ScriptLookup

Punjabi

ਪੰਜਾਬੀ
pa 65M speakers

Punjabi (ਪੰਜਾਬੀ) is a Indo-European language with approximately 65M speakers speakers. It is written using the Gurmukhi script. Its BCP 47 language code is pa.

Punjabi (ਪੰਜਾਬੀ / پنجابی) is an Indo-Aryan language spoken in the Punjab region of Pakistan and India. In India, it is written in the Gurmukhi script (created by Guru Angad Dev in the 16th century) and is the official language of Punjab state. In Pakistan, it is written in the Shahmukhi script (based on Perso-Arabic).

Punjabi is the native language of Sikhs and is the liturgical language of Sikhism, used in the Guru Granth Sahib (the Sikh holy scripture). With approximately 65 million native speakers, it is among the most widely spoken languages in South Asia.

Writing Systems Used for Punjabi

Gurmukhi
ਗੁਰਮੁਖੀ
Primary
ਸਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਅਕਾਲ
LTR Guru

Frequently Asked Questions

What alphabet or script does Punjabi use?
Punjabi is written using the Gurmukhi script (ISO 15924 code: Guru). Gurmukhi is written left-to-right.
What direction is Punjabi written?
Punjabi is written Left-to-right. Text runs from left to right, the same direction as most European languages.
How many people speak Punjabi?
Punjabi has approximately 65M speakers speakers worldwide. It is a member of the Indo-European language family.
What language family does Punjabi belong to?
Punjabi belongs to the Indo-European language family. It is written with the Gurmukhi script.
What is the language code for Punjabi?
The BCP 47 language code for Punjabi is "pa". This code is used in software, web standards (the HTML lang attribute), and internationalization contexts.

Language Facts

BCP 47 Code
pa
ISO 639-3
pan
Status
living
Speakers
65M speakers
Language Family
Indo-European
Scripts
1
Primary Script
Gurmukhi

Other Gurmukhi Languages

None found.

Data sourced from Unicode CLDR and ISO 639-3. Last updated April 20, 2026.