Unlike their English counterparts, Punjabi nouns can be pretty complicated to learn as they have genders, cases, and plural forms. So, it’s no surprise that they might initially seem a bit daunting. But once you get the hang of them, it’ll be easy to understand how to use them in sentences. Let’s get to know more about it in today’s post!
And even if you think that Punjabi grammar is no easy thing to master, a basic understanding of concepts like noun usage can dramatically improve your chances of expressing yourself better. In this article, we’ll cover some of Punjabi’s most frequently used nouns. We’ll also explain how these words are used and give examples to help you understand them better. Let’s get started!
Table Of Contents
All About Punjabi Nouns
Let us look at the features and then types of nouns used in the Punjabi language.
What Are The Gender Based Punjabi Nouns?
Genders are important in Punjabi nouns because they determine the verb form and the pronoun used with them. In Punjabi, there are two genders: masculine and feminine. The gender of a noun affects the form of the verb and pronoun used with it. Additionally, the gender of a noun can sometimes indicate the natural gender of the person or thing named by the noun.
Let’s look at some examples.
Masculine Nouns
Most masculine nouns finish with the –aa (ਆ) sound, and some are exceptions.
- Rope – Rassa (ਰੱਸਾ)
- Cooking pot – Patila (ਪਤੀਲਾ)
- Mountain – Pahad (ਪਹਾੜ)
- Tumbler – Galaas (ਗਲਾਸ)
Feminine Nouns
Almost all feminine nouns finish with the –i (ਈ) sound.
- String – rassi (ਰੱਸੀ)
- Small cooking pot – Patili (ਪਤੀਲੀ)
- Hill – Pahadi (ਪਹਾੜੀ)
- Small tumbler – Galaasi (ਗਲਾਸੀ)
What Are The Number Based Punjabi Nouns?
These are the singular and plural nouns. For one, it is the singular form, and for more than one, it is the plural form. A prefix of –aa (ਆ) is mainly found when we write Punjabi for the singular nouns and changed to –ae (ਏ) for the plural.
Here are some examples for the Masculine Punjabi Nouns used in Punjabi grammar:
English Singular | Punjabi | Pronunciation | English Plural | Punjabi | Pronunciation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Boy | ਮੁੰਡਾ | Munda | Boys | ਮੁੰਡੇ | Munde |
Room | ਕੋਠਾ | Kotha | Rooms | ਕੋਠੇ | Kothe |
Horse | ਘੋੜਾ | Ghora | Horses | ਘੋੜੇ | Ghore |
In the case that the nouns are already feminine, what do we do? We change the prefix to –aan (ਆਂ) to talk about their plural form.
English Singular | Punjabi | Pronunciation | English Plural | Punjabi | Pronunciation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Girl | ਕੁੜੀ | Kudi | Girls | ਕੁੜੀਆਂ | Kudiaan |
Window | ਖਿੜਕੀ | Khidki | Windows | ਖਿੜਕੀਆਂ | Khidkiaan |
Lady | ਬੀਬੀ | Bibi | Ladies | ਬੀਬੀਆਂ | Bibiaan |
As exceptions are in every language, you will find them in Punjabi, too! Some words remain unchanged and are the same in both their singular and plural forms. Some examples are given below:
- Man/men – Aadmi (ਆਦਮੀ)
- House/houses – Ghar (ਘਰ)
- City/cities – Shahir (ਸ਼ਹਿਰ)
What Are The Noun Cases In Punjabi?
The noun cases in Punjabi are divided into two types: the direct and the oblique form. The number and case in Punjabi nouns go together. This is why they are under the “transformation” grammatical categories. Nouns can be singular direct and singular oblique, and they can also be plural direct and plural oblique.
In regards to masculine and feminine words, all previous rules apply. Once we cite examples of some daily-use Punjabi words, it will get clearer. For nouns discussed before, let’s see how they change forms from direct to the oblique case.
- Boy – Munda (ਮੁੰਡਾ)
- Boys – Munde (ਮੁੰਡੇ)
- Man – Aadmi (ਆਦਮੀ)
- Men – Aadmi (ਆਦਮੀ)
- Girl – Kudi (ਕੁੜੀ)
- Girls – Kudiaan (ਕੁੜੀਆਂ)
To oblique case:
- Boy – Munde (ਮੁੰਡੇ)
- Boys – Mundiaan (ਮੁੰਡਿਆਂ)
- Man – Aadmi (ਆਦਮੀ)
- Men – Aadmiaan (ਆਦਮੀਆਂ)
- Girl – Kudi (ਕੁੜੀ)
- Girls – Kudiaan (ਕੁੜੀਆਂ)
The grammatical relations and word order of Punjabi nouns will need practice. The recommendation is to practice naming objects and nouns to increase your vocabulary. While doing so, give attention to the pronunciation, which will help you identify the gender, number, and case.
The most important in Punjabi, Hindi, and Urdu (as they are similar languages) is to get the gender right. If not, the sentence will become pretty hysterical! As a learner, though, tones and pronunciation will come gradually and naturally with practice! Keep trying!
How Do You Say Noun In Punjabi?
In Punjabi, the word for “noun” is naanva (ਨਾਂਵ). It is pronounced as naa-nva where the second n is the nasal sound.
Frequently Asked Questions About Punjabi Nouns
What Are The Genders Of Punjabi Nouns?
Punjabi nouns are categorized into two on the basis of gender – masculine nouns like pankhaa (ਪੱਖਾ – fan), hatth (ਹੱਥ – hand), and feminine nouns like sadak (ਸੜਕ – road) and baag (ਬਾਗ – garden).
What Do We Call Pronouns In Punjabi?
In Punjabi, pronouns are called parnaanva (ਪੜਨਾਂਵ). They replace nouns or naanva (ਨਾਂਵ) to indicate the subject or object of a sentence.
Is Sikh A Proper Noun?
Yes, Sikh is a proper noun because it is a religion like Christianity, Hinduism and Islam. Therefore, the word Sikh should always be written with a capital first letter S. For example, “A Sikh man is sitting there,” or “I am a Sikh woman.”
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