The script which is used to write the Punjabi language is known as Gurmukhi script. The Gurmukhi script is also called “Painti” (ਪੈਂਤੀ) because historically, it had a total of 35 letters. (In Punjabi, the number 35 is called “painti.”) These 35 characters are divided into seven rows and each row has five characters. Due to heavy Persian and Arabic influence on the language, there are 5 additional letters that have been modified by using the dot underneath existing letters. This is called the “New Group” (navīn ṭoli), which constitutes an eighth line in the script, turning the number of letters to 40. In addition to that, there is a new letter ਲ਼ /L/ which has been added recently to this new group. With these additional adopted sounds, the script has a total of 41 letters. In addition, the Gurmukhi script is composed of 10 vowel accents, 3 conjunct consonants, 2 nasal markers, and 1 symbol for gemination (symbol for doubled letter). In the first lesson, we will learn how to read, write, and pronounce the 41 letters of the Gurmukhi Script. The focus will be on speaking these letters based on their sounds, as opposed to their official names. Read the following table that contains the letters along with their pronunciations and examples. The entire Punjabi alphabet above is represented by 41 letters, 10 vowel accents, Bindi, Tippi, Adhak and conjunct consonants. Thus this script is capable of writing in other languages as well as in Punjabi.
Now that you are familiar with the letters of the Gurmukhi script, you can go into detail about how the letters are grouped according to their sounds. There are a few things to pay attention to:
- The first three letters of the script, ੳ, ਅ and ੲ, are vowel letters. Only ਅ (“a”) can be used alone in a word without any vowel accents. The other two vowel letters, ੳ (“u”) and ੲ (“e”), must always be used with a vowel accent (we’ll cover this in the next unit).
- Each consonant letter is followed by an “a” sound. For example, as a standalone letter, ਸ should be pronounced as “sa,” like in the word “sir.” If the same letter is placed at the end of a word, it should be pronounced as just “s”, like in the word “bus.”
- Except for the first row, the alphabet is structured according to how the sounds are vocalized. The table below shows which part of the mouth and throat the sounds in the row originate from. For example, the letters ਕ, ਖ, ਗ, ਘ, and ਙ are pronounced using the velar section of the mouth. The velar letters are produced when the back of the tongue meets the roof of the mouth.
The table below summarizes the pronunciation of the consonants. Go through the table and read the English pronunciations. Here a few definitions:
- Aspirated vs. Unaspirated: An aspirated sound is one that releases a puff of air from the mouth. An unaspirated sound does not employ a release of air and instead stops short. For example, the letter “p” in the word pin (pʰɪn) is aspirated while it is unaspirated in spin (spɪn).
- Tone: The letters ਘ, ਝ, ਢ, ਧ, and ਭ are tonal letters. This means that, depending on whether they are located at the beginning or at the end of the word, these letters have either a high or low tone. The specifics of low and high tones will be covered in later lessons. For now, just know that when these letters are used in the first syllable of a word, they are pronounced with a low tone and are aspirated. When they appear in the last syllable of a word, they take on a high tone and are unaspirated.
- The symbol ` represents the aspirated version of the letter and ‘h’ represents tone.
Initially, it is usually difficult to understand where the sound of the syllable originates. The following table displays the category of letters, along with the points of contact in the mouth that produce the sound.
| No. | Category | Letters (Sound) | Point of contact that they are produced from |
| 1. | Gutturals/Velar | ka, kha, gh, gha and ṅa | The back of the tongue |
| 2. | Palatals | ca, ch,a j,a jha and ña | the middle of the tongue |
| 3. | Cerebrals/Retroflex | ṭa, ṭha, ḍa, ḍha and ṇa | the tip of the tongue on the ridge |
| 4. | Dentals | ta, tha, da, dha and na | the tip of the tongue against the back of the upper teeth |
| 5. | Labials | pa, pha, ba, bha and ma | the lips |
Follow the diagram below to vocalize each sound. The characters that correspond to each position are shown below.
| Velar Group/ ਕ group | ||||
| Unaspirated | Aspirated | Unaspirated | Aspirated + Tonal | Nasal |
| ਕ | ਖ | ਗ | ਘ | ਙ |
| Oak | Khaki | Gum | Ghost | — |
| Palatal Group/ਚ Group | ||||
| Unaspirated | Aspirated | Unaspirated | Aspirated + Tonal | Nasal |
| ਚ | ਛ | ਜ | ਝ | ਞ |
| Couch | Choo | Jump | Jhumka | — |
| Retroflex Group/ ਟ Group | ||||
| Unaspirated | Aspirated | Unaspirated | Aspirated + Tonal | Nasal |
| ਟ | ਠ | ਡ | ਢ | ਣ |
| Pot | Tub | Drum | Dhol | Rana |
| Dental Group/ ਤ Group | ||||
| Unaspirated | Aspirated | Unaspirated | Aspirated + Tonal | Nasal |
| ਤ | ਥ | ਦ | ਧ | ਨ |
| Three | Thumb | The | Dharma | No |
| Labial Group/ ਪ Group | ||||
| Unaspirated | Aspirated | Unaspirated | Aspirated + Tonal | Nasal |
| ਪ | ਫ | ਬ | ਭ | ਮ |
| Papa | Top-hat | Book | Bhabhi | Mom |