Punjabi alphabet chart with pictures
35 letters · tap 🔊 to hear each one.
| Picture | Letter | Word | Meaning | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ੳ | ਊਠ | camel | |
| ਅ | ਅਨਾਰ | pomegranate | ||
 | ੲ | ਇੱਟ | brick | |
 | ਸ | ਸੇਬ | apple | |
 | ਹ | ਹਾਥੀ | elephant | |
 | ਕ | ਕੇਲਾ | banana | |
 | ਖ | ਖਰਗੋਸ਼ | rabbit | |
 | ਗ | ਗਾਂ | cow | |
 | ਘ | ਘੜੀ | clock | |
| ਙ | ਙੰਙਾ | (letter name; no word starts with it) | ||
 | ਚ | ਚਿੜੀ | sparrow | |
 | ਛ | ਛੱਤਰੀ | umbrella | |
 | ਜ | ਜਹਾਜ਼ | aeroplane | |
 | ਝ | ਝੰਡਾ | flag | |
| ਞ | ਞੰਞਾ | (letter name; no word starts with it) | ||
 | ਟ | ਟਮਾਟਰ | tomato | |
| ਠ | ਠਠੇਰਾ | tinsmith (makes metal pots) | ||
 | ਡ | ਡੱਡੂ | frog | |
 | ਢ | ਢੋਲ | drum | |
| ਣ | ਣਾਣਾ | (letter name; no word starts with it) | ||
 | ਤ | ਤਿਤਲੀ | butterfly | |
| ਥ | ਥਾਲੀ | plate | ||
 | ਦ | ਦੀਵਾ | oil lamp | |
 | ਧ | ਧਨੁਸ਼ | bow | |
 | ਨ | ਨਿੰਬੂ | lemon | |
 | ਪ | ਪਤੰਗ | kite | |
 | ਫ | ਫੁੱਲ | flower | |
 | ਬ | ਬੱਤਖ਼ | duck | |
 | ਭ | ਭਾਲੂ | bear | |
 | ਮ | ਮੋਰ | peacock | |
 | ਯ | ਯਾਤਰੀ | traveller | |
 | ਰ | ਰੇਲ | train | |
| ਲ | ਲੱਡੂ | laddoo (sweet) | ||
| ਵ | ਵਾਜਾ | harmonium | ||
| ੜ | ੜਾੜਾ | (letter name; no word starts with it) |
The Punjabi alphabet for kids starts with a chant. Children in Punjab and in gurdwara classes worldwide learn the Gurmukhi letters as ਪੈਂਤੀ ਅੱਖਰੀ, "the thirty-five letters", recited in rows of five: ੳ ਅ ੲ ਸ ਹ, then ਕ ਖ ਗ ਘ ਙ, and on to ੜ. The game above lets your child tap each letter, hear its name, and see a picture word, such as ਕ for ਕੇਲਾ (banana) or ਗ for ਗਾਂ (cow). It is free, has no ads and needs no sign-up.
Gurmukhi alphabet chart: the seven rows of paintee
Here is the full Gurmukhi alphabet chart with the letter names in English letters. Say each row as one breath, the way it is taught in class. Print this page if you want it on the wall.
| Row | Letters | Letter names |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ੳ ਅ ੲ ਸ ਹ | oora, aira, eeri, sassa, haha |
| 2 | ਕ ਖ ਗ ਘ ਙ | kakka, khakha, gagga, ghagga, nganga |
| 3 | ਚ ਛ ਜ ਝ ਞ | chachcha, chhachha, jajja, jhajja, nyanya |
| 4 | ਟ ਠ ਡ ਢ ਣ | tainka, thattha, dadda, dhadda, naana |
| 5 | ਤ ਥ ਦ ਧ ਨ | tatta, thatha, dadda, dhadda, nanna |
| 6 | ਪ ਫ ਬ ਭ ਮ | pappa, phapha, babba, bhabba, mamma |
| 7 | ਯ ਰ ਲ ਵ ੜ | yayya, rara, lalla, vava, rrarra |
The first row is special. ੳ ਅ ੲ are vowel carriers: on their own they hold the vowel sounds, and in words they wear vowel signs, as in ਊਠ (camel) and ਇੱਟ (brick). Rows two to six follow the same mouth order as Hindi, from the throat to the lips, which helps a child who already knows Hindi varnamala.
How many letters are in Gurmukhi?
The traditional answer is 35, which is where the name ਪੈਂਤੀ (thirty-five) comes from. Modern Punjabi adds six letters with a dot at the foot, called ਪੈਰ ਬਿੰਦੀ letters: ਸ਼ ਖ਼ ਗ਼ ਜ਼ ਫ਼ ਲ਼. They write sounds from Persian, Urdu and English words, such as ਜ਼ in ਜਹਾਜ਼ (aeroplane). So some charts show 41 letters. Teach the 35 first; the dotted letters make sense once the base shapes are familiar.
Four letters, ਙ ਞ ਣ ੜ, never start a word. The game says their names on their own, because there is no honest picture for them. ਣ and ੜ appear in the middle or end of many words, as in ਘੋੜਾ (horse).
How to learn the Gurmukhi alphabet at home, step by step
- Hear it (age 3). Play the Listen mode and chant row one together every day for a week. Clap once for each letter.
- Find it (age 3-4). Switch to Find it, where Golu asks for a letter and your child picks it. Wrong taps just get a gentle hint.
- Trace it (age 4-5). Draw big letters in sand, on a steamy mirror or with a wet finger on the floor. Start at the top line, as Gurmukhi letters hang from it.
- Link it (age 5-6). Say the letter, then the picture word: "ਹ, ਹਾਥੀ".
Use Memory mode as a reward at the end. Matching pairs of letters trains the eye to spot small differences, such as ਧ and ਪ, or ਮ and ਸ.
After paintee: lagan matran and the muharni chant
Once your child knows the letters, the next step is ਲਗਾਂ ਮਾਤਰਾਂ, the vowel signs that attach to each letter. Teachers use a chant called ਮੁਹਾਰਨੀ, which runs one letter through every sign:
ਕ ਕਾ ਕਿ ਕੀ ਕੁ ਕੂ ਕੇ ਕੈ ਕੋ ਕੌ ਕੰ ਕਃ
Say it like a rhyme before bed. Most children are ready for it around age five or six, and it turns letters into readable syllables quickly: ਕਾ + ਲਾ makes ਕਾਲਾ (black).
Punjabi alphabet with Hindi and English: what is the same?
Parents who read Hindi often ask for the Punjabi alphabet with Hindi letters beside it. Many sounds match, so ਕ is क and ਮ is म, but the shapes differ: Gurmukhi ਸ looks a little like Hindi म yet sounds "s". Punjabi also gives the flap sound that Hindi writes as ड़ its own letter, ੜ. And a few letters, such as ਘ ਝ ਢ ਧ ਭ, are spoken with a tone rather than a breathy "h". Writing the alphabet in English letters helps a grown-up read it, but your child should learn the sound by ear, from the audio.
Why is it called Gurmukhi?
Gurmukhi means "from the mouth of the Guru". Guru Angad Dev Ji, the second Sikh Guru, standardised the script in the sixteenth century so ordinary people could read and write their own language. Today it is used for Punjabi in India and by most Sikh families worldwide. In Pakistan, Punjabi is mostly written in Shahmukhi, a different script. This page teaches Gurmukhi only.
ਪੈਂਤੀ ਬਾਰੇ ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਵਿੱਚ
ਪੈਂਤੀ ਅੱਖਰੀ ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਪੜ੍ਹਾਈ ਦੀ ਪਹਿਲੀ ਪੌੜੀ ਹੈ। ਬੱਚੇ ਉੜਾ, ਐੜਾ, ਈੜੀ, ਸੱਸਾ, ਹਾਹਾ ਗਾ ਕੇ ਯਾਦ ਕਰਦੇ ਹਨ। ਹਰ ਰੋਜ਼ ਇੱਕ ਲਾਈਨ ਗਾਓ, ਤਾਂ ਸੱਤ ਦਿਨਾਂ ਵਿੱਚ ਸਾਰੀ ਪੈਂਤੀ ਯਾਦ ਹੋ ਜਾਵੇਗੀ।
ਅੱਖਰ ਲਿਖਣ ਤੋਂ ਪਹਿਲਾਂ ਉਹਨਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਪਛਾਣਨਾ ਜ਼ਰੂਰੀ ਹੈ। ਘਰ ਦੀਆਂ ਚੀਜ਼ਾਂ, ਕਿਤਾਬਾਂ ਅਤੇ ਗੁਰਦੁਆਰੇ ਦੇ ਬੋਰਡਾਂ ਉੱਤੇ ਅੱਖਰ ਲੱਭੋ। ਜਦੋਂ ਬੱਚਾ ਕੋਈ ਅੱਖਰ ਪਛਾਣ ਲਵੇ, ਤਾਂ ਉਸਨੂੰ ਸ਼ਾਬਾਸ਼ ਦਿਓ।
Keeping it calm and kind
Letters are abstract, so expect ups and downs. If your child mixes up two letters, show both and say their names slowly; do not test again straight away. Children with speech delay or autism often like the predictable rows of ਪੈਂਤੀ, so repeat the same row for many days. Keep screen sessions to a few minutes and sit together. If you have concerns about speech, talk to your paediatrician. When the letters feel easy, try numbers in Punjabi or the animals in Punjabi game, or go back to the learn Punjabi for kids hub. Children who learn English letters too can compare with ABCD.
How to use this page at home
Say it, then find it
Play for a few minutes, then look for the same thing away from the screen: punjabi words on the shelf, in the kitchen, on the way to school. A child learns a word properly when they meet it twice, once on the screen and once in their hand.
Ten minutes is enough
Short and happy beats long and tired. Stop while your child still wants more, and come back tomorrow: the same page on five short days teaches far more than one long sitting. Nothing here is scored, so there is no reason to push.
Use both languages
Tap the language button at the top to hear the words in your home language first and the second language after. Hearing the same picture named in two languages is one of the few things research agrees builds attention as well as vocabulary.
