Punjabi numbers from 1 to 10 are ikk, do, tinn, chaar, panj, chhe, satt, aṭṭh, nauN and das, and 100 is sau (ਸੌ). Most numbers in between are built as unit + ten, but the sound shifts in every decade, so they have to be memorised rather than worked out from a rule.
I grew up speaking Punjabi fine, but the first time I tried to actually follow prices at a family gathering as an adult, the numbers fell apart in my head. An auntie said something was paintee and I just nodded, lost. I could hold a conversation but I could not count past about twenty without guessing. Turns out Punjabi numbers are irregular, a bit like French where you suddenly get "four-twenties" for eighty. Each ten has its own little twists in the units, and there is no clean rule that carries you through. You memorise them. I would rather tell you that up front than pretend a single trick unlocks all hundred.
So treat this page as your reference. The tables below are every number you need, in Gurmukhi with plain pronunciation. Drill them out loud, because these shift by sound in ways a romanised list cannot fully capture.
How do you count from 1 to 10 in Punjabi?
| Number | Gurmukhi | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ਇੱਕ | ikk |
| 2 | ਦੋ | do |
| 3 | ਤਿੰਨ | tinn |
| 4 | ਚਾਰ | chaar |
| 5 | ਪੰਜ | panj |
| 6 | ਛੇ | chhe |
| 7 | ਸੱਤ | satt |
| 8 | ਅੱਠ | aṭṭh |
| 9 | ਨੌਂ | nauN |
| 10 | ਦਸ | das |
The one that stuck with me is panj (five). It is the same panj in Panjab, "the land of five waters." I only made that connection as an adult, and it made the whole name of my heritage feel less abstract. You can read more on that in Punjabi or Panjabi?.
11 to 20
| Number | Gurmukhi | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | ਗਿਆਰਾਂ | giaaraaN |
| 12 | ਬਾਰਾਂ | baaraaN |
| 13 | ਤੇਰਾਂ | teraaN |
| 14 | ਚੌਦਾਂ | chaudaaN |
| 15 | ਪੰਦਰਾਂ | pandraaN |
| 16 | ਸੋਲਾਂ | solaaN |
| 17 | ਸਤਾਰਾਂ | sataaraaN |
| 18 | ਅਠਾਰਾਂ | aṭhaaraaN |
| 19 | ਉੱਨੀ | unni |
| 20 | ਵੀਹ | veeh |
The tens (this is the shortcut)
If anything saved me, it was getting the tens solid first. Every number in between hangs off these, so this is the skeleton worth memorising before the rest:
| Number | Gurmukhi | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | ਦਸ | das |
| 20 | ਵੀਹ | veeh |
| 30 | ਤੀਹ | teeh |
| 40 | ਚਾਲੀ | chaalee |
| 50 | ਪੰਜਾਹ | panjaah |
| 60 | ਸੱਠ | saṭṭh |
| 70 | ਸੱਤਰ | sattar |
| 80 | ਅੱਸੀ | assee |
| 90 | ਨੱਬੇ | nabbe |
| 100 | ਸੌ | sau |
How are numbers like 21 or 45 formed in Punjabi?
Punjabi builds most two-digit numbers as unit + ten, closer to "one-and-twenty" than English's "twenty-one." The logic is consistent, but the exact sound mutates per decade, and that is the part that needs your ear. A few examples to show the shape:
- 21: ਇੱਕੀ ikkee
- 25: ਪੰਝੀ panjee
- 31: ਇਕੱਤੀ ikattee
- 45: ਪੰਜਤਾਲੀ panjtaalee
- 99: ਨੜ੍ਹਿਨਵੇਂ naṛhinveN
Do not try to swallow all eighty in-between numbers in one sitting. I learned 1 to 20 solid, then the tens, then filled in one decade at a time. The way they actually stuck was using them: I counted stairs in Punjabi, said my own age out loud, read out my nani's street number on the way to her door. Once you know the Punjabi words for the home, counting the chairs and windows in each room works the same way. Asking kinne da hai? ("how much is it?") and then understanding the answer is the real test, and that phrase lives in 5 Everyday Panjabi Phrases.
Where this fits
Numbers are an ideal early theme in the complete beginner's guide, and reading them aloud is great practice for the vowel marks covered in How to Read Gurmukhi. Gurmukhi also has its own written digits, which I cover in the Gurmukhi numerals guide.
A table like this can show you the numbers, but it cannot drill the irregular sounds into your recall, and that is exactly where I kept slipping. What fixed it for me was native-quality audio on every number paired with spaced repetition, so the per-decade shifts got reinforced right before I was about to forget them, instead of guessed from spelling. That is how Panjabi Go handles counting: real audio for each number, pronunciation feedback so you hear when you are off, Gurmukhi from scratch, and short daily lessons that bring the tricky decades back at the right moment. Try it free.
