Dotted letters and Gurmukhi digits

A dot for borrowed sounds

Persian, Arabic and English brought Punjabi sounds its alphabet had no letter for: z, f, sh, and a throaty kh and gh. Gurmukhi writes them by putting a dot, the pair bindi (“foot dot”), under the nearest letter. The sixth dotted letter, ਲ਼, is different: its sound is Punjabi’s own.

Writers aren’t consistent about it. The same word may appear as ਜ਼ਿੰਦਗੀ or ਜਿੰਦਗੀ, and many people say z as j anyway. When you see the dot, say the borrowed sound; when you don’t, it is still the same word.

• ਸ਼shsasse pair bindish as in shoe.
• ਖ਼khkhakhe pair bindiA throaty kh, like the ch in the Scottish “loch”.
• ਗ਼ghgagge pair bindiA gargled g, from the back of the throat.
• ਜ਼zjajje pair bindiz as in zoo.
• ਫ਼fphaffe pair bindif as in fun.
• ਲ਼llalle pair bindiAn l with the tongue curled back: a native Punjabi sound, not a borrowed one. Many writers leave its dot off.

• ਸ਼ਬਦ

  shabad

  word; a hymn of Gurbani

• ਖ਼ਾਲਸਾ

  Khalsa

  the Khalsa

• ਜ਼ਿੰਦਗੀ

  zindagi

  life

• ਫ਼ਤਹਿ

  Fateh

  victory

  As in Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh.

• ਸ਼ੁਕਰ

  shukar

  thanks, gratitude

  Shukar hai: thank goodness.

Gurmukhi digits

Gurmukhi has its own digits. You will see them on every Ang of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, in the numbers that close each verse, on calendars and on Gurdwara signs. Everyday writing, and this site, mostly use 0 to 9.

They work exactly like the digits you know: ੧੯ is 19, and ੧੪੩੦ is 1430.

• ੦0sifarzero
• ੧1ikkone
• ੨2dotwo
• ੩3tinnthree
• ੪4chaarfour
• ੫5panjfive
• ੬6chhesix
• ੭7sattseven
• ੮8atheight
• ੯9naunnine

• ਅੰਗ ੧੪੩੦

  Ang 1430

  Ang 1430, the last page of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji

• ੨੦੨੬

  2026

  the year 2026

Tip: Verse numbers sit between double dandas: ॥੧॥ closes verse 1, and ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥ marks the Rahao, the line a shabad turns on.