ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਸਲੈਂਗ

Every living language has its slang, and Punjabi slang is loud, funny and full of praise. These are the words of songs, reels and street talk: the words young Punjabis reach for when something is brilliant, someone is impressive, or a broken thing has been fixed with genius. Use them with friends, not with elders, and each one links to its full page in the Kosh for the story behind it.

Praise, Punjabi style

<a href="/kosh/words/att/">ਅੱਤ (att)</a> - the extreme, over the top

<a href="/kosh/words/ghaint/">ਘੈਂਟ (ghaint)</a> - awesome, superb, cool

<a href="/kosh/words/siraa/">ਸਿਰਾ (siraa)</a> - top class, the very best

<a href="/kosh/words/balle-balle/">ਬੱਲੇ ਬੱਲੇ (balle balle)</a> - hooray, bravo: the joy cry of bhangra and every celebration

<a href="/kosh/words/chak-de-phatte/">ਚੱਕ ਦੇ ਫੱਟੇ (chak de phatte)</a> - the cry of encouragement: give it your all, go all out

People of the songs

<a href="/kosh/words/gabru/">ਗੱਭਰੂ (gabru)</a> - a young man in his prime, a dashing lad

<a href="/kosh/words/mutiyar/">ਮੁਟਿਆਰ (mutiyar)</a> - a young woman grown up, the heroine of Punjabi songs

<a href="/kosh/words/patola/">ਪਟੋਲਾ (patola)</a> - slang for a beautiful, stylishly dressed woman, the compliment of Punjabi songs

<a href="/kosh/words/yaar/">ਯਾਰ (yaar)</a> - friend, mate, buddy: the warm word for a close friend

The clever fix

<a href="/kosh/words/jugaad/">ਜੁਗਾੜ (jugaad)</a> - a clever improvised fix, an ingenious makeshift solution

<a href="/kosh/words/jugat/">ਜੁਗਤ (jugat)</a> - a clever way or method, a knack

How to use these words

Slang runs on tone. ਘੈਂਟ (ghaint) said of a song, a car or a friend's new shoes is pure praise, and ਅੱਤ ਕਰਾ ਦਿੱਤੀ (att kara ditti), you have taken it to the extreme, is what you say when someone outdoes themselves. But these are friend words: with grandparents and teachers, the respectful words on the everyday words page serve you better.

Two of these words are older than slang itself. ਗੱਭਰੂ (gabru) and ਮੁਟਿਆਰ (mutiyar) are the hero and heroine of folk songs centuries old, still sung today, and ਜੁਗਾੜ (jugaad) has travelled from Punjabi workshops into English dictionaries worldwide. Their Kosh pages trace the journeys.

What does ghaint mean in Punjabi?

ਘੈਂਟ (ghaint) means awesome, superb or cool. It is modern Punjabi slang used as praise for a person, a song, a look or anything impressive.

What does att mean in Punjabi slang?

ਅੱਤ (att) literally means the extreme or limit. As slang it means over the top: ਅੱਤ ਕਰਾ ਦਿੱਤੀ (att kara ditti) says someone has done something brilliantly excessive.

What is a gabru in Punjabi?

A ਗੱਭਰੂ (gabru) is a young man in his prime, strong and full of life. He is the hero of countless Punjabi folk songs, just as the ਮੁਟਿਆਰ (mutiyar) is their heroine.