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Gurmukhi

The Gurmukhi script is the official script for reading and writing Punjabi in the Indian state of Punjab. Gurmukhi developed from the ancient Indian Brahmī script and was further standardized in the 16th century by the second Sikh Guru: Guru Angad Dev Ji. Because of this common origin, Gurmukhi shares many similarities with other Indic scripts. The name 'Gurmukhi' itself means 'facing the Guru' or 'from the mouth of the Guru'.

Note that whereas Punjabi is a language which can be written in multiple scripts, Gurmukhi is a script which can be used to write multiple languages. For example, Gurmukhi is used to write several languages and language dialects in the Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh Scripture.


For a comparison between Gurmukhi and Devanagari or Shahmukhi, see the following pages: Devanagari Shahmukhi


⎯ ਵਰਨਮਾਲਾ ⎯
Varnamālā (The Alphabet)

The Gurmukhi alphabet is sometimes referred to as the paentī (meaning 'thirty-five' letters) or varnamālā (meaning 'string of letters'). Each akkhar (letter) represents a distinct sound and is always pronounced the same way. The Gurmukhi paentī is organized in a grid of 7X5 akkhar arranged by pronunciation. The most similar Roman letter is given for each Gurmukhi akkhar, but note that pronunciation often cannot be properly expressed in Roman letters. Click on an akkhar to hear its proper pronunciation.

Unlike English, every akkhar (letter) in Gurmukhi is phonetic, meaning it is always pronounced the same way.


⎯ ਬਿੰਦੀ ਅੱਖਰ ⎯
Bindī Akkhar (Modified Letters)

Sounds that are not represented in the standard Gurmukhi script, but were later incorporated into the script are represented by adding a bindī or nuqtā (dot) at the base of an akkhar to indicate it is pronounced differently.

These akkhar are normally referred with the term paer bindī meaning "dot at the foot". For example, ਸ਼ [sh] is commonly referred to as sasse paer bindī meaning "S with a dot at the foot". While ਸ਼ [sh] & ਜ਼ [z] are commonly used in written and spoken Punjabi, the other bindī akkhar are used less frequently and often written without the bindī. ਕ਼ [q] is very rarely used, but included here for reference.

While ਸ਼ [sh] is used in many Sanskrit, Persian, and Arabic origin words, ਕ਼ [q], ਖ਼ [x], ਗ਼ [ġ], ਜ਼ [z], ਫ਼ [f] are typically only used in Arabic loan words. The only bindī akkhar that represents a native Punjabi sound is ਲ਼ [ḷ].

The Gur Shabad Ratnākar Mahān Kōsh (An Encyclopedia and Dictionary of the Sikh Scripture) by Bhai Kahn Singh Nabha includes about a dozen additional modified Gurmukhi akkhar to represent certain other Sanskrit, Persian, and Arabic origin sounds. These are not used in ordinary written or spoken Punjabi.

⎯ ਲਗਾਂ ਮਾਤਰਾ ⎯
Lagā(n) Mātrā (Vowel Markers)

A lagā(n) mātrā (vowel marker) is a symbol used to represent a vowel sound. Each vowel sound is represented by a unique symbol which is always pronounced the same way. Notice there is a short and long version of each vowel sound. Click on each lagā(n) mātrā to hear its pronunciation.


A lagā(n) mātrā can be attached to any consonant akkhar to add a vowel sound to it. When no matra is used, an [a] vowel is pronounced after it by default. Consider ਕ [k] for example:


A lagā(n) mātrā cannot stand on its own and must be connected with an akkhar when spelling words. When a vowel sound is used as its own syllable, it must be attached to a base vowel akkhar in the following way:

The full table of each akkhar with all possible lagā(n) mātrā combinations can be seen on the Muhārnī page.

⎯ ਵਰਨਮਾਲਾ ਬਣਤਰ ⎯
Varnmālā Organization

Unlike the English alphabet, the Gurmukhi varnmālā (alphabet) is organized into a phonetic grid where each akkhar's (letter's) position is based on its pronunciation.

Click on the akkhar below to hear the proper pronunciation.

Base vowels Fricatives
Unvoiced unaspirated Unvoiced aspirated Voiced non-tonal Voiced tonal Nasal
Velar
Palatal
Retroflex
Dental
Labial
Soronants Retroflex
soronant

Base vowels: The first three akkhar ੳ [u, ū, ō], ਅ [a, ā, ae, au], ੲ [i, ī, e] are the base vowels which are used as placeholders to create all other vowel sounds.

Fricatives: The next two letters ਸ [s], ਹ [h] are the sounds pronounced by compressing air.

Consonants: The akkhar in the middle rows are organized both row-wise and column-wise by pronunciation. The row indicates the position of the mouth the sound is created from:

  1. Velar: ਕ, ਖ, ਗ, ਘ, ਙ [k, kh, g, gh, ng] are pronounced from the back of the mouth
  2. Palatal: ਚ, ਛ, ਜ, ਝ, ਞ [ch, chh, j, jh, ñ] are pronounced from the middle of the mouth
  3. Retroflex: ਟ, ਠ, ਡ, ਢ, ਣ [ṭ, ṭh, ḍ, ḍh, ṇ] are pronounced from the front of the mouth
  4. Dental: ਤ, ਥ, ਦ, ਧ, ਨ [t, th, d, dh, n] are pronounced from the teeth
  5. Labial: ਪ, ਫ, ਬ, ਭ, ਮ [p, ph, b, bh, m] are pronounced with the lips

The columns indicate the type of sound being pronounced:

  1. Unvoiced unaspirated: ਕ, ਚ, ਟ, ਤ, ਪ [k, ch, ṭ, t, p] have a soft pronouciation.
  2. Unvoiced aspirated: ਖ, ਛ, ਠ, ਥ, ਫ [kh, chh, ṭh, th, ph] have a hard (aspirated) pronouciation.
  3. Voiced non-tonal: ਗ, ਜ, ਡ, ਦ, ਬ [g, j, ḍ, d, b] are pronounced flat and with a voiced sound.
  4. Voiced tonal: ਘ, ਝ, ਢ, ਧ, ਭ [gh, jh, ḍh, dh, bh] are pronounced with a tone.
  5. Nasal: ਙ, ਞ, ਣ, ਨ, ਮ [ng, ñ, ṇ, n, m] are produced with the nose.

Sonorants: The last row ਯ, ਰ, ਲ, ਵ [y, r, l, v contains sonorants which are produced by a continuous gliding sound. Notice they are also ordered by where they are produced in the mouth (back to front). The last akkhar ੜ [ṛ] is a special sound pronounced as a retroflex [r] sound.

This phonetic organization is similar across other Indian writing systems due to their common origin from the Brahmi script. It is believed that Dmitri Mendeleev (the creator of the periodic table of elements) was inspired by the Indian phonetic system when creating the periodic table and for this reason used Sanskrit words for certain (at the time) unnamed elements as placeholder names.

⎯ ਅੱਖਰ-ਜੋੜ ਨਿਯਮ ⎯
Spelling Rules
ਮੁਕਤਾ ਸ਼ਬਦ
Muktā words (Simple Spelling)
  1. Basic words can be created simply by joining any sequence of akkhar (letters) together without the need for any lagā(n) mātrā (vowel markers). Such simple words are referred to as muktā (free), because they are free from any vowel markers.
  2. Notice when no lagā(n) mātrā are used, a simple [a] sound is pronounced after each akkhar by default. At the end of a word, this default [a] is pronounced very lightly and often doesn't appear in the Romanized spelling.
  3. Any akkhar (except ੳ & ੲ) can be joined in a sequence to form a word without the need for an extra vowel marker.
ਲਗਾਂ ਮਾਤਰਾਵਾਂ ਦੀ ਵਰਤੋਂ
Lagā(n) Mātrā Usage (Vowel Sounds)
  1. A lagā(n) mātrā (vowel marker) can be attached to an akkhar (letter) to modify the default [a] vowel sound.
  2. Any lagā(n) mātrā can be attached to any consonant akkhar, but only certain lagā(n) mātrā can be attached to ੳ, ਅ, ੲ. They can only be attached to the base vowels in the following way:
  3. A single akkhar cannot have more than one lagā(n) mātrā attached to it. To join sequences of multiple vowel sounds together, the base vowels ੳ, ਅ, ੲ must be used as placeholders.
ਅਧਕ ਦੀ ਵਰਤੋਂ
Adhak (Gemination)
  1. The adhak symbol (ੱ) is used to double the sound of an akkhar. This is pronounced as a kind of stress and is often expressed in Romanized spelling by doubling the letter being modified. It is typically written above and between the akkhar (letter) being modified and the one before it, but may also be written right above the modified akkhar.
  2. An adhak may be used for consonants that come right after a short vowel sound ਉ [u], ਅ [a], ਇ [i], but is normally not applied to consonants that come right after a long vowel ਊ [ū], ਓ [ō], ਆ [ā], ਐ [ae], ਔ [au], ਈ [ī], ਏ [e] (even though it may still be pronounced after a long vowel).
ਬਿੰਦੀ 'ਤੇ ਟਿੱਪੀ ਦੀ ਵਰਤੋਂ
Bindī & Ṭippī (Nasalization)
  1. The bindī (ਂ) is used to add a nasal sound to a vowel. It appears as a dot at the top of an akkhar (letter) right after the lagā(n) mātrā (vowel marker) and indicates the vowel must be pronounced with an open nose. In Punjabi, the bindī is typically only used for long vowels.
  2. A ṭippī (ੰ) is used to add both a nasal sound and a kind of stress. It is effectively the same as using a bindī (ਂ) and an adhak (ੱ) together. The ṭippī can be used between any two consonant akkhar or after a vowel.
    Unlike the bindī which is generally used with the long vowels, the ṭippī is typically only used after short vowels ਉ [u], ਅ [a], ਇ [i], and sometimes after ਊ [ū] vowel.
ਪੈਰੀਂ ਅੱਖਰ 'ਤੇ ਹਲੰਤ
Paerī(n) Akkhar & Halant (Joined Letters)
  1. Two akkhar (letters) can be joined together to indicate they should be pronounced continuously (without the default [a] sound between them). When joined, the second akkhar often appears in the base or paer (foot) of the first akkhar. The most common akkhar which are joined (in order of usage) are ਰ [r], ਹ [h], ਵ [v], ਯ [y].
    Note that, depending on the font, a joined ਯ [y] is sometimes connected at the base of the first akkhar and other times connected side-by-side.
  2. When a lagā(n) mātrā (vowel marker) is added to a joined akkhar, the vowel sound is pronounced after the second akkhar, not the first.
  3. Sometimes, two akkhar may be written separately, but still pronounced as if they were joined. In these cases, the correct pronunciation is simply memorized.
  4. Akkhar other than ਰ [r], ਹ [h], ਵ [v], ਯ [y] can sometimes be joined at the base of another akkhar, but this is almost never written explicitly. In such cases, the akkhar are almost always written separately and the correct pronunciation is simply memorized.
    To explicitly indicate that two akkhar (which are typically not joined) must actually be joined and pronounced together, the hala(n)t marker is written at the base of the first akkhar. This symbol technically indicates that the default muktā ([a] sound) after the marked akkhar should not be pronounced. Thus, the two akkhar are pronounced as if they were joined.
  5. Unlike some other Indian (Brahmi-origin) scripts, three or more akkhar are not typically joined in Gurmukhi. Additionally, the base vowel akkhar ੳ, ਅ, ੲ cannot be joined with any akkhar.
⎯ ਵਿਰਾਮ 'ਤੇ ਹੋਰ ਚਿਨ੍ਹ ⎯
Punctuation

The ḍanḍī or virām (।) is a vertical line that is used to end a sentence or independent clause and thus serves the same function as a period (.) or semicolon (;).

The pūran virām (॥) is often used in scripture to indicate the end of a verse. This punctuation is often not used in ordinary writing.

Modern Gurmukhi writing also incorporates English punctuation marks like exclamations (!), question marks (?), commas (,), quotes (“”), etc.

⎯ ਸੰਖਿਆ ⎯
Sankhyā (Numerals)

The modern numeral writing system used in English developed from the Indo-Arabic decimal system and replaced Roman-numerals around the 10th century. Because of the common origin, Gurmukhi numerals (and other Indian numerals) resemble those used in English.

Larger numbers are written by combining digits the same as in English. For example:

੧੦ → 10
੨੪ → 24
੫੧੨ → 512
੧੭੨੯ → 1729

One small notable difference between writing numbers in Gurmukhi versus English is that for numbers greater than one-thousand, the digits are grouped by a comma every two digits rather than every three.

੧,੦੦੦ → 1,000
੧,੦੦,੦੦੦ → 100,000
੧,੦੦,੦੦,੦੦੦ → 10,000,000

This is because the Punjabi names of powers of ten after one-thousand also proceed by two digits rather than three. For example:

ਹਜ਼ਾਰ [hazār] = thousand
ਲੱਖ [lakkh] = hundred-thousand
ਕਰੋੜ [crōṛ] = ten-million

For more on Gurmukhi Punjabi numerals, see the Punjabi numbers page.



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