The Punjabi Pronounciations

Pronunciation of Gurmukhee alphabet

What is the alphabet? Alphabet is a set of written symbols, each representing a given sound or sounds, which can be variously combined to form all the words of a language.

An alphabet is a collection of letters. Letters are like bricks. We can construct the building of the language by these bricks. We are going to learn Punjabi language. We use the ‘Gurmukhee’ script to write Punjabi language. So, lets start with the ‘Gurmukhee’ script.

Gurmukhee alphabet

1	2	3
Letter	Name of the letter	Pronunciation
	‘Oorhaa’	To be pronounced only with ‘Aunkarh’ and ‘Dulainkarh’.
	‘Airhaa’	‘a’
	‘Eerhee’	To be pronounced with ‘Sihaaree’ and ‘Bihaaree’.
	‘Sassa’ (s+ssa)	As ‘s’ in ‘school’ or ‘sir’.
	‘Haahaa’ (haa+haa)	As ‘h’ in ‘here’ or ‘home’.

1	2	3
Letter	Name of the letter	Pronunciation
	‘Kakkaa’	As ‘ch’ in ‘school’ and ‘chemists’.
	‘Khakhkhaa’
	‘Gaggaa’	As ‘g’ in ‘google’.
	‘Ghaghgha’	As ‘gh’ in ‘singh’.
	‘Ynaynaa’	No sound in English

1	2	3
Letter	Name of the letter	Pronunciation
	‘Chachchaa’	As ‘tch’ in ‘itch’.
	‘Chhachhchhaa’
	‘Jajjaa’	As ‘j’ in ‘jail’.
	‘Jhajhjha’
	‘0000’	No sound in English

1	2	3
Letter	Name of the letter	Pronunciation
	‘Tainkaa’	As ‘t’ in ‘it’ and ‘bit’.
	‘Thhathhthhaa’
	‘Daddaa’	As ‘d’ in ‘daily’
	‘Dhhadhhdhha’
	‘N*AAN*AA’	No sound in Englsih

1	2	3
Letter	Name of the letter	Pronunciation
	‘Tattaa’
	‘Thaththhaa’	As ‘th’ in ‘thermal’
	‘Daddaa’	As ‘th’ in ‘the’
	‘Dhadhdhha’
	‘Nanna’	As ‘n’ in ‘no’.

1	2	3
Letter	Name of the letter	Pronunciation
	‘Pappaa’	As ‘p’ in ‘pure’ or ‘police’.
	‘Phaphphaa’
	‘Babbaa’	As ‘b’ in ‘boy’.
	‘Bhabhbha’
	‘Mamma’	As ‘m’ in ‘man’.

1	2	3
Letter	Name of the letter	Pronunciation
	‘Yayyaa’	As ‘y’ in ‘yes’ or ‘yellow’.
	‘Raaraa’	As ‘r’ in ‘run’.
	‘Lallaa’	As ‘l’ in ‘school’.
	‘Vaavaa’	As ‘v’ in ‘very’.
	‘Rhaarhaa’	No sound in English

1	2	3
Letter	Name of the letter	Pronunciation
	‘Shashaa’	As ‘sh’ in ‘shall’.
	‘Khakhaa’
	‘Gaggaa’
	‘Faaffaa’	As ‘f’ in ‘future’.
	‘Zaazzaa’	As ‘s’ in ‘please’.

courtesy: Amrit Pal Singh ‘Amrit’