Punjabi language facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Punjabi
ਪੰਜਾਬੀ پنجابی
'Punjabi' written in Shahmukhi (top) and Gurmukhi (bottom) scripts
Native to	Punjab region
Ethnicity	Punjabis
Native speakers	Eastern Punjabi: 34 million (2011) Western Punjabi: 93 million (2015)  (date missing)
Language family	Indo-European Indo-Iranian Indo-Aryan Northwestern Punjabi
Standard forms	Majhi
Dialects	See Punjabi dialects
Writing system	Gurmukhi Perso-Arabic (Shahmukhi) Punjabi Braille Laṇḍā (historical)
Official status
Official language in	Pakistan (Punjab)  India (Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh)
Linguasphere	59-AAF-e
Areas of the Indian Subcontinent where Punjabi is natively spoken
This page contains IPA phonetic symbols in Unicode. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Unicode characters.

Punjabi is a cool language from the Indo-Aryan family. Around 130 million people speak Punjabi as their first language. That makes it the 10th most spoken language globally! Most Punjabi speakers live in the Punjab region, which is split between Pakistan and India. You'll also find many Punjabi speakers in other parts of India, like Haryana and Delhi. In Pakistan, most people speak Punjabi.

Punjabi grew from an old language called Prakrit. This happened at the same time as Sanskrit. Some experts believe Punjabi was spoken by the Indus Valley Civilization. Punjabi is also special because it uses tones, like how your voice goes up or down when you speak. This is quite unique for a language from South Asia.

Punjabi is written using two main scripts: Gurmukhī and Shahmukhī. Gurmukhī is used in India, and Shahmukhī is used in Pakistan. Punjabi is the main language for Sikhs. Most of their holy book, the Guru Granth Sahib, is written in Punjabi using the Gurmukhī script. Early Punjabi stories, like the Janamsakhis about Guru Nanak, show how old Punjabi literature is.

Punjabi Dialects

Dialects of Punjabi

Punjabi has many different dialects. These dialects are similar enough that speakers can usually understand each other. In India, the main Punjabi dialects are Majhi, Doabi, Malwi, and Pwadhi. In Pakistan, the main dialects include Majhi, "Shahpuri", "Jhangvi", "Dhanni", Pothohari, and Hindko.

The Majhi dialect is the standard way to write Punjabi. It is spoken in the central part of Punjab. This includes areas like Lahore, Faisalabad, and Sialkot in Pakistan. In India, it's spoken in Amritsar and Gurdaspur districts.

Other Punjabi dialects exist, such as Pahari and Ghebi. The Saraiki language, spoken in southern Punjab, is very similar to Punjabi. Also, Dogri, spoken in Kashmir, is closely related. Sometimes, it's hard to decide if a dialect is part of Punjabi or a separate language.

Where Punjabi is Spoken

Over 93% of people who speak Punjabi as their first language live in Pakistan and India. It is the most spoken native language in Pakistan. More than 44% of Pakistanis speak it as their first language. In 2008, there were 76 million Punjabi speakers in Pakistan.

In India, about 3% of the population speaks Punjabi as their native language. This was around 33 million people in 2011. Punjabi is an official language in the Indian states of Punjab and Haryana.

Punjabi is also spoken in many other countries. This is because many Punjabis have moved around the world. In the United Kingdom, it is the second most common language. In Canada, it is the fourth most spoken language. In 2017, there were 2.2 million Punjabi speakers in the United States. In 2000, there were 1.3 million in the UK.

Punjabi Sounds (Phonology)

How Punjabi is Written

Gurmukhi alphabet, without vowels.

There are three ways to write Punjabi: Gurmukhī, Shahmukhī, and Devanāgarī. In the Punjab province of Pakistan, the Shahmukhī script is used the most. The Majhi dialect is the standard for writing Punjabi in both parts of Punjab.

• Bhatia, Tej (1993 and 2010) Punjabi: a cognitive-descriptive grammar. London: Routledge. Series: Descriptive grammars.
• Singh, Maya (1895) The Panjabi dictionary. Lahore: Munshi Gulab Singh & Sons.
• Ethnologue: Languages of India and Pakistan

Images for kids

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  Tilla Jogian, district Jhelum, Punjab, Pakistan, a hilltop linked to many Nath jogis (who helped create early Punjabi works)

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  "Jallianwala Bagh" written in Hindi, Punjabi, and English in Amritsar, India.

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  Punjabi in India

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  Gurmukhi writing system on a sample logo

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  Varan Gyan Ratnavali by 16th-century historian Bhai Gurdas.

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  Ghadar di Gunj 1913, a Punjabi newspaper from the Ghadar Party, an Indian revolutionary group in the US.

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  A demonstration in Lahore, Pakistan, asking for Punjabi to be the official language in schools.

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  Punjabi Sahit Academy, Ludhiana, 1954

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  Punjabi Academy, Delhi, 1981–1982

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  Jammu and Kashmir Academy of Art, Culture and Literature

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  Punjab Institute of Language, Art and Culture, Lahore, 2004

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  Guru Granth Sahib in Gurmukhi

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  Punjabi Shahmukhi script

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  Bulleh Shah poetry in Punjabi (Shahmukhi script)

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  Munir Niazi poetry in Punjabi (Shahmukhi script)

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  Gurmukhi alphabet

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  A sign board in Punjabi language along with Hindi at Hanumangarh, Rajasthan, India

See also

In Spanish: Idioma panyabí para niños