Punjabi Adjectives and Opposites: Big and Small, Hot and Cold, Good and Bad — 40 Pairs With Gurmukhi
Big is vadda, small is chhota, hot is garam, cold is thanda, good is changa, bad is maada, new is nava, old is purana. Forty pairs of Punjabi opposites with Gurmukhi and pronunciation, the one rule for making adjectives agree (-a, -i, -e), how to say very, too and more than, and example sentences for each.
The first Punjabi adjectives to learn come in pairs: vadda / chhota (ਵੱਡਾ / ਛੋਟਾ, big / small), garam / thanda (ਗਰਮ / ਠੰਢਾ, hot / cold), changa / maada (ਚੰਗਾ / ਮਾੜਾ, good / bad), nava / purana (ਨਵਾਂ / ਪੁਰਾਣਾ, new / old), sohna / bhadda (ਸੋਹਣਾ / ਭੱਦਾ, beautiful / ugly) and saukha / aukha (ਸੌਖਾ / ਔਖਾ, easy / difficult). Forty pairs cover almost everything you'll want to describe, and they all obey one rule: an adjective ending in -a changes to -i for feminine nouns and -e for plurals, while adjectives ending in a consonant never change. Here are the pairs, the rule, and the words for very, too and more than.
The Agreement Rule
| Masculine singular | Feminine singular | Masculine plural | Feminine plural | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| vadda (big) | vadda munda ਵੱਡਾ ਮੁੰਡਾ (big boy) | vaddi kudi ਵੱਡੀ ਕੁੜੀ | vadde munde ਵੱਡੇ ਮੁੰਡੇ | vaddiyan kudiyan ਵੱਡੀਆਂ ਕੁੜੀਆਂ |
| changa (good) | changa din ਚੰਗਾ ਦਿਨ (good day) | changi gall ਚੰਗੀ ਗੱਲ | change log ਚੰਗੇ ਲੋਕ | changiyan gallan ਚੰਗੀਆਂ ਗੱਲਾਂ |
| saaf (clean) — ends in a consonant | saaf kamra | saaf rasoi | saaf kapde | saaf chaadran — never changes |
So garam, thanda, saaf, khush, tez, naram, mehnati stay the same for everyone, while vadda, chhota, sohna, nava, purana, mota, lamba change their ending. Most adjectives ending in -a are of the changing kind.
40 Pairs of Punjabi Opposites
Size, shape and age
| English | Punjabi | Gurmukhi | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Big / small (also elder / younger) | Vadda / chhota | ਵੱਡਾ / ਛੋਟਾ | Vadda ghar, chhoti gaddi — big house, small car |
| Tall / short (people) | Lamba / madhra | ਲੰਬਾ / ਮਧਰਾ | Oh bahut lamba hai — he's very tall |
| Long / short (things) | Lamba / chhota | ਲੰਬਾ / ਛੋਟਾ | Lambi sadak — a long road |
| Fat / thin | Mota / patla | ਮੋਟਾ / ਪਤਲਾ | Tusi patle ho gaye — you've got thin |
| Thick / thin (liquids) | Gaadha / patla | ਗਾੜ੍ਹਾ / ਪਤਲਾ | Gaadhi dal — thick dal |
| Heavy / light | Bhaari / halka | ਭਾਰੀ / ਹਲਕਾ | Bag bahut bhaari hai — the bag is very heavy |
| High / low | Uchcha / neeva | ਉੱਚਾ / ਨੀਵਾਂ | Uchchi kandh — a high wall |
| Wide / narrow | Chauda / tang | ਚੌੜਾ / ਤੰਗ | Tang gali — a narrow lane |
| Deep / shallow | Doonga / ghatt doonga | ਡੂੰਘਾ / ਘੱਟ ਡੂੰਘਾ | Doonga paani — deep water |
| New / old (things) | Nava / purana | ਨਵਾਂ / ਪੁਰਾਣਾ | Purani gaddi — old car |
| Young / old (people) | Javaan / budha (respectfully: bazurg) | ਜਵਾਨ / ਬੁੱਢਾ (ਬਜ਼ੁਰਗ) | Bazurg log — elderly people |
Quality and feel
| English | Punjabi | Gurmukhi | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good / bad | Changa / maada (also bura) | ਚੰਗਾ / ਮਾੜਾ (ਬੁਰਾ) | Changi gall — a good thing |
| Beautiful / ugly | Sohna / bhadda | ਸੋਹਣਾ / ਭੱਦਾ | Sohni kudi, sohna munda |
| Clean / dirty | Saaf / ganda | ਸਾਫ਼ / ਗੰਦਾ | Haath gande han — your hands are dirty |
| Hot / cold | Garam / thanda | ਗਰਮ / ਠੰਢਾ | Garam chah, thanda paani |
| Hard / soft | Sakht / naram | ਸਖ਼ਤ / ਨਰਮ | Naram roti — soft roti |
| Dry / wet | Sukka / gilla | ਸੁੱਕਾ / ਗਿੱਲਾ | Kapde gille han — the clothes are wet |
| Sharp / blunt | Tikkha / khunda | ਤਿੱਖਾ / ਖੁੰਢਾ | Chaaku tikkha hai — the knife is sharp |
| Cooked, ripe / raw, unripe | Pakka / kachcha | ਪੱਕਾ / ਕੱਚਾ | Kachcha amb — an unripe mango |
| Sweet / bitter (sour: khatta) | Mittha / kauda | ਮਿੱਠਾ / ਕੌੜਾ | Bahut mittha hai — it's very sweet |
| Salty / bland | Loona / pheeka | ਲੂਣਾ / ਫਿੱਕਾ | Dal pheeki hai — the dal needs salt |
| Fast / slow | Tez / hauli | ਤੇਜ਼ / ਹੌਲੀ | Hauli chalao — drive slowly |
| Loud / quiet (voice) | Uchchi / hauli | ਉੱਚੀ / ਹੌਲੀ | Hauli bolo — speak quietly |
| Bright / dark (light) | Chaanan / hanera | ਚਾਨਣ / ਹਨੇਰਾ | Hanera ho gaya — it's got dark |
| Dark / light (colours) | Goodha / halka | ਗੂੜ੍ਹਾ / ਹਲਕਾ | Goodha neela — dark blue |
| Open / closed | Khulla / band | ਖੁੱਲ੍ਹਾ / ਬੰਦ | Dukaan band hai — the shop is shut |
| Full / empty | Bharia / khaali | ਭਰਿਆ / ਖ਼ਾਲੀ | Glass khaali hai — the glass is empty |
| Cheap / expensive | Sasta / mehnga | ਸਸਤਾ / ਮਹਿੰਗਾ | Bahut mehnga hai |
| Easy / difficult | Saukha / aukha | ਸੌਖਾ / ਔਖਾ | Punjabi aukhi nahi — Punjabi isn't hard |
| Near / far | Nede / door | ਨੇੜੇ / ਦੂਰ | Bahut door hai — it's very far |
| Same / different | Ikko jiha / vakhra | ਇੱਕੋ ਜਿਹਾ / ਵੱਖਰਾ | Vakhri gall hai — that's a different matter |
| First / last | Pehla / aakhri | ਪਹਿਲਾ / ਆਖ਼ਰੀ | Aakhri vaar — the last time |
| True / false | Sachcha / jhootha | ਸੱਚਾ / ਝੂਠਾ | Sachchi gall — the truth |
| Right / wrong | Theek / galat | ਠੀਕ / ਗ਼ਲਤ | Eh galat hai — this is wrong |
People
| English | Punjabi | Gurmukhi | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Happy / sad | Khush / udaas | ਖ਼ੁਸ਼ / ਉਦਾਸ | Oh udaas kyon hai? — why is she sad? |
| Rich / poor | Ameer / gareeb | ਅਮੀਰ / ਗ਼ਰੀਬ | Gareeb aadmi — a poor man |
| Strong / weak | Takda / kamzor | ਤਕੜਾ / ਕਮਜ਼ੋਰ | Takda ho ja — get strong (and eat) |
| Wise, sensible / foolish | Siyaana / moorakh | ਸਿਆਣਾ / ਮੂਰਖ | Siyaana munda — a sensible boy |
| Hardworking / lazy | Mehnati / aalsi | ਮਿਹਨਤੀ / ਆਲਸੀ | Bahut mehnati hai — very hardworking |
| Brave / cowardly | Bahadur / darpok | ਬਹਾਦਰ / ਡਰਪੋਕ | Bahadur kudi — a brave girl |
| Busy / free, idle | Ruzhia / vehla | ਰੁੱਝਿਆ / ਵਿਹਲਾ | Main vehla haan — I'm free |
| Married / unmarried | Vyahia / kuaara | ਵਿਆਹਿਆ / ਕੁਆਰਾ | Haale kuaara haan — still single |
| Alive / dead | Jeonda / moya | ਜਿਉਂਦਾ / ਮੋਇਆ | Jeonde raho — may you live long |
Very, Too, More Than, The Most
| English | Punjabi | Gurmukhi | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Very | Bahut / bada | ਬਹੁਤ / ਬੜਾ | Bahut sohna, bada sohna — very beautiful |
| A little | Thoda (jiha) | ਥੋੜ੍ਹਾ (ਜਿਹਾ) | Thoda thanda — a little cold |
| Too much, excessively | Zyada / bahut zyada | ਜ਼ਿਆਦਾ | Zyada mittha — too sweet |
| Completely | Bilkul / ikdam | ਬਿਲਕੁਲ / ਇਕਦਮ | Bilkul theek — absolutely right |
| So (this much) | Enna / inna | ਇੰਨਾ | Inna vadda! — so big! |
| How …! (exclamation) | Kinna | ਕਿੰਨਾ | Kinna sohna! — how beautiful! |
| More … than | … ton vadda / ton zyada | … ਤੋਂ ਵੱਡਾ | Oh mere ton lamba hai — he's taller than me |
| Less than | … ton ghatt | … ਤੋਂ ਘੱਟ | Das ton ghatt — less than ten |
| The most (superlative) | Sab ton … | ਸਭ ਤੋਂ … | Sab ton vadda — the biggest; sab ton changa — the best |
| Even bigger | Hor vadda | ਹੋਰ ਵੱਡਾ | Hor vadda chaahida hai — I need a bigger one |
Punjabi has no "-er" or "-est": comparison is done with ton ("than", literally "from") and sab ton ("than all"). And doubling an adjective softens or sweetens it: garam garam roti (lovely hot roti), thanda thanda paani (nice cold water), hauli hauli (nice and slowly), chhote chhote bachche (little kids).
These pairs show up constantly in the 100 most common Punjabi words; the colour adjectives are in colours in Punjabi, the feeling words in emotions in Punjabi, and garam / thanda get a whole workout in weather in Punjabi.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you say big and small in Punjabi?
Big is vadda (ਵੱਡਾ) and small is chhota (ਛੋਟਾ). They also mean elder and younger: vadda bhra, elder brother; chhoti bhain, younger sister. Feminine forms: vaddi, chhoti.
How do you say hot and cold in Punjabi?
Hot is garam (ਗਰਮ) and cold is thanda (ਠੰਢਾ): garam chah, thanda paani. "It's cold (weather)" is thand hai, and "I'm cold" is mainu thand lag rahi hai.
How do you say good and bad in Punjabi?
Good is changa (ਚੰਗਾ) and bad is maada (ਮਾੜਾ) or bura (ਬੁਰਾ). Changa ji on its own means "okay then", and vadhiya is "great".
How do you say very in Punjabi?
Bahut (ਬਹੁਤ) — bahut sohna, very beautiful — or colloquially bada (ਬੜਾ). "Too much" is zyada, "a little" is thoda, and "the most" is sab ton.
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