In Punjabi, a dog is ਕੁੱਤਾ (kutta), a cat is ਬਿੱਲੀ (billi), a cow is ਗਾਂ (gaa(n)), a buffalo is ਮੱਝ (majjh) and a lion is ਸ਼ੇਰ (sher). That last word matters most: Singh (ਸਿੰਘ), the name shared by Sikh men, means lion, given by Guru Gobind Singh at the founding of the Khalsa in 1699.
Animals carry more weight in Punjabi than in most languages, the buffalo turns up in love songs, the lion is literally half the community's surname, and a child's first Punjabi words are very often kutta and billi. This guide covers pets, farm animals, and wild animals in Gurmukhi with pronunciation, and the bits of culture baked into them.
What are common pets called in Punjabi?
| English | Gurmukhi | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Dog | ਕੁੱਤਾ | kutta |
| Cat | ਬਿੱਲੀ | billi |
| Bird | ਪੰਛੀ | panchhi |
| Fish | ਮੱਛੀ | machhi |
| Mouse | ਚੂਹਾ | chooha |
Once the pets are named, the Punjabi words for the home are a natural next set.
Farm animals
Panjab is famously agricultural, so farm animals are deeply woven into the language and culture:
| English | Gurmukhi | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Cow | ਗਾਂ | gaa(n) |
| Buffalo | ਮੱਝ | majjh |
| Ox / bull | ਬਲਦ | balad |
| Goat | ਬੱਕਰੀ | bakri |
| Horse | ਘੋੜਾ | ghoda |
| Hen | ਮੁਰਗੀ | murgi |
The majjh (buffalo) deserves a special mention. In rural Panjab a family's buffaloes were its wealth, so the word soaked into everyday speech, majjh wangu kamm karna ("to work like a buffalo") still means to graft without complaint. You will hear majjh in countless Punjabi songs about village life long before you'd ever expect a buffalo to be romantic.
What are wild animals called in Punjabi?
| English | Gurmukhi | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Lion | ਸ਼ੇਰ | sher |
| Elephant | ਹਾਥੀ | haathi |
| Monkey | ਬਾਂਦਰ | baandar |
| Snake | ਸੱਪ | sapp |
| Tiger | ਬਾਘ | baagh |
Sher is the one to dwell on. Singh (ਸਿੰਘ), the name shared by Sikh men, is the word for lion, and Kaur for women means "princess." This wasn't an accident: Guru Gobind Singh gave these names at the founding of the Khalsa in 1699 so that a man with no caste-marking surname would carry "lion" instead. So when a Punjabi child learns sher, they're also learning a piece of who they are, the animal sits inside the identity, not just the zoo.
Try this instead of a worksheet
Animals are the rare vocabulary set you can teach to a toddler and an adult with the same trick: noise. Sit a child down and do the cow (gaa(n), "boooo"), the dog (kutta), the lion (sher, full roar). They'll have ten words before they realise it was a lesson, which is exactly why animals are the best opener in teaching kids Punjabi at home. A similar game works for Punjabi body parts: point to the dog's nose, then your own.
If you're learning solo, hunt the words in the wild instead: next Punjabi song you play, listen for majjh or sher and you'll start catching them everywhere.
Panjabi Go drills these with native-quality audio so majjh and panchhi land right, roars optional. Start free.
