Gurmukhī alphabet facts for kids
The Gurmukhi alphabet is a special writing system used for the Punjabi language. It's mostly used in Punjab, India, where it's the official way to write things down.
Gurmukhi has 35 main letters. Later, in the 1700s and 1800s, some new letters called Naveen Toli were added. These new letters help people say and write words from the Persian language correctly.
The name "Gurmukhi" means "from the mouth of the Guru." This name shows its close connection to the Sikh Gurus and their teachings.
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The Gurmukhi Alphabet
Gurmukhi is an alphabet, which means each letter stands for a sound. When you put these sounds together, they make words. It's like the English alphabet, but with different shapes for the letters.
Letters and Sounds
The 35 main letters in Gurmukhi are mostly consonants. There are also special symbols for vowels, which are sounds like 'a', 'e', 'i', 'o', 'u'. These vowel symbols are added to the consonant letters to change their sound. This helps you read and pronounce Punjabi words correctly.
Why is Gurmukhi Important?
Gurmukhi is very important for people who speak Punjabi, especially in India. It's the official script for the state of Punjab. This means it's used in schools, government, and everyday life.
It's also the script used for the Guru Granth Sahib, which is the holy scripture of Sikhism. Because of this, Gurmukhi is very special to Sikhs around the world. It helps them read and understand their religious texts.
Its History and Origin
The Gurmukhi script developed from older writing systems used in India. It's believed that Guru Angad Dev Ji, the second of the ten Sikh Gurus, helped to refine and standardize the Gurmukhi script in the 16th century. He made it simpler and easier to use. This helped spread the teachings of the Sikh Gurus and allowed more people to read and write Punjabi.
Over time, Gurmukhi continued to evolve. The addition of the Naveen Toli letters shows how the script adapted to new words and sounds, especially from languages like Persian. Today, Gurmukhi is a strong and living script used by millions of people.
Images for kids
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Historical geographical distribution of Sharada script
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Example of the Multani variant of Landa script, a mercantile shorthand script of Punjab, from 1880
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Station sign in the Latin and Gurmukhī scripts in Southall, UK
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Gurmukhi can be digitally rendered in a variety of fonts. The Dukandar font, left, is meant to resemble informal Punjabi handwriting.
See also
In Spanish: Gurmují para niños
