Punjabi: a language across borders
Separate the spoken language, its writing systems and the changing geography of its speakers before beginning your own reading journey.
Punjab and diaspora
Two scripts, new connections
Language.
A first encounter with Punjabi, Gurmukhi and Shahmukhi. Start with history and orientation.
100 sourced entries · alphabetical directory · page 5 of 6
The entries and directory links are available below. The filter appears when it loads.
Directory entries
Sanskrit and Prakrit inheritances in Punjabi vocabulary
Comparative entries for water and name show the historical layers behind familiar Punjabi vocabulary, without treating every inherited word as a direct literary Sanskrit borrowing.
Punjabi in the wider Indo-Aryan language region
Saraiki: language, scholarship and self-identification
Understand why Saraiki is treated as a language in its own right and how linguistic description differs from a history of recognition.
Southern Punjab and the wider middle Indus region
Shahmukhi lesson 02: isolated and joined letter forms
Follow one letter through complete dictionary words instead of expecting every position to look like the isolated alphabet form.
Shahmukhi reading pathway
Shahmukhi lesson 03: dots and similar letter shapes
Use dots to distinguish similar base shapes in checked child and stone spellings, preserving all the letters and marks.
Shahmukhi reading pathway
Shahmukhi lesson 04: alif and vowel notation
Compare alif with and without madd through the checked forms for flour and today.
Shahmukhi reading pathway
Shahmukhi lesson 05: be pe te and retroflex te
Recognise ب پ ت ٹ in checked child, water, place and tomato words, keeping each complete spelling intact.
Shahmukhi reading pathway
Shahmukhi lesson 06: se jeem che and he
Recognise ث ج چ ح, then read checked examples for place, letter and condition without confusing their different shapes.
Shahmukhi reading pathway
Shahmukhi lesson 07: dal and retroflex dal
Distinguish د and ڈ in checked day and firm/strict words, recognising that a visual break need not separate words.
Shahmukhi reading pathway
Shahmukhi lesson 08: re and retroflex re
Distinguish ر and ڑ through checked night and folklore mother words, looking beyond the first letter.
Shahmukhi reading pathway
Shahmukhi lesson 09: seen sheen and related letters
Recognise س ش ص ض through checked head, prey, clean and need examples, keeping their selected meanings separate.
Shahmukhi reading pathway
Shahmukhi lesson 1: direction and connected writing
Meet right-to-left reading, contextual letter shapes and two named characters before attempting full words.
Shahmukhi reading pathway
Shahmukhi lesson 10: ain ghain and qaf
Recognise ع غ ق through checked knowledge, poor and story spellings, preserving their different dots and outlines.
Shahmukhi reading pathway
Shahmukhi lesson 11: kaf gaf lam and meem
Locate ک گ ل م in checked book, song, red and table spellings while reading each whole word.
Shahmukhi reading pathway
Shahmukhi lesson 12: noon and nasalisation
Distinguish dotted noon and final nasal noon in checked name and mother spellings.
Shahmukhi reading pathway
Shahmukhi lesson 13: waw and vowel choices
See waw in checked far, easy and roti spellings, using complete words to distinguish its vowel contexts.
Shahmukhi reading pathway
Shahmukhi lesson 14: ye and bari ye
Distinguish ye and bari ye through a checked memory word and the dictionary’s actual plural for songs.
Shahmukhi reading pathway
Shahmukhi lesson 15: aspiration and do-chashmi he
Recognise do-chashmi he as a component of checked flower and house spellings, keeping the full word as the reading unit.
Shahmukhi reading pathway
No matching entries on this page. Search the complete section or clear the filter.