How to Introduce Yourself in Punjabi: Name, Where You're From, Family and Job (With Gurmukhi)
My name is… in Punjabi is Mera naam ___ hai. Then where you're from (Main Canada ton haan), where you live, your family (Main Harjit da putt haan), your job, and I'm learning Punjabi. Every line with Gurmukhi, pronunciation and the male/female verb endings, plus three ready-made introductions for a relative, a partner's family and a class.
To introduce yourself in Punjabi, start with Sat Sri Akaal ji, then Mera naam ___ hai (ਮੇਰਾ ਨਾਮ ___ ਹੈ, "my name is ___"), Main ___ ton haan (ਮੈਂ ___ ਤੋਂ ਹਾਂ, "I'm from ___") and Tuhanu mil ke khushi hoyi (ਤੁਹਾਨੂੰ ਮਿਲ ਕੇ ਖੁਸ਼ੀ ਹੋਈ, "nice to meet you"). Punjabis will then want to know whose child you are and which village your family is from — so this guide gives you those lines too, plus your job, your age, "I'm learning Punjabi", and three ready-made introductions for the situations diaspora learners actually face: meeting a relative, meeting a partner's family, and a class or tutor.
Introduce Yourself in Punjabi: The Core Lines
| English | Punjabi | Gurmukhi | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hello | Sat Sri Akaal ji | ਸਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਅਕਾਲ ਜੀ | sut sree a-KAAL jee |
| My name is Simran | Mera naam Simran hai | ਮੇਰਾ ਨਾਮ ਸਿਮਰਨ ਹੈ | MAY-raa naam … hai |
| What is your name? | Tuhada naam ki hai? | ਤੁਹਾਡਾ ਨਾਮ ਕੀ ਹੈ? | tu-HAA-daa naam kee hai |
| I am from Canada | Main Canada ton haan | ਮੈਂ ਕੈਨੇਡਾ ਤੋਂ ਹਾਂ | main … tohn haan |
| I live in London (m / f) | Main London vich rehnda / rehndi haan | ਮੈਂ ਲੰਡਨ ਵਿੱਚ ਰਹਿੰਦਾ / ਰਹਿੰਦੀ ਹਾਂ | … vich REHN-daa / REHN-dee haan |
| I am 25 years old (m / f) | Main pachchi saal da / di haan | ਮੈਂ ਪੱਚੀ ਸਾਲ ਦਾ / ਦੀ ਹਾਂ | … saal daa / dee haan |
| I am a student | Main vidyarthi haan | ਮੈਂ ਵਿਦਿਆਰਥੀ ਹਾਂ | main vid-YAAR-thee haan |
| I am a teacher / doctor / nurse / engineer | Main adhiapak / doctor / nurse / engineer haan | ਮੈਂ ਅਧਿਆਪਕ / ਡਾਕਟਰ / ਨਰਸ / ਇੰਜੀਨੀਅਰ ਹਾਂ | English job titles are used as-is |
| I work at a bank (m / f) | Main bank vich kamm karda / kardi haan | ਮੈਂ ਬੈਂਕ ਵਿੱਚ ਕੰਮ ਕਰਦਾ / ਕਰਦੀ ਹਾਂ | … kumm KUR-daa / KUR-dee haan |
| I am learning Punjabi (m / f) | Main Punjabi sikh riha / rahi haan | ਮੈਂ ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਸਿੱਖ ਰਿਹਾ / ਰਹੀ ਹਾਂ | … sikh ri-HAA / ra-HEE haan |
| I understand a little Punjabi | Mainu thodi Punjabi aundi hai | ਮੈਨੂੰ ਥੋੜ੍ਹੀ ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਆਉਂਦੀ ਹੈ | MAI-noo THO-dee … AUN-dee hai |
| Please speak slowly | Hauli hauli bolo ji | ਹੌਲੀ ਹੌਲੀ ਬੋਲੋ ਜੀ | HAU-lee HAU-lee BO-lo jee |
| Nice to meet you | Tuhanu mil ke khushi hoyi | ਤੁਹਾਨੂੰ ਮਿਲ ਕੇ ਖੁਸ਼ੀ ਹੋਈ | tu-HAA-noo mil kay KHU-shee HO-ee |
Numbers for your age are in our 1–100 counting guide; to write your name in Gurmukhi, see how to write your name in Punjabi.
The Male / Female Ending Rule
Punjabi verbs agree with the speaker's gender. A man says rehnda, karda, sikh riha; a woman says rehndi, kardi, sikh rahi. The same goes for "years old": saal da / saal di. Nouns like vidyarthi (student) and English job titles don't change. Get this one rule right and your introduction sounds natural immediately.
Talking About Your Family — the Punjabi Way
A Punjabi introduction places you in a family and a village before it places you in a job. Expect to be asked, and have these ready:
| English | Punjabi | Gurmukhi |
|---|---|---|
| I am Gurdeep Singh's son | Main Gurdeep Singh da putt haan | ਮੈਂ ਗੁਰਦੀਪ ਸਿੰਘ ਦਾ ਪੁੱਤ ਹਾਂ |
| I am Harpreet Kaur's daughter | Main Harpreet Kaur di dhee haan | ਮੈਂ ਹਰਪ੍ਰੀਤ ਕੌਰ ਦੀ ਧੀ ਹਾਂ |
| My father's name is ___ | Mere pita ji da naam ___ hai | ਮੇਰੇ ਪਿਤਾ ਜੀ ਦਾ ਨਾਮ ___ ਹੈ |
| Our village is ___ / we are from ___ (district) | Sada pind ___ hai / Asi zila ___ ton haan | ਸਾਡਾ ਪਿੰਡ ___ ਹੈ / ਅਸੀਂ ਜ਼ਿਲ੍ਹਾ ___ ਤੋਂ ਹਾਂ |
| There are four people in my family | Mere parivaar vich chaar jee han | ਮੇਰੇ ਪਰਿਵਾਰ ਵਿੱਚ ਚਾਰ ਜੀਅ ਹਨ |
| I have one brother and one sister | Mera ik bhra te ik bhain hai | ਮੇਰਾ ਇੱਕ ਭਰਾ ਤੇ ਇੱਕ ਭੈਣ ਹੈ |
| I am married (m / f) | Main vyahia hoya / vyahi hoyi haan | ਮੈਂ ਵਿਆਹਿਆ ਹੋਇਆ / ਵਿਆਹੀ ਹੋਈ ਹਾਂ |
| I have two children | Mere do bachche han | ਮੇਰੇ ਦੋ ਬੱਚੇ ਹਨ |
| My grandparents are from Jalandhar | Mere Dada-Dadi Jalandhar ton han | ਮੇਰੇ ਦਾਦਾ-ਦਾਦੀ ਜਲੰਧਰ ਤੋਂ ਹਨ |
Who counts as chacha, mama or bhua is in our family words chart, and the grandparent words — Dada, Dadi, Nana, Nani — in grandparents and grandchildren in Punjabi.
Three Ready-Made Introductions
1. Meeting a relative for the first time (heritage learner)
Sat Sri Akaal ji. Main Jas haan — Gurdeep Singh da putt, Toronto ton. Mainu thodi Punjabi aundi hai, par main sikh riha haan. Tuhanu mil ke bahut khushi hoyi.
ਸਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਅਕਾਲ ਜੀ। ਮੈਂ ਜੱਸ ਹਾਂ — ਗੁਰਦੀਪ ਸਿੰਘ ਦਾ ਪੁੱਤ, ਟੋਰਾਂਟੋ ਤੋਂ। ਮੈਨੂੰ ਥੋੜ੍ਹੀ ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਆਉਂਦੀ ਹੈ, ਪਰ ਮੈਂ ਸਿੱਖ ਰਿਹਾ ਹਾਂ। ਤੁਹਾਨੂੰ ਮਿਲ ਕੇ ਬਹੁਤ ਖੁਸ਼ੀ ਹੋਈ।
(Hello. I'm Jas — Gurdeep Singh's son, from Toronto. I know a little Punjabi, but I'm learning. Very nice to meet you.)
2. Meeting a partner's family
Sat Sri Akaal ji. Mera naam Emma hai. Main England ton haan te Manchester vich rehndi haan. Main nurse haan. Main Punjabi sikh rahi haan — hauli hauli bolo ji! Tuhanu mil ke khushi hoyi.
ਸਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਅਕਾਲ ਜੀ। ਮੇਰਾ ਨਾਮ ਐਮਾ ਹੈ। ਮੈਂ ਇੰਗਲੈਂਡ ਤੋਂ ਹਾਂ ਤੇ ਮਾਨਚੈਸਟਰ ਵਿੱਚ ਰਹਿੰਦੀ ਹਾਂ। ਮੈਂ ਨਰਸ ਹਾਂ। ਮੈਂ ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਸਿੱਖ ਰਹੀ ਹਾਂ — ਹੌਲੀ ਹੌਲੀ ਬੋਲੋ ਜੀ! ਤੁਹਾਨੂੰ ਮਿਲ ਕੇ ਖੁਸ਼ੀ ਹੋਈ।
(Hello. My name is Emma. I'm from England and live in Manchester. I'm a nurse. I'm learning Punjabi — please speak slowly! Nice to meet you.) The rest of that evening is covered in Punjabi for partners: meeting the family.
3. A class, a tutor or a new colleague
Sat Sri Akaal. Mera naam Daniel hai, main California ton haan. Main engineer haan. Main Punjabi is layi sikh riha haan ki mere sohre Punjabi han.
ਸਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਅਕਾਲ। ਮੇਰਾ ਨਾਮ ਡੈਨੀਅਲ ਹੈ, ਮੈਂ ਕੈਲੀਫੋਰਨੀਆ ਤੋਂ ਹਾਂ। ਮੈਂ ਇੰਜੀਨੀਅਰ ਹਾਂ। ਮੈਂ ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਇਸ ਲਈ ਸਿੱਖ ਰਿਹਾ ਹਾਂ ਕਿ ਮੇਰੇ ਸੌਹਰੇ ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਹਨ।
(Hello. My name is Daniel, I'm from California. I'm an engineer. I'm learning Punjabi because my in-laws are Punjabi.)
Questions They'll Ask Back
| They ask | Gurmukhi | Meaning | You answer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tusi kithon ho? | ਤੁਸੀਂ ਕਿੱਥੋਂ ਹੋ? | Where are you from? | Main ___ ton haan |
| Tuhada pind kehda hai? | ਤੁਹਾਡਾ ਪਿੰਡ ਕਿਹੜਾ ਹੈ? | Which is your village? | Sada pind ___ hai / Main shehar da haan (I'm from the city) |
| Tusi ki kamm karde ho? | ਤੁਸੀਂ ਕੀ ਕੰਮ ਕਰਦੇ ਹੋ? | What do you do? | Main ___ haan / Main ___ vich kamm karda haan |
| Tuhade mata-pita ki karde han? | ਤੁਹਾਡੇ ਮਾਤਾ-ਪਿਤਾ ਕੀ ਕਰਦੇ ਹਨ? | What do your parents do? | Mere pita ji ___ han, mata ji ___ han |
| Vyah hoya? | ਵਿਆਹ ਹੋਇਆ? | Are you married? | Haan ji / Haale nahi ji (not yet) |
| Punjabi kithon sikhi? | ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਕਿੱਥੋਂ ਸਿੱਖੀ? | Where did you learn Punjabi? | Ghar ton, te app ton (at home, and from an app) |
After the introduction comes "how are you?" — and the polite words that make the whole exchange sound warm.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you say "my name is" in Punjabi?
Mera naam ___ hai (ਮੇਰਾ ਨਾਮ ___ ਹੈ). To ask someone's name, say Tuhada naam ki hai?
How do you say "I am from" in Punjabi?
Main ___ ton haan (ਮੈਂ ___ ਤੋਂ ਹਾਂ) — for example Main Canada ton haan. "I live in" is Main ___ vich rehnda haan (male) / rehndi haan (female).
How do you say "I am learning Punjabi"?
A man says Main Punjabi sikh riha haan (ਮੈਂ ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਸਿੱਖ ਰਿਹਾ ਹਾਂ); a woman says Main Punjabi sikh rahi haan (ਸਿੱਖ ਰਹੀ ਹਾਂ).
How do you say "nice to meet you" in Punjabi?
Tuhanu mil ke khushi hoyi (ਤੁਹਾਨੂੰ ਮਿਲ ਕੇ ਖੁਸ਼ੀ ਹੋਈ) — "meeting you brought happiness".
Introduce Yourself With Confidence
The first sentence is the hardest; everything after it is practice. Alfaazo teaches everyday Punjabi with native audio, the Gurmukhi script and bite-sized lessons you can finish in five minutes a day. Free on iOS and Android.
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