The Gurmukhi Alphabet and Script
Start reading Panjabi in the Gurmukhi script. Meet the alphabet, learn that it reads left to right with no capital letters, and hear the difference between unaspirated and aspirated letters.
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Meet the Gurmukhi script 📜
Panjabi is written in the **Gurmukhi** script. It is an alphabet of about **35 letters**, and it reads and writes **left to right**, like English. There are **no capital letters**. The alphabet begins with three vowel-bearing letters, then the consonants. Let us meet some of them.
The first letters 🔑
Each Gurmukhi letter has a name and a sound. Here are the first few:
A puff of air? 💨
Panjabi separates sounds that English often treats as the same. Some letters are said with a puff of air (aspirated) and some without (unaspirated):
Match the letter to its name 🔗
- ਕ
- ਗ
- ਸ
- ਹ
- Kakka
- Gagga
- Sassa
- Haha
Which letter? 🔊
Which letter makes the sound s?
- ਸ Sassa
- ਹ Haha
- ਕ Kakka
- ਮ Mamma
The aspirated pairs 🫁
The puff of air changes the meaning of a word, so these pairs must be kept apart. **Kakka** (ਕ) is a plain **k**, but **Khakha** (ਖ) is an aspirated **kh**. The same goes for Gagga and Ghagga (g and gh), and for Tatta and Thatha (t and th).
Match the letter to its sound 🔤
- ਖ
- ਘ
- ਥ
- ਰ
- the aspirated sound kh
- the aspirated sound gh
- the aspirated sound th
- the sound r
Which are aspirated? ✅
Select the TWO letters that are ASPIRATED, said with a puff of air.
- ਖ Khakha
- ਥ Thatha
- ਕ Kakka
- ਤ Tatta
Alphabet order 🪜
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Complete the facts 🧩
The Gurmukhi script is read from left to _____. It has no _____ letters. The letter Khakha is the _____ form of Kakka, said with a puff of air, while Kakka is _____. The whole alphabet has about _____ letters.
Spot the true statements 🖍️
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Use the script 🧭
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Explain the script ✍️
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