The Panjabi Alphabet

Yes — Panjabi and Punjabi are two spellings of the same language. Both refer to the Indo-Aryan language of the Punjab region, written in the Gurmukhi script (ਗੁਰਮੁਖੀ). The ISO codes are the same: pa (ISO 639-1) and pan (ISO 639-3). The difference is purely orthographic — a matter of transliteration preference in English.

"Panjabi" more closely reflects the original Persian/Urdu word for the language, derived from "Panjab" (land of five rivers: panj = five, ab = water). "Punjabi" is the more widely used English spelling in India, the United Kingdom and internationally. Both spellings are accepted in scholarly and official contexts.

Panjabi (Punjabi) in India is written in the Gurmukhi script (ਗੁਰਮੁਖੀ) — a left-to-right Brahmic abugida with 35 consonants, 10 independent vowels, 3 vowel carrier letters, and 9 vowel signs. Gurmukhi was standardised in the 16th century by Guru Angad Dev Ji, the second Sikh Guru, primarily for writing the sacred Gurbani scriptures.

In Pakistan, the same spoken language is written in the Shahmukhi Perso-Arabic script — a right-to-left script. Despite representing the same spoken language, the two scripts are mutually unintelligible in written form.

Panjabi (Punjabi) is spoken by approximately 113 million people worldwide, making it one of the world's 10 most spoken languages by native speakers. The largest concentrations of Panjabi speakers are in Indian Punjab and Pakistani Punjab (which has the largest Punjabi-speaking population of any administrative region).

Significant Panjabi-speaking communities exist in the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States, Australia, and East Africa — primarily among Sikh and Muslim Punjabi diaspora communities. Canada and the United Kingdom have substantial government services and broadcasting available in Panjabi.

The Gurmukhi script (ਗੁਰਮੁਖੀ) is the primary writing system for Panjabi in India. The name means "from the mouth of the Guru" (Gurmukh = Guru's mouth). It is a Brahmic abugida — a left-to-right script where each consonant carries an inherent short /a/ vowel that is modified by vowel signs (laga matra) or suppressed by the virama mark.

Gurmukhi has 35 consonants arranged in phonetic groups (vargas), 10 independent vowels, 3 vowel carrier letters, and 9 vowel diacritical signs. It also includes the unique Ek Onkar symbol (ੴ), the sacred Sikh emblem meaning "God is One".

Yes. Panjabi (Punjabi) is the official language of the Indian state of Punjab and one of 22 scheduled languages under the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution of India. It is used in government administration, education, courts, and media in Punjab state.

In Pakistan, Panjabi is the most widely spoken language but is not an official language at the federal level (Urdu serves as the national language). However, it holds cultural dominance in Pakistani Punjab. Panjabi is also widely recognised in the United Kingdom as a community language, with BBC Radio Asian Network broadcasting in Panjabi.