Both Punjabi and Panjabi are correct English spellings of the same language, ਪੰਜਾਬੀ. "Panjabi" is closer to the original sound, a short "a" as in "but". "Punjabi" is the old British spelling, and it is still the more common one in English. The word comes from Persian panj (five) and aab (waters): the land of five waters.
Search for the language and you'll see it spelled two ways, sometimes on the same page. People often assume one must be a mistake. It isn't, and the difference is a small, interesting window into the language itself.
What does Punjabi mean?
The name comes from Persian and breaks into two parts:
- panj (ਪੰਜ): "five"
- aab (ਆਬ): "waters"
Panjab = "the land of five waters," named for the five rivers that flow through the region: the Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej. Panjabi / Punjabi is simply "of Panjab", its language and its people.
So the word literally carries the geography of a homeland in it. Every time you say it, you're naming five rivers.
Why are there two spellings of Punjabi?
Both spellings try to capture the same Gurmukhi vowel, the one written ਪੰ, and neither English vowel is a perfect match.
- "Panjabi" mirrors the original pronunciation and the Persian/Gurmukhi source more closely. The first vowel is a short "a" (as in "but"), so panj, not poonj. This is the spelling you'll see from linguists and many Panjabi speakers themselves.
- "Punjabi" is the old British spelling. It writes that short "a" sound with a "u", the way English does in "but", and "Punjab" for the region follows the same habit. It is still the more common spelling in English.
Neither is wrong. "Punjabi" is more common in English; "Panjabi" is more faithful to the sound.
Which should you use?
It depends on your goal:
- Writing for a general English audience or searching online? "Punjabi" is what most people type and read, so it carries the most reach.
- Caring about accuracy, or writing for the community? "Panjabi" honours the original sound, which is exactly why I chose the name Panjabi Go. Growing up in the diaspora I saw it spelled both ways, often within my own family's documents, and when it came to naming the app I went with the form that's truest to how the word actually sounds.
- Otherwise? Use whichever your reader expects, and don't correct someone for using the other. They're both right.
You'll notice I use both across this site and blog, "Punjabi" where it helps people find us, "Panjabi" where the brand and accuracy matter. That's a deliberate choice, not an inconsistency.
A quick note on the script vs the language
One more common mix-up: Punjabi/Panjabi is the language. Gurmukhi is the script it's written in (in India). They're not the same thing, just as "English" is a language and "the Latin alphabet" is a script. Punjabi is also written in the Shahmukhi script (a Perso-Arabic script) in Pakistani Panjab.
If you're learning to read, Gurmukhi is where you start, here's the full alphabet and how to read it step by step.
The takeaway
Same language, same people, same five rivers, two valid spellings. Now you know why, and you'll never be thrown by seeing both again.
Ready to actually learn it? Start with How to Learn Punjabi: A Complete Beginner's Guide, or jump straight into bite-sized daily lessons with Panjabi Go.
