This native language of the Punjabi people is closely related to the Sikh religion. In fact, Sikhism and Punjabi are often seen as part of a common identity in India. Sikhism’s Holy Scripture, the Shri Guru Granth Sahib, is written in a Punjabi script known as Gurmukhi. Punjabi is additionally written in the Shahmukhi script. Now, Punjabi is known to be a tonal language meaning that various tones are used to differentiate words. These tones are known as high-rising-falling, mid-rising-falling, and low-rising. In order to speak Punjabi correctly, the pronunciations of these three different tones must be mastered.
If you plan on living or visiting the Punjab region of Pakistan and India, learning Punjabi would be very beneficial. Knowing Punjabi would also be useful if you are interested in studying or practicing Sikhism. Being able to speak Punjabi would also be helpful for people doing trade or business in these areas. If you are interested in learning Punjabi, here are the top websites online to do so.
- Omniglot – Punjabi Phrases https://www.omniglot.com/language/phrases/punjabi.php
This site is an ideal resource for learning common Punjabi phrases. Omniglot offers the English to Punjabi translation in how the word is pronounced and how it is written in Gurmukhi script. The site also allows the option to download audio files so you can hear the pronunciations of the phrases. - Raj Karega Khalsa Network – Punjabi (Obsolete)
This link offers a number of Punjabi language lessons in the alphabet, word structure, and vocabulary. The site shows letters, words, and phrases written in the pronunciation translation and Gurmukhi script. The site also conveniently allows you to click on the symbols so you can hear the correct pronunciations. - iLanguages – Learn Punjabi https://ilanguages.org/punjabi.php
This interactive site makes learning Punjabi easy! The lessons are broken down into vocabulary, phrases, and grammar which clearly show the translations, pronunciations, and the way it is written in Gurmukhi script. An audio option allows for words and phrases to be heard. Flashcards and quizzes are also available so you can practice and test your Punjabi skills and knowledge. - Let’s learn Punjabi – https://learnpunjabi.org/intro1.asp
Learn Punjabi offers detailed Punjabi lessons in the alphabet, numbers, words, vocabulary, sentences, grammar, etc. The site also explains the different tones of Punjabi, gives examples, and allows you to hear what the tones sound like. The site also has a number of quizzes to test what you have learned in each category. - Punjabi with Hardeep Singh – https://www.youtube.com/user/hardeepsingh83/videos
This YouTube channel offers a variety of video lessons teaching Punjabi through English. Hardeep Singh focuses on teaching basic Punjabi vocabulary such as numbers, weekdays, time, verbs, phrases, and more. The videos show words and phrases in English and pronunciation translations in Punjabi. Hardeep reads the translations allowing you to hear how the words and phrases are correctly pronounced.
Photo Credit: Dennis Jarvis
