ਤ](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/?letter=%E0%A8%A4)[ਥ](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/?letter=%E0%A8%A5)[ਦ](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/?letter=%E0%A8%A6)[ਧ](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/?letter=%E0%A8%A7)[ਨ](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/?letter=%E0%A8%A8)[ਪ](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/?letter=%E0%A8%AA)[ਫ](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/?letter=%E0%A8%AB)[ਬ](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/?letter=%E0%A8%AC)[ਭ](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/?letter=%E0%A8%AD)[ਮ](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/?letter=%E0%A8%AE)[ਯ](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/?letter=%E0%A8%AF)[ਰ](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/?letter=%E0%A8%B0)[ਲ](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/?letter=%E0%A8%B2)[ਵ](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/?letter=%E0%A8%B5)[ੜ](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/?letter=%E0%A9%9C) On this page[In short](#in-short)[How it's used](#how-used)[ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਵਿੱਚ ਅਰਥ](#pa-meaning)[What does main mean in Punjabi?](#s-k1)[The origin of main](#s-k3)[What are the forms of main?](#s-k5)[Can main also mean pride?](#s-k7)[Main and tu: the pair that starts a conversation](#s-k9) Related words[ਤੂੰ tuYou (informal, intimate, singular)](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/tu/)[ਮੇਰਾ meraMy; mine](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/mera/)[ਹੋਰ horMore; another, other](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/hor/)[ਕਿੱਦਾਂ kiddanhow are you? what's up? (informal greeting)](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/kiddan/)[ਕਿਵੇਂ kivenHow; in what way](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/kiven/) [A Punjabi wordਦਾਦਾdadaFather's father; paternal grandfather](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/dada/) Browse words by letter [ੳ](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/?letter=%E0%A9%B3)[ਅ](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/?letter=%E0%A8%85)[ੲ](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/?letter=%E0%A9%B2)[ਸ](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/?letter=%E0%A8%B8)[ਹ](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/?letter=%E0%A8%B9)[ਕ](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/?letter=%E0%A8%95)[ਖ](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/?letter=%E0%A8%96)[ਗ](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/?letter=%E0%A8%97)[ਘ](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/?letter=%E0%A8%98)[ਙ](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/?letter=%E0%A8%99)[ਚ](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/?letter=%E0%A8%9A)[ਛ](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/?letter=%E0%A8%9B)[ਜ](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/?letter=%E0%A8%9C)[ਝ](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/?letter=%E0%A8%9D)[ਞ](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/?letter=%E0%A8%9E)[ਟ](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/?letter=%E0%A8%9F)[ਠ](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/?letter=%E0%A8%A0)[ਡ](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/?letter=%E0%A8%A1)[ਢ](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/?letter=%E0%A8%A2)[ਣ](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/?letter=%E0%A8%A3)[ਤ](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/?letter=%E0%A8%A4)[ਥ](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/?letter=%E0%A8%A5)[ਦ](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/?letter=%E0%A8%A6)[ਧ](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/?letter=%E0%A8%A7)[ਨ](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/?letter=%E0%A8%A8)[ਪ](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/?letter=%E0%A8%AA)[ਫ](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/?letter=%E0%A8%AB)[ਬ](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/?letter=%E0%A8%AC)[ਭ](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/?letter=%E0%A8%AD)[ਮ](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/?letter=%E0%A8%AE)[ਯ](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/?letter=%E0%A8%AF)[ਰ](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/?letter=%E0%A8%B0)[ਲ](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/?letter=%E0%A8%B2)[ਵ](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/?letter=%E0%A8%B5)[ੜ](https://jugti.com/kosh/words/?letter=%E0%A9%9C) Advertisement ## Keep exploring Everything in the Kosh, with sources. 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