All of Alfaazo's Punjabi vocabulary lists in one place — family, grandparents, numbers, colours, days and months, time, weather, food, fruits and vegetables, body parts, health, animals, house, clothes, shopping, directions, emotions, adjectives, verbs and the 100 most common words — each with Gurmukhi, pronunciation and example sentences, plus how to actually memorise them.
Every Punjabi vocabulary list on Alfaazo, by topic. Each guide gives you the words in Gurmukhi with pronunciation, example sentences and the cultural notes that tell you when a word is used — and every list follows the same format, so once you've worked through one you can work through all of them. Start with the three core lists, then pick the topics your life actually needs: food if you're eating with the family, health if you're going to the doctor with a parent, animals and colours if you're teaching a child.
Start With These Three
| Guide | What you'll get |
|---|---|
| 100 most common Punjabi words | Yes, no, the pronouns, the glue words, the top verbs and adjectives — the words in every conversation |
| 50 essential Punjabi verbs | Do, go, come, eat, speak, learn — with the four patterns that conjugate all of them |
| Punjabi question words | What, who, where, when, why, how — and 25 ready questions |
People and Family
| Guide | What you'll get |
|---|---|
| Family words and relationship chart | Every relative, including the in-laws — chacha, mama, bhua, sohra, jija, bhabi |
| Grandparents and grandchildren | Dada, dadi, nana, nani, pota, poti, dohta, dohti — and phone-call phrases |
| Terms of endearment | Jaan, sohneya, soniye, mahi, putt, laadla — for partners, children and friends |
| Introducing yourself | Name, home, family, job and "I'm learning Punjabi" |
| Emotions and feelings | Happy, sad, angry, tired, scared — and the two grammars of feeling |
Numbers, Time and Weather
| Guide | What you'll get |
|---|---|
| Numbers 1–100 | Counting, with the patterns for the tens |
| Days and months | The week, the months, and the Punjabi calendar from Chet to Phaggan |
| Telling time | O'clock, sava, saadhe, paune, dedh, dhaai, and today / tomorrow / now |
| Weather and seasons | Thand, garmi, meenh, baraf — and the small talk |
Food and Home
| Guide | What you'll get |
|---|---|
| Food and kitchen words | Roti, dal, sabzi, the spices, the utensils and the phrases at the table |
| Fruits and vegetables | From amb to gobhi, with Gurmukhi |
| House and home | Rooms, furniture, the kitchen, and the commands you hear at home |
| Clothes | Everyday wear, traditional dress, jewellery, and to wear / take off / change |
| Shopping and bargaining | Prices, weights, how much is this, and the haggling script |
Body, Health and Feelings
| Guide | What you'll get |
|---|---|
| Body parts | Head to toe in Gurmukhi |
| Health and doctor words | Symptoms, medicines, the appointment, and get well soon |
| Emotions and feelings | Forty feeling words and how to say "I feel" |
| Adjectives and opposites | Big and small, hot and cold, good and bad — 40 pairs |
The World Around You
| Guide | What you'll get |
|---|---|
| Colours | Every colour with Gurmukhi and pronunciation |
| Animals, birds and insects | Sixty names, and the sayings that come with them |
| Directions and places | Left, right, straight, near, far, and the places around town |
| Words you hear in songs | Balle balle, chak de phatte, gabru, patola — explained |
Greetings and Set Phrases
The phrase guides — hello, good morning, thank you, sorry, please, congratulations, happy birthday, take care, good luck, well done — are listed in order in Learn Punjabi: start here, section five.
How to Learn Vocabulary That Sticks
- Learn words in sentences, not lists. Every guide gives an example sentence for a reason: chah is forgettable, chah peeoge? is a memory.
- Ten a day, every day. Ten new words plus a review of yesterday's beats fifty on Sunday.
- Say them out loud, in Gurmukhi. Reading the script fixes the pronunciation that romanised spelling blurs — ਠੰਢ tells you more than "thand". If you can't read yet, start with the Gurmukhi alphabet.
- Use the family. Ask a relative to say each word once; the hearing is worth ten readings. The grandparents guide is built for exactly this.
- Attach words to your week. Learn food words before Sunday lunch, weather words in January, wedding words before the wedding.
- Let the app do the repetition. Alfaazo spaces the reviews and plays native audio for every word, which is the part a web page can't do.
Coming Next
Lists in progress: jobs and professions, school and study words, travel and the airport, sports and games, nature and the farm, and the vocabulary of Punjabi music. If there is a topic you need first, tell us through the start-here guide's contact details.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many Punjabi words do I need to hold a conversation?
About 100 words cover basic family conversation and roughly 500 cover most everyday situations. Start with the 100 most common words, the 50 verbs and the question words, then add topics.
What is the best way to memorise Punjabi vocabulary?
In sentences, ten a day, read aloud in Gurmukhi, and reviewed with spaced repetition — ideally with a native speaker or an app saying each word for you.
Which vocabulary list should I learn first?
The 100 most common words, then family words and food — the three topics that come up in every Punjabi home within the first hour.
Are these word lists free?
Yes. Every list is free to read and the Alfaazo app, which adds audio and practice, is free on iOS and Android.
Hear Every Word in the App
Twenty lists on the page; native audio and spaced review in Alfaazo. 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.
Keep reading
Weather in Punjabi: It's Cold, It's Raining, Snow, Heat and Every Season (With Gurmukhi)
Weather in Punjabi is mausam. It's cold is thand hai, it's hot is garmi hai, it's raining is meenh pai riha hai, it's snowing is baraf pai rahi hai. All the weather words and seasons with Gurmukhi and pronunciation, plus the small-talk lines Punjabi families actually use, in Brampton, Birmingham and Ludhiana alike.
25 Punjabi Proverbs (Akhaan) and What They Mean: The Sayings Every Grandparent Uses
Punjabi proverbs — akhaan — with Gurmukhi, literal translation and real meaning: oonth de mooh vich zeera (a drop in the ocean), nachna na aave vehda tedha (a bad workman blames his tools), ghar da jogi jogda (no one is a prophet at home), dudh da sadia lassi nu phookaan maar ke peenda (once bitten, twice shy), and 21 more, with when to use each.
Punjabi Phrases for Travellers: 60 Essential Phrases for a Trip to Punjab (Airport, Taxi, Hotel, Dhaba, Golden Temple)
The essential Punjabi phrases for a first-time traveller to Punjab — arriving at Amritsar or Chandigarh airport, taking a taxi or auto, checking into a hotel, ordering at a dhaba, bargaining in the bazaar, visiting the Golden Temple, asking for help and handling emergencies — with Gurmukhi and pronunciation, plus the etiquette that makes locals warm to you instantly.