Shahmukhī alphabet facts for kids
The Shahmukhi alphabet is a special way to write the Punjabi language. It is mostly used by people in Western Punjab, which is now part of Pakistan. Shahmukhi combines the Punjabi language with the Arabic alphabet. This means it uses letters similar to Arabic, but with some new ones added to properly write all the sounds in Punjabi.
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What is Shahmukhi?
Shahmukhi is one of the two main ways to write the Punjabi language. The name "Shahmukhi" means "from the King's mouth." It is based on the Arabic alphabet, which is used for languages like Arabic and Urdu. Because of this, Shahmukhi is written from right to left, just like Arabic.
Where is Shahmukhi Used?
Shahmukhi is the official script for Punjabi in Pakistan. Most people who speak Punjabi in Pakistan use Shahmukhi to read and write. It is especially common in the Pakistani province of Punjab.
Shahmukhi vs. Gurmukhi
You might hear about another Punjabi script called Gurmukhi. While Shahmukhi is used in Pakistan, Gurmukhi is used by Punjabis in India. Gurmukhi is written from left to right, and it looks quite different from Shahmukhi. Even though they look different, both scripts are used to write the same Punjabi language. It's like how English can be written in different fonts, but it's still English!
How Shahmukhi Was Developed
The Shahmukhi script was created by adding new letters to the Arabic alphabet. These new letters were needed to represent sounds that are unique to the Punjabi language. For example, Punjabi has some special "heavy" sounds that don't exist in Arabic. So, new symbols were made to write these sounds correctly. This made sure that Punjabi speakers could write their language accurately using an Arabic-based script.
Images for kids
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An example of poetry in Shahmukhi by Bulleh Shah, a famous Sufi poet
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Another example of poetry by Bulleh Shah in Shahmukhi
See also
In Spanish: Shahmují para niños
