Indo-Aryan · Gurmukhi
Punjabiਪੰਜਾਬੀ
125M speakers · South Asia
250 terms
sat sri akal
Hello (Sat Sri Akal)
The Sikh Punjabi greeting, honoring the timeless God; used for hello and goodbye.
ki haal hai
How are you?
The everyday Punjabi way to ask how someone is.
theek haan
I am fine
The standard reply to how are you.
ji
Respect particle (ji)
The little word of respect added everywhere — haan ji, nahin ji!
shubh saver
Good morning
A morning greeting.
shubh raat
Good night
Said before going to bed.
fer milange
See you again
A warm farewell, literally we will meet again.
changa
Okay; alright (goodbye)
Good or okay — and the classic casual Punjabi goodbye.
shukria
Thank you
The standard thanks; dhanvaad is also used.
koi gal nahin
No problem
The easy-going reply to thanks or apologies, literally no matter.
maaf karna
Sorry; excuse me
A polite apology, also used to get someone's attention.
haan
Yes
An affirmative answer; haan ji with respect.
nahin
No; not
A negative answer; also negates verbs.
vadhia
Great; excellent
The favorite Punjabi word for great, first-class, wonderful!
mera naam
My name is
Used to introduce yourself; mera naam ... hai.
mil ke khushi hoi
Nice to meet you
Said when meeting someone, literally happiness came from meeting.
ji aaian nu
Welcome
The heartfelt Punjabi welcome to guests.
vadhaian
Congratulations
Joyful congratulations — lakh lakh vadhaian, a hundred thousand of them!
mainu samajh nahin aaya
I don't understand
A useful phrase for learners when something is unclear.
ik
One
The number one; Ik Onkar — One God — opens the Guru Granth Sahib.
do
Two
The number two.
tinn
Three
The number three.
chaar
Four
The number four.
panj
Five
The number five — Punjab itself means land of five rivers!
chhe
Six
The number six.
satt
Seven
The number seven.
atth
Eight
The number eight.
naun
Nine
The number nine.
das
Ten
The number ten; Sikhi has ten Gurus.
sau
Hundred
The number one hundred.
hazaar
Thousand
The number one thousand.
ajj
Today
The present day.
kallh
Tomorrow; yesterday
Means both tomorrow and yesterday — the verb tense tells you which!
hun
Now
At the present moment.
ghanta
Hour
A period of sixty minutes.
mint
Minute
A period of sixty seconds.
hafta
Week
A period of seven days.
saal
Year
A period of twelve months; Vaisakhi opens the harvest year.
parivaar
Family
A group of people related by blood or marriage.
maa
Mother
Mother — bebe with affection; maa boli means mother tongue.
pita
Father
Father; bapu with affection.
veer
Brother
Brother — veer ji is also a warm address for any man.
bhain
Sister
A female sibling; bhain ji with respect.
putt
Son
Son — and the affectionate way elders address any youngster.
dhee
Daughter
A female child.
dada
Grandfather (paternal)
Your father's father; the mother's father is nana.
dadi
Grandmother (paternal)
Your father's mother; her pinnis and parathas are legend.
pati
Husband
The man a woman is married to.
patni
Wife
The woman a man is married to.
baccha
Child
A young person; plural bacche.
yaar
Friend (yaar)
The classic Punjabi word for buddy — yaari is friendship itself.
dost
Friend
A person you know well and like.
banda
Man; person
An everyday word for a man or fellow.
aurat
Woman
An adult female person.
adhiapak
Teacher
A person who teaches; masterji with affection.
vidiarthi
Student
A person who studies at school or university.
guandhi
Neighbor
A person who lives next to or near you.
paani
Water
The clear liquid essential for life — five rivers of it gave Punjab its name.
chaa
Tea
Tea — every Punjabi conversation begins over a cup.
lassi
Lassi
The tall glass of churned yogurt — Punjab's gift to thirsty summers.
roti
Roti; food
The flatbread — roti also simply means a meal.
makki di roti
Corn flatbread
Cornbread with sarson da saag — the iconic Punjabi winter meal.
saag
Mustard greens dish
Slow-cooked greens, classically sarson da saag with a dollop of white butter.
makkhan
Butter
White butter — generously spread on parathas and saag.
duddh
Milk
Milk — Punjab's dairies make it the land of milk and butter.
paratha
Paratha
Layered fried flatbread, stuffed with aloo, gobhi or paneer — breakfast royalty.
dahin
Yogurt
Curd, served with parathas or churned into lassi.
sabzi
Vegetable; curry
Vegetables, or any cooked vegetable dish eaten with roti.
daal
Lentils
Lentil curry — daal makhani is Punjab's creamy black-lentil masterpiece.
paneer
Paneer (cottage cheese)
Fresh cheese cubes — shahi paneer and paneer tikka are crowd favorites.
mithai
Sweets
Sweets — laddoo, jalebi, barfi — distributed at every happy occasion.
amb
Mango
The king of fruits, loved fresh and in pickles.
seb
Apple
A common fruit.
kanak
Wheat
Wheat — the golden crop of Punjab, India's breadbasket.
chaul
Rice
Cooked rice; rajma-chawal is a beloved combo.
khand
Sugar
Sugar; gur (jaggery) is the rustic favorite.
loon
Salt
Salt, the basic seasoning.
bhukkh
Hunger
The feeling of needing food; bhukkh laggi hai — I am hungry.
ghar
House; home
The place where you live.
pind
Village
The Punjabi village — heart of its culture, fields and folk life.
shahir
City
A large town like Ludhiana, Amritsar or Jalandhar.
gurdwara
Gurdwara
The Sikh house of worship — door of the Guru — open to all, serving langar.
harmandir sahib
Golden Temple
Sri Harmandir Sahib in Amritsar, the holiest gurdwara, gleaming in gold over its sacred pool.
bazaar
Market
A street of shops where people buy and bargain.
dukaan
Shop
A place where things are sold.
sarak
Road
A paved way for vehicles; the GT Road crosses all of Punjab.
gaddi
Car; vehicle; train
Any vehicle — car, train or cart; context decides.
bass
Bus
Public road transport connecting pind to shahir.
khet
Field (farm)
Farmland — the green wheat fields define Punjab's landscape.
sakool
School
A place where children study.
haspataal
Hospital
A place where the sick are treated.
kitthe
Where
Question word asking about place.
kitthon
From where
Question word asking about origin.
ki
What
Question word for things; also turns statements into yes-no questions.
kaun
Who
Question word for people.
kiun
Why
Question word asking for a reason.
kiven
How
Question word asking about manner — kiven ho? how are you?
kadon
When
Question word asking about time.
kinna
How much
Question word for quantity or price; kinne da hai — how much is it?
kinna samaan
How long (time)
Asks the duration of something.
kehra
Which
Question word for choosing among options.
darya
River
A large flowing waterway — five of them (panj-aab) name the land.
rukkh
Tree
A tall plant with a trunk; the village banyan shades many gatherings.
phull
Flower
The blossom of a plant — phulkari embroidery means flower-work.
sooraj
Sun
The star that lights our days.
chann
Moon
Earth's moon — also a sweet name for a beloved, mera chann!
taara
Star
A point of light in the night sky.
mausam
Weather
The state of the sky and air.
meenh
Rain
Water falling from clouds — the monsoon that feeds the fields.
baddal
Cloud
A mass of water vapor in the sky.
hawa
Wind; air
Moving air; a cool breeze in the fields.
asmaan
Sky
The expanse above — where kites fly on Basant.
dharti
Earth; land
The ground and the planet — Punjab di dharti, the beloved soil.
garmi
Heat; summer
Hot weather — Punjabi summers blaze past 45 degrees.
sardi
Cold; winter
Cold weather — foggy Decembers with saag and gur.
jaanvar
Animal
Any living creature.
majjh
Buffalo
The water buffalo — pride of the Punjabi dairy household.
kutta
Dog
The loyal four-legged companion.
panchhi
Bird
A feathered flying creature.
sir
Head
The top part of the body — covered with respect in the gurdwara.
vaal
Hair
Hair — kesh, kept uncut, is one of the five Sikh articles of faith.
akkh
Eye
The organ of sight; plural akkhan fills countless folk songs.
hatth
Hand
The part at the end of the arm.
pair
Foot
The part of the body you stand on; touching elders' feet shows respect.
latt
Leg
The limb used for walking — and for bhangra jumps!
dil
Heart
The heart — organ and seat of emotion; dil khol ke, with an open heart.
pet
Stomach
The belly; pet dukhda hai — my stomach hurts.
moonh
Mouth; face
The mouth or face — mooh mittha karo, sweeten your mouth, means celebrate!
dand
Tooth
Teeth, used for chewing.
kann
Ear
The organ of hearing.
nakk
Nose
The organ of smell — also family honor in idiom, nakk rakhna!
sihat
Health
The condition of the body; changi sihat — good health.
bimaar
Sick
Not in good health.
dawai
Medicine
Something taken to cure illness.
daktar
Doctor
A person who treats the sick.
dard
Pain
An unpleasant hurting feeling.
neend
Sleep
Rest with closed eyes; neend aa rahi hai — I am sleepy.
kamm
Work
A job or task; kamm karna — to work.
naukri
Job
Paid employment.
daftar
Office
A place of clerical or professional work.
paisa
Money
Currency; paise plural — the means of buying.
rupaiya
Rupee
The Indian currency unit.
kisaan
Farmer
The tiller of the land — backbone of Punjab, feeder of the nation.
vapaar
Business; trade
Commercial activity, buying and selling.
mehnat
Hard work
Effort and toil — the celebrated Punjabi virtue; mehnat rang liaundi hai.
chhutti
Holiday; leave
A day off from work or school.
phone
Phone
The device for calls; phone karna — to call.
kitaab
Book
Pages bound for reading.
punjabi
Punjabi (language/person)
The language of Punjab and its people — written in Gurmukhi in India, Shahmukhi in Pakistan.
gurmukhi
Gurmukhi script
The script of Punjabi in India, standardized by Guru Angad Dev — from the Guru's mouth.
maa boli
Mother tongue
Your first language — Punjabis call theirs maa boli with deep pride.
bhangra
Bhangra
The high-energy harvest dance with dhol beats — now a global party staple.
gidha
Giddha
The women's folk dance of claps and witty boliyan verses.
dhol
Dhol drum
The big double-headed drum whose beat drives bhangra.
vaisakhi
Vaisakhi festival
The April harvest festival — and the birth of the Khalsa in 1699.
lohri
Lohri festival
The January bonfire festival with rewri, peanuts and songs around the flames.
langar
Langar (community meal)
The free community kitchen of the gurdwara — all eat together as equals.
seva
Selfless service
Voluntary service for others — washing dishes in langar, sweeping the gurdwara.
pagg
Turban
The turban — crown of self-respect and identity for Sikh men.
phulkari
Phulkari embroidery
Flower-work — the bright silk embroidery of Punjabi dupattas and shawls.
viah
Wedding
Marriage — days of music, mehndi, bhangra and feasting.
mela
Fair; festival gathering
A village fair with rides, stalls and wrestling bouts.
boli
Folk couplet; dialect
A witty sung couplet in giddha — also means speech or dialect.
karna
To do
The all-purpose verb of action; kamm karna — to work.
hona
To be; to happen
To exist or occur — the backbone verb of the language.
jaana
To go
To move from here to there.
auna
To come
To move toward the speaker.
khaana
To eat
To consume food — as a noun it also means food itself.
peena
To drink
To consume a liquid.
dekhna
To see; to watch
To look at something.
sunna
To hear; to listen
To perceive sound.
bolna
To speak
To say words; Punjabi bolo — speak Punjabi!
dassna
To tell
To inform someone; daso ji — do tell!
puchhna
To ask
To put a question.
parhna
To read; to study
To read text or pursue studies.
likhna
To write
To put words on paper or screen.
laina
To take
To receive or grab something.
dena
To give
To hand something over.
kharidna
To buy
To get something by paying money.
vechna
To sell
To exchange goods for money.
sauna
To sleep
To rest in sleep.
utthna
To get up
To rise from sleep or sitting.
challna
To walk; to move
To go on foot or be in motion; challo — let's go!
daurna
To run
To move fast on foot.
khedna
To play
To take part in games — kabaddi is Punjab's pride.
gauna
To sing
To make music with the voice — Punjab sings at every occasion.
nachna
To dance
To move to music — to bhangra and giddha beats.
samajhna
To understand
To grasp the meaning of something.
sikhna
To learn
To gain knowledge or skill — the very word Sikh means learner.
sochna
To think
To use the mind.
jaanna
To know
To have knowledge of something or someone.
milna
To meet; to get
To meet someone, or to receive something.
banauna
To make
To create or prepare something.
rakkhna
To keep; to put
To place or retain something.
labbhna
To find; to search
To look for or discover something.
udeekna
To wait
To stay until something happens — udeek is the ache of waiting in folk songs.
pasand karna
To like
To find something pleasing; mainu pasand hai — I like it.
madad karna
To help
To assist someone.
vadda
Big; elder
Large in size, or senior in age — vadda veer, elder brother.
chhota
Small; younger
Little in size, or junior in age.
changa
Good
Of fine quality; changa munda — a good boy.
manda
Bad
Of poor quality or unkind; manda na bolo — speak no ill.
navaan
New
Recently made or arrived.
purana
Old (things)
Existing for a long time — for people use buddha or vadda.
garam
Hot
High in temperature; garam cha — hot tea.
thanda
Cold
Low in temperature; thandi lassi — cold lassi.
sohna
Beautiful
Lovely to look at — sohni for feminine; the legend of Sohni-Mahiwal carries the name.
uccha
Tall; high
Of great height; also loud for voices.
lamma
Long; tall (person)
Of great length, or a tall person.
tez
Fast; sharp
Quick in speed, sharp in edge or mind — tez dimaag, a sharp brain.
hauli
Slow; soft
Slow in speed or gentle in manner; hauli bolo — speak softly.
mittha
Sweet
Sugary in taste — or sweet in speech, mitthi boli.
khatta
Sour
Acidic in taste like lemon or raw mango.
saaf
Clean; clear
Free of dirt; also clear and honest speech, saaf gal.
ganda
Dirty
Covered in dirt; unclean.
sasta
Cheap
Low in price.
mehnga
Expensive
High in price.
sidha
Straight; simple
Without bends — or a straightforward person.
khabbe
Left (direction)
Toward the left side.
sajje
Right (direction)
Toward the right side.
savere
In the morning
The early part of the day — amrit vela, the pre-dawn hour, is treasured for prayer.
shaam
Evening
The close of the day.
raat
Night
The dark hours for rest.
kapde
Clothes
Garments — the salwar-kameez and kurta-pajama of daily Punjab.
jutti
Punjabi shoe (jutti)
The embroidered traditional flat shoe — Patiala juttis are famous.
mez
Table
Furniture with a flat top.
kursi
Chair
A seat with a back; the manja (rope cot) is its village cousin.
manja
Rope cot (manja)
The woven rope bed — village afternoons are napped on it under shade.
darwaza
Door
The entry of a house or room.
khirki
Window
An opening in a wall for light and air.
agg
Fire
Burning flame — the Lohri bonfire gathers the whole mohalla.
patang
Kite
The paper kite — Basant fills the sky with them.
gali
Lane; street
A narrow street of the mohalla where children play.
naam
Name
What a person is called; in Sikhi, Naam also means remembrance of God.
gall
Talk; matter
A thing said or discussed — gallan, the long chats over chai.
khush
Happy
Feeling joy.
khushi
Happiness
The feeling of joy; khushian — celebrations.
udaas
Sad
Feeling sorrow.
pyaar
Love
Deep affection — the soul of Heer-Ranjha and every Punjabi song.
gussa
Anger
The hot feeling of rage; gussa na karo — don't be angry.
darr
Fear
The feeling of being afraid; nidarr — fearless.
hassna
To laugh
To express joy aloud — Punjabi gatherings overflow with laughter.
rona
To cry
To shed tears.
umeed
Hope
Expectation that good will come; chardi kala embodies eternal optimism.
chardi kala
Eternal optimism
The Sikh spirit of rising spirits — joyful resilience even in hardship.
sharam
Shyness; shame
Bashfulness or embarrassment.
yaad
Memory; remembrance
What stays in the mind; teri yaad aundi hai — I miss you.
swaad
Taste; delight
Flavor — swaad aa gaya means pure enjoyment, of food or life!
rabb
God
The everyday Punjabi word for God — Rabb rakha, may God protect you.
waheguru
Waheguru (Wondrous God)
The Sikh name of God — Wondrous Enlightener — repeated in meditation and greeting.