ਰੋਜ਼ਾਨਾ ਦੇ ਸ਼ਬਦ

The fastest way into Punjabi is not grammar, it is the words that come up fifty times a day. This page gathers the 20 everyday essentials of the Jugti Kosh: the words for water and home, for speaking and eating, for laughing and crying. Each one links to its own full page in the dictionary, with example sentences and the Punjabi meaning explained. Start here, then move to the themed lists for food, family, feelings and more.

The house and the day

<a href="/kosh/words/pani/">ਪਾਣੀ (pani)</a> - water, the word behind every meal, journey and welcome

<a href="/kosh/words/ghar/">ਘਰ (ghar)</a> - home, house

<a href="/kosh/words/din/">ਦਿਨ (din)</a> - day

<a href="/kosh/words/raat/">ਰਾਤ (raat)</a> - night

<a href="/kosh/words/mela/">ਮੇਲਾ (mela)</a> - a fair, the village festival gathering everyone waits for

Things you do every day

<a href="/kosh/words/bolna/">ਬੋਲਣਾ (bolna)</a> - to speak, to talk

<a href="/kosh/words/khaana/">ਖਾਣਾ (khaana)</a> - to eat

<a href="/kosh/words/peena/">ਪੀਣਾ (peena)</a> - to drink

<a href="/kosh/words/sona/">ਸੌਣਾ (sona)</a> - to sleep

<a href="/kosh/words/uthna/">ਉੱਠਣਾ (uthna)</a> - to wake up, to get up

<a href="/kosh/words/kamm/">ਕੰਮ (kamm)</a> - work, a job, a task

<a href="/kosh/words/mehnat/">ਮਿਹਨਤ (mehnat)</a> - hard work, honest effort

Words that hold a conversation together

<a href="/kosh/words/changa/">ਚੰਗਾ (changa)</a> - good, fine, okay; also the Punjabi way of saying alright then

<a href="/kosh/words/sach/">ਸੱਚ (sach)</a> - truth

<a href="/kosh/words/jhooth/">ਝੂਠ (jhooth)</a> - a lie, falsehood

<a href="/kosh/words/hasna/">ਹੱਸਣਾ (hasna)</a> - to laugh, to smile

<a href="/kosh/words/rona/">ਰੋਣਾ (rona)</a> - to cry, to weep

<a href="/kosh/words/dosti/">ਦੋਸਤੀ (dosti)</a> - friendship

<a href="/kosh/words/kithe/">ਕਿੱਥੇ (kithe)</a> - where, in which place

<a href="/kosh/words/hun/">ਹੁਣ (hun)</a> - now, at this moment

<a href="/kosh/words/kadon/">ਕਦੋਂ (kadon)</a> - when, at what time: the question word for time

<a href="/kosh/words/kyon/">ਕਿਉਂ (kyon)</a> - why, for what reason: the question word that asks for a reason

Village and city

<a href="/kosh/words/pind/">ਪਿੰਡ (pind)</a> - village

<a href="/kosh/words/sheher/">ਸ਼ਹਿਰ (sheher)</a> - city, town

How to use these words

Do not try to memorise the list in one sitting. Take five words a day, say each one out loud, and drop it into a real sentence before the day ends: ask for ਪਾਣੀ (paani) at the table, say ਮੈਂ ਘਰ ਜਾ ਰਿਹਾ ਹਾਂ (main ghar ja reha haan), I am going home, when you leave. Words you have used once in real life stick far better than words you have only read.

Notice how many of these words are verbs. Punjabi builds its sentences around them, and the same verb carries the family through the day: ਖਾਣਾ (khaana) is both to eat and, as a noun, food itself. When a word on this page feels familiar from a song or a film, open its full page: the Kosh gives example sentences in Gurmukhi and English for every one.

What are the most common Punjabi words?

The most common Punjabi words are the everyday essentials on this page: ਪਾਣੀ (paani, water), ਘਰ (ghar, home), ਕੰਮ (kamm, work), ਬੋਲਣਾ (bolna, to speak), ਖਾਣਾ (khaana, to eat) and ਚੰਗਾ (changa, good or okay). They appear in almost every conversation.

How many Punjabi words do I need to start speaking?

About 200 to 300 high-frequency words will let you follow most everyday conversation. The 20 words on this page are the core of that set, and the themed lists in the Kosh build the rest category by category.

What does changa mean in Punjabi?

ਚੰਗਾ (changa) means good, fine or okay. Punjabis also use it to close a topic, the way English speakers say alright then, often as ਚੰਗਾ ਜੀ (changa ji) with respect added.