ਚੌਲ
caulGurmukhi, masculine
To say rice in Punjabi, use ਚੌਲ (caul). If unsure, use ਚੌਲ. Wiktionary also lists ਚਾਵਲ (cāval) and چول (pnb).
Meaning: seeds used as food (noun)
Ways to say it
| Punjabi | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| ਚੌਲ | caul | Gurmukhi, masculine | |
| ਚਾਵਲ | cāval | Gurmukhi | |
| چول | pnb | /t͡ʃɔːɭᵊ/ /t͡ʃə.ʋəlᵊ/ |
Western Punjabi |
ਚੌਲ is the word for rice as grain and as food, the usual word in Gurmukhi script.
Which one should you use?
ਚਾਵਲ (cāval) is another Gurmukhi form of the same word. In Western Punjabi, written in the Arabic based script used in Pakistan, rice is چول.
How does it change in a sentence?
ਚੌਲ is a masculine noun.
How do you pronounce it?
It is romanized as caul, where c sounds like the ch in church and the vowel is like the ou in out.
Did you know?
- Linguists believe that ਚੌਲ may not be an Indo-European word at all, but instead traces its origins back to Dravidian or Austroasiatic language families.
- While ਚੌਲ is the standard term for rice, in Punjabi culture, rice is often conceptualized in contrast to ਕਣਕ ('wheat'), which holds a higher status as the primary staple of the Punjab region.
- The Punjabi word for rice is a linguistic cousin to the Sindhi word ਚਾਨੋਰ (cã̄uru), which specifically refers to grain that has been cleansed from its husk.
Examples in context
- اُبَّࣇْویں چَوࣇBoiled rice.This phrase in Western Punjabi script means boiled rice.
- ਕੀ ਤੁਸੀਂ ਚੌਲ ਬਣਾਏ ਹਨ?Kī tusī chauḷ banā'ē han?Did you make rice?
Example conversation
A woman is asking a man about dinner.
- ਮਨਪ੍ਰੀਤ Manpreetਅੱਜ ਰਾਤ ਦੇ ਖਾਣੇ ਵਿੱਚ ਕੀ ਹੈ?Aj raṭ dē khāṇē vica kī hai?What is for dinner tonight?
- ਹਰਮਨ Hermanਮੈਂ ਚੌਲ ਅਤੇ ਦਾਲ ਬਣਾ ਰਿਹਾ ਹਾਂ।Mai chauḷ atē dāl baṇā rihā hāṁ.I am making rice and dal.
- ਮਨਪ੍ਰੀਤ Manpreetਬਹੁਤ ਵਧੀਆ, ਮੈਨੂੰ ਚੌਲ ਬਹੁਤ ਪਸੰਦ ਹਨ।Bahut vadhīā, mainū chauḷ bahut pasand han.Very good, I like rice very much.
- ਹਰਮਨ Hermanਠੀਕ ਹੈ, ਜਲਦੀ ਹੀ ਤਿਆਰ ਹੋ ਜਾਵੇਗਾ।Ṭhīk hai, jaladī hī ti'ār hō jāvēgā.Okay, it will be ready soon.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “rice” translations and entries ਚਾਵਲ, چول, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries چول, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
