Jokes, fun, boisterous laughter, and merry-making are synonymous with the Punjabi ethos of not letting problems stress you out – syaapa mukao te mitti pao (ਸਿਆਪਾ ਮੁਕਾਓ ਤੇ ਮਿੱਟੀ ਪਾਓ)! Now, wasn’t that one of the Punjabi tongue twisters right there?
Well, it could be for a newbie language learner, but certainly not for a native speaker. Read on to know what a native Punjabi speaker considers to be real tongue twisters.
A Tickled Tongue Or A Pickled Tongue?
Almost all languages across the world have these fun elements embedded within that show their linguistic depth and richness. These are also a reflection of their oral literature and traditions. They even add more options to your linguistic pedagogy, and while doing so, they perform vital linguistic services.
Now, a tongue twister is a sentence or an expression that may or may not make sense but can make you do verbal somersaults. You may think, “What’s the big deal? I mouth Eminem and Drake all the time!” Well, the catch here is that you need to repeat these expressions very rapidly in a loop without breaking the rhythm. It doesn’t seem so easy anymore, huh?
List Of Punjabi Tongue Twisters
There are a plethora of Punjabi tongue twisters that have the capability of literally twisting your tongue into a pretzel. Let’s check out these fun tongue twisters!
#1 Chandu de chacha ne chandu di chachi nu chandi de chamache naal chandni chowk vich chatni chatayi (ਚੰਦੂ ਦੇ ਚਾਚਾ ਨੇ ਚੰਦੂ ਦੀ ਚਾਚੀ ਨੂੰ ਚਾਂਦੀ ਦੇ ਚਮਚੇ ਨਾਲ ਚਾਂਦਨੀ ਚੌਂਕ ਵਿੱਚ ਚਟਨੀ ਚਟਾਈ)
Literal translation: Chandu’s uncle made Chandu’s aunt lick a chutney with a silver spoon in Chandni Chowk. This is one of the most popular tongue twisters not only in Punjabi but also in Hindi and many of its dialects.
Fun Fact: This Punjabi tongue twister was turned into a pop song by an MTV India teen band called Aasma that became quite a rage back in the day! Moreover, it also featured in a cute scene in the mega-hit Bollywood film Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham.
#2 Sarad sardi garam garmi (ਸਰਦ ਸਰਦੀ ਗਰਮ ਗਰਮੀ)
Literal translation: Cold winter hot summer.
#3 Dada ji de do mainu dadi de dadan di dawayi (ਦਾਦਾ ਜੀ ਦੇ ਦੋ ਮੈਨੂੰ ਦਾਦੀ ਦੇ ਦੰਦਾਂ ਦੀ ਦਵਾਈ)
Literal translation: Grandpa, give me the medicine for grandma’s teeth.
#4 Jo hasega uh phasega jo phasega uh hasega (ਜੋ ਹੱਸੇਗਾ ਉਹ ਫਸੇਗਾ – ਜੋ ਫਸੇਗਾ ਉਹ ਹੱਸੇਗਾ)
Literal translation: The one who laughs will be trapped, and the one who gets trapped will laugh.
#5 Ik uncha uth hai poonchh oonchi uth di, poonchh naalon vi peeth oonchi uth di (ਇੱਕ ਉੱਚਾ ਊਠ ਹੈ ਪੂਛ ਉੱਚੀ ਊਠ ਦੀ, ਪੂਛ ਨਾਲੋਂ ਵੀ ਪਿੱਠ ਉੱਚੀ ਊਠ ਦੀ)
Literal translation: A tall camel’s tail is tall, even with a tail, the camel’s back is tall. This is one hell of a Punjabi tongue twister with so many similar-sounding syllables lined up in a long sequence!
#6 Davindar di dadi de do dand dukhde, dilli da daktar davindar di dadi de dukhde dadan di dawai de dinda (ਦਵਿੰਦਰ ਦੀ ਦਾਦੀ ਦੇ ਦੋ ਦੰਦ ਦੁਖਦੇ, ਦਿੱਲੀ ਦਾ ਡਾਕਟਰ ਦਵਿੰਦਰ ਦੀ ਦਾਦੀ ਦੇ ਦੁਖਦੇ ਦੰਦਾਂ ਦੀ ਦਵਾਈ ਦੇ ਦਿੰਦਾ)
Literal translation: Devinder’s grandmother’s two teeth are hurting, (a) Doctor from Delhi gives the medicine for Devinder’s grandmother’s hurting teeth. This Punjabi tongue twister is quite a mouthful, with only the ‘da’ sound repeated all over.
#7 Dil dikhda dukhre na sunda na sunanda, sunde sunde dukhre dil dukhda na dukhanda (ਦਿਲ ਦੁਖਦਾ ਦੁਖੜੇ ਨਾ ਸੁਣਦਾ ਨਾ ਸੁਣਾਉਂਦਾ, ਸੁਣਦੇ-ਸੁਣਦੇ ਦਿਲ ਨਾ ਦੁਖਦਾ ਨਾ ਦਖਾਉਂਦਾ)
Literal translation: The heart hurts, neither hears nor tells. The heart does not show pain while listening.
#8 Khar khar kharake khabara suṇave, suna suna sab nu chap ho jave (ਖੜ-ਖੜ ਖੜਕੇ ਖਬਰ ਸੁਣਾਵੇ – ਸੁਣ ਸੁਣਾ ਸਭ ਨੂੰ ਚੱਪ ਹੋ ਜਾਵੇ)
Literal translation: Declare the news loudly, let everyone be silent.
#9 Dabba tappu khal tappe, tap dabe tupwah (ਡੱਬਾ ਟੱਪੂ ਖਾਲ ਟੱਪੇ, ਟੱਪ ਡੱਬੇ ਟੁਪਵਾਹ)
Literal translation: A box jumps over a ditch. Box, jump over a ditch!
#10 Fauji ne kauli vich chaul pa ke pauri te bah ke khadhe (ਫ਼ੌਜੀ ਨੇ ਕੌਲੀ ਵਿੱਚ ਚੌਲ ਪਾ ਕੇ ਪੌੜੀ ਤੇ ਬਹਿ ਕੇ ਖਾਧੇ)
Literal translation: The soldier put rice in a bowl and ate it while running on the ladder.
#11 Pindaan di pind vich pinda pindi pindaan di pind (ਪਿੰਡਾਂ ਦੀ ਪਿੰਡ ਵਿਚ ਪਿੰਡਾਂ ਪਿੰਡੀ ਪਿੰਡਾਂ ਦੀ ਪਿੰਡ)
Literal translation: In the village of Pinda, the ball of Pinda rolls in the village of Pinda.
#12 Vacha kabhi vakhi chaatada saji vakhi chaatada (ਵੱਛਾ ਖੱਬੀ ਵੱਖੀ ਚਟਦਾ ਸੱਜੀ ਵੱਖੀ ਚਟਦਾ)
Literal translation: The calf licks left and right.
#13 Dabbi chaati chaatne, chaat gayi chatni (ਡੱਬੀ ਛਾਤੀ ਚੱਟਣੇ ਚਾਟ ਗਈ ਚਟਨੀ)
Literal translation: The container broke while the pickle was being eaten.
#14 Kachcha papad pakka papad (ਕੱਚਾ ਪਾਪੜ ਪੱਕਾ ਪਾਪੜ)
Literal translation: Raw poppadom, cooked poppadom.
#15 Munde pakke bande, munde pakke bande, munde pakke bande (ਮੁੰਡੇ ਪੱਕੇ ਬੰਦੇ, ਮੁੰਡੇ ਪੱਕੇ ਬੰਦੇ, ਮੁੰਡੇ ਪੱਕੇ ਬੰਦੇ)
Literal translation: Strong boys, strong boys, strong boys.
Learn Punjabi with Ling
Now, wasn’t that a fun exercise to get your tongue twisted as you navigate the world of Punjabi tongue twisters? Want more of such fun?
Head straight to your Google Play Store or Apple App Store and download the Ling app for free! It is the best platform to learn a new language with its interactive exercises, fun games and quizzes, and supercool interface!
Go on, dig into some more Punjabi. Chakk De Phatte!
