Learn Punjabi Through Topics You Actually Care About

LingoBear creates short Punjabi passages on topics you choose. Tap any word for an instant English translation and build your vocabulary as you read. Indo-Aryan language of Punjab, written in Gurmukhi (India) and Shahmukhi (Pakistan), tonal with three tones, ~150M speakers worldwide.

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Every word in your Punjabi reading passage is clickable. Get English translations and grammar help as you read Gurmukhi or Shahmukhi script.

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Type any topic and LingoBear generates a fresh Punjabi reading passage — from Bhangra culture to Lahore street food.

What scripts is Punjabi written in?

Punjabi (ਪੰਜਾਬੀ / پنجابی) has two scripts: Gurmukhi, codified by Guru Angad in the 16th century, is used by Sikh communities and in Indian Punjab; Shahmukhi, a Perso-Arabic script, is used in Pakistani Punjab. Together they serve some 150 million speakers. Gurmukhi has 35 base letters plus 6 supplementary; Shahmukhi adapts Urdu's letters for Punjabi's extra retroflex sounds.

Is Punjabi a tonal language?

Yes — Punjabi is one of the few Indo-European languages with phonemic tone. Three tones (high, low, level) developed from the loss of the voiced aspirated stops ਘ, ਝ, ਢ etc. The same syllable can have different meanings depending on tone: kòṛaa 'horse' vs koṛaa 'whip' vs kóṛaa 'leper'. The tonal contrast is more pronounced in eastern (Indian) Punjabi than western varieties.