Written vowel cues

The dictionary’s vowel table shows initial آ for its aa category and alif with a short-vowel mark in the today example. Compare those actual written cues without treating an English spelling as a complete pronunciation model.[1]

Locate alif with madd in flour

The separate dictionary entry records آٹا for wheat flour. Locate آ at the right-hand beginning and retain the following letters when copying. The mark above alif belongs to this checked spelling; do not discard it just because you recognise the upright base. Compare your copy with the full headword, then cover the English meaning and identify the first shape again. Use the flour sense as a vocabulary cue while checking what has actually been written, rather than inventing a spelling from the English word.[2]

Compare the marked today form

The dictionary also records اج with today or now senses and displays the vocalized form اَج. This lesson uses that displayed marked form. Locate the short sign above the initial alif, then follow the final ج. Keep the sign distinct from the madd in the flour word. Copy each complete example beside its selected meaning before answering. The entry’s unmarked and vocalized displays are related reference forms; a missing short-vowel mark in other writing should prompt a whole-word check rather than an invented replacement.[3]

Your learning objective

Recognise initial آ in آٹا and the marked alif in اَج without inventing an extra vowel sign.

Prerequisites: Complete Shahmukhi lesson 03 before this lesson. Level 4 · Shahmukhi.

Check your understanding

Which checked word begins with آ and means wheat flour?

Answer: آٹا. آٹا is the checked wheat-flour word with initial آ. اَج is the displayed marked form for today/now.

Interactive feedback and progress appear when the tools load. Answer evidence: PH-LAN-0054-S2 PH-LAN-0054-S3

Sources & notes

Source records include access dates and, where known, limits on what was examined. Checks used AI assistance; independent human or specialist review has not been completed.

  1. Kanwal Bashir and Abbas Kazmi; Dunwoody Press, University of Chicago digital edition. Punjabi-English Dictionary: front matter and pronunciation guide ↗dictionary teaching apparatus · Source date: 2012 · Locator: Printed p. vi, vowel table: initial آ for aa and zabar row with اَج today; printed p. v letter forms. Accessed 2026-11-01.Actual 35-page PDF retrieved; specified printed pages read and letter/vowel tables rendered for visual inspection. The dictionary identifies Lahori and other variety-specific evidence; these are not flattened into universal spoken rules. English sound comparisons are not an audio assessment.Return to Script form 1 ↑Return to Written vowel cues, paragraph 1 ↑
  2. Kanwal Bashir and Abbas Kazmi; Dunwoody Press, hosted by University of Chicago Digital Dictionaries of South Asia. Punjabi-English Dictionary: aaṭaa ↗authored Punjabi dictionary entry · Source date: 2012; digital data updated August 2023 · Locator: Printed p 3, آٹا headword, wheat-flour sense. Accessed 2026-11-01.Actual full primary entry body retrieved and the specified spelling, sense or example inspected. This dictionary explicitly targets Pakistani Punjabi; native forms are its published text, not an automatic conversion. Unrelated senses and news examples are not adopted. Roman query keys are index labels, not verified learner pronunciation. Return to Practice exercise ↑Return to Script form 2 ↑Return to Locate alif with madd in flour, paragraph 1 ↑
  3. Kanwal Bashir and Abbas Kazmi; Dunwoody Press, hosted by University of Chicago Digital Dictionaries of South Asia. Punjabi-English Dictionary: aj ↗authored Punjabi dictionary entry · Source date: 2012; digital data updated August 2023 · Locator: Printed p 19, اج headword and displayed vocalized اَج, today/now sense 1. Accessed 2026-11-01.Actual full primary entry body retrieved and the specified spelling, sense or example inspected. This dictionary explicitly targets Pakistani Punjabi; native forms are its published text, not an automatic conversion. Unrelated senses and news examples are not adopted. Roman query keys are index labels, not verified learner pronunciation. Return to Practice exercise ↑Return to Script form 3 ↑Return to Compare the marked today form, paragraph 1 ↑
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Record PH-LAN-0054 · English edition · human review not performed