Punjabi

or Pan·ja·bi

[ puhn-jah-bee ]

noun

, plural Pun·ja·bis

1. a native or inhabitant of the Punjab.
2. an Indic language of the Punjab.

adjective

1. of or relating to the Punjab, its people, or their language.

Punjabi

/ pʌnˈdʒɑːbɪ /

noun

1. a member of the chief people of the Punjab
2. the state language of the Punjab, belonging to the Indic branch of the Indo-European family

adjective

1. of or relating to the Punjab, its people, or their language

Word History and Origins

Origin of Punjabi¹

First recorded in 1780–90; Punjab + -ī a suffix indicating relationship or origin

Example Sentences

Punjabi is extremely difficult and they have fun teaching me expressions that they make me say to their classmates in the middle of the night.

From Washington Blade

For decades, gas stations have been serving up Korean tteokbokki, and Tibeten sha phaley, and Punjabi tandoori chicken, in the places and spaces most people wouldn’t think to look twice.

From Eater

Understanding the state violence in Punjab during the 1980s helps us see the grievances that Punjabi farmers have with the central government.

From Time

On the other hand there are the elites, mostly Punjabi, civil and military, who run the country.

From The Daily Beast

During the colonial period the Punjabi Muslims formed the prized martial class for the British Raj.

From The Daily Beast

The former Punjabi legislator said Malala was a devout Muslim with no interest in promoting a secular democracy in Pakistan.

From The Daily Beast

There are four in Pakistan, for speakers of Urdu, Sindhi, Pashto, and Punjabi.

From The Daily Beast

He said this was a well-worn path of Kashmiri and Punjabi militants moving from one base to another.

From The Daily Beast

We were fortunate in having pleasant company in the officers of a Punjabi infantry battalion and an Indian cavalry regiment.

From Project Gutenberg

A Punjabi constable in yellow linen trousers slouched across the road.

From Project Gutenberg

A number of tall, bearded Mohammedans, men of the detachment of the Punjabi Regiment we were replacing, were at the station.

From Project Gutenberg

Jai Singh's foul tactics confirmed Swinton's suspicion that the bout was a prearranged plot; the Punjabi was acting under orders.

From Project Gutenberg

He had been so long associated with the regiment that he talked Punjabi as well as English.

From Project Gutenberg

More About Punjabi

What does Punjabi mean?

A Punjabi is a person who is from or lives in Punjab, a former UK province.

Punjabi is also the language spoken by the people of Punjab.

Punjab was a province of British India until 1947. In that year, the province was split between the Asian countries of India and Pakistan. The majority of the former Punjab is now located in Pakistan, as the eastern province of Punjab. The rest of the land makes up the northwestern Indian state of Punjab.

According to the 2011 Indian Census, just over 33 million speakers of Punjabi lived in India. It was the 11th most popular language in the country at that time, with 2.7 percent of the country speaking it.

According to the CIA Factbook, Punjabis are the largest ethnic group in Pakistan, making up 44.7 percent of the population, and the Punjabi language is spoken by 48 percent of the country.

Why is Punjabi important?

The first records of the term Punjabi come from around 1780. It combines Punjab and the suffix -ī, which indicates relationship or origin. Punjab comes from the Persian words panj (five) and ab (water). Punjabi is the language or people of Punjab, an area where five rivers flow.

Like most Indic languages, Punjabi traces its origins back to ancient Sanskrit. In India, written Punjabi uses the Gurmukhi script. This script is associated with the Sikhs, the majority religious group in the Indian Punjab. In India, Punjabi is written from left to right.

In Pakistan, written Punjabi uses the Urdu script and is written from right to left, as with Arabic. This is a result of the Pakistan Punjab’s large Muslim majority and history of rule under Muslim dynasties.

These differences in language reflect the differences of the Punjabi peoples. In India, Punjab has a Sikh majority with a large Hindi minority as well as Christian and Muslim groups. In Pakistan, Punjab is largely Muslim.

Did you know … ?

Punjabi’s two scripts of Gurmukhi in India and Urdu in Pakistan make it one of the few languages in the world with more than one written language that are completely different from each other.

What are real-life examples of Punjabi?

As you might have guessed, people of South Asian heritage are more likely to be familiar with the Punjabi language and people.

I feel sad for those who can't understand and enjoy Punjabi songs.

— 𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐈𝐍. (@hxarliin) September 29, 2020

Best of Spider Man Punjabi dubbing. a thread: pic.twitter.com/FXbOrugAUT

— Saad (@SlimeDuniya) August 26, 2021

Punjabi is literally the funniest language in the world, I feel sorry for the people who can't understand it.

— Mahir Ahmad (@MahirKang) October 1, 2020

What other words are related to Punjabi?

• Punjab
• language
• India
• Pakistan
• Indic
• Sanskrit
• Gurmukhi

Quiz yourself!

True or False?

Punjabi is a language spoken mainly in the countries of India and Pakistan.