Western Punjabi (Shahmukhi)
pnb (Western Punjabi). Macro-language: pan (Punjabi).Western Punjabi (often just “Punjabi” in Pakistan) is a tonal Indo-Aryan language written in the Shahmukhi script. It favors postpositions like nū̃ (to/for), tō̃ (from), vich (in), and nāl (with). Speech is musical: tone changes meaning, and retroflex sounds (ṭ/ḍ/ṛ) are core to the accent. You’ll hear flexible verb+light-verb combos (kar lenā “go ahead and do”) and lots of everyday borrowings from Persian, Urdu, and English.
- Tones matter: minimal pairs exist; romanizations sometimes mark tone with h or accents, but native Shahmukhi often leaves it implicit.
- Retroflex vs dental: ṭ/ḍ/ṛ (tip curled back) contrast with t/d/r. Keep them distinct.
- Gemination: doubled consonants are common: kamm “work”, chann “moon”.
- Shahmukhi basics: same general letter set as Urdu with some Punjabi-specific habits; numerals and punctuation follow Arabic-script norms.
- Postpositions: accusative/dative nū̃, ablative tō̃, locative vich, instrumental/comitative nāl.
- Genitive: agrees with gender/number of the possessed: dā (m.sg), dī (f.sg), dē (pl). Example: mērā ghar dā darvāza “the door of my house”.
- Pronouns (informal set): maĩ I, tū̃ you (sg), oh he/she/that, asī̃ we, tusī̃ you (pl), oh they.
- Verbs: aspect-rich: habitual, progressive, perfective; auxiliaries carry person/number.
- Negation: particle nahī̃ before/near the verb; imperatives often use na.
Urban “standard” leans on Lahore/Majhi, while rural varieties (Pothohari, Jhangochi, etc.) color vocabulary and tone. Code-switching with Urdu is normal, and English loanwords pop up in tech, business, and education.
- Punjabi emerges from Northwestern Prakrits; Persian and later Urdu leave deep marks.
- Partition shapes scripts: Shahmukhi in Pakistan; Gurmukhi in India. Speech across the border remains broadly intelligible.
آج میں کام وِچ بزی آں۔
āj maĩ kām vich busy ā̃
“Today I’m busy at work.” Locative vich “in/at”.
میں لاہور توں آ رہا آں۔
maĩ Lahore tō̃ ā riā ā̃
“I’m coming from Lahore.” Ablative tō̃ “from”.
اِیہ کتاب نوں دیکھو۔
ih kitāb nū̃ dekhō
“Look at this book.” Accusative/dative nū̃.
میرے دوست دا گھر۔
mērē dost dā ghar
“My friend’s house.” Genitive agrees with possessed noun.
تُہاڈا ناں کی اے؟ / tuhāḍā nā̃ kī ae? (What’s your name?) • میں پنجاب توں آں / maĩ Panjāb tō̃ ā̃ (I’m from Punjab)
- Keywords: Western Punjabi, Shahmukhi, Punjabi Pakistan, learn Punjabi, Punjabi phrases, Punjabi grammar, tones, retroflex.
- Contrast: “Western Punjabi (Shahmukhi) vs Eastern Punjabi (Gurmukhi)” helps target searches about scripts and mutual intelligibility.
- Use cases: travel in Lahore, Punjabi for business, Punjabi media (dramas, songs), everyday conversation.
Type a noun (romanized is fine) and pick a particle. The wizard attaches common postpositions (nū̃, tō̃, vich, nāl) or chooses the right genitive (dā/dī/dē) depending on gender/number of the possessed item.
Note: Romanization varies; this helper keeps it simple. Tones are not marked. In real text, spacing and assimilation may shift in Shahmukhi orthography.
- Shadow TV dramas and songs to internalize tone and rhythm.
- Drill postpositions as collocations: ghar vich (at home), dost nāl (with a friend), Lahore tō̃ (from Lahore).
- Learn the genitive trio dā/dī/dē with noun gender/number—this unlocks natural descriptions.
ik, do, tinn, chār, panj, chhe, satt, ath, naũ, das
Shahmukhi: اک، دو، تِن، چار، پنج، چھے، ست، اَٹھ، نوّں، دس
kitāb nū̃ (to the book) • ghar vich (in the house) • dost nāl (with a friend) • Lahore tō̃ (from Lahore) • mērī kitāb dī jilad (the cover of my book).