Punjabi

About Punjabi

Punjabi is the language of the Punjab, a region divided between Pakistan and India. About 80 million people in Pakistan and 33 million in India speak it as their first language, which makes it one of the most widely spoken languages in the world. It is the official language of the Indian state of Punjab and the language of the Sikh scriptures, and large Punjabi communities live in the United Kingdom and Canada.

Punjabi is written in two scripts: Gurmukhi in India and Shahmukhi, a form of the Arabic script written from right to left, in Pakistan. It is one of the few Indo-European languages with tones, so the pitch of a syllable can change the meaning of a word. Use tusi as the polite "you" and keep tu for close friends and children. Adding ji after a name or a word, as in haan ji (yes), makes it respectful.

FamilyIndo-European, Indo-Aryan
Native speakersabout 80 million in Pakistan (2017), about 33 million in India (2011)
Official inIndia (Punjab state)
ScriptGurmukhi (India), Shahmukhi (Pakistan)
Tonesthree
Codespa (ISO 639-1), pan and pnb (ISO 639-3)

Speaker numbers: Census of Pakistan (2017) and Census of India (2011). Retrieved 26 September 2026.

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