To ask the time in Punjabi, say ki vajje ne? (ਕੀ ਵੱਜੇ ਨੇ?), and to answer, put the hour before vajje, so 3 o'clock is tinn vajje (ਤਿੰਨ ਵੱਜੇ). One o'clock is singular: ikk vajja. Half past, quarter past and quarter to are single words that go before the number: saadhe, sava and pauNe.
My nana used to call every afternoon at exactly the same time, and he would always open with the same question: ki vajje ne? I knew it meant "what time is it," but for years I could only answer in English numbers, which felt like cheating in a Punjabi conversation. The day I could finally say tinn vaj gaye ("it is three o'clock") back to him without thinking, it felt like a small win. Telling time is one of those everyday skills that makes you feel fluent, even when the rest of your Punjabi is still wobbly.
The good news: time is more regular than counting to a hundred. You need your numbers 1 to 12, one verb, and a handful of words for the parts of the day. If you are right at the start, learn 60 words every beginner should know first.
How do you ask the time in Punjabi?
The question is ki vajje ne? (ਕੀ ਵੱਜੇ ਨੇ?), pronounced ki vajje ne. Literally it is closer to "what has struck," the way old clocks chimed. You will also hear time ki hoya? in casual, mixed speech, but ki vajje ne is the real Punjabi.
Saying the hour
To say the o'clock, you take the number and add vaj gaye (ਵੱਜ ਗਏ), "have struck." One o'clock is slightly special, it uses vajja (singular).
| Time | Gurmukhi | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 o'clock | ਇੱਕ ਵੱਜਾ | ikk vajja |
| 2 o'clock | ਦੋ ਵੱਜੇ | do vajje |
| 3 o'clock | ਤਿੰਨ ਵੱਜੇ | tinn vajje |
| 4 o'clock | ਚਾਰ ਵੱਜੇ | chaar vajje |
| 5 o'clock | ਪੰਜ ਵੱਜੇ | panj vajje |
| 6 o'clock | ਛੇ ਵੱਜੇ | chhe vajje |
| 7 o'clock | ਸੱਤ ਵੱਜੇ | satt vajje |
| 8 o'clock | ਅੱਠ ਵੱਜੇ | aṭṭh vajje |
| 9 o'clock | ਨੌਂ ਵੱਜੇ | nauN vajje |
| 10 o'clock | ਦਸ ਵੱਜੇ | das vajje |
| 11 o'clock | ਗਿਆਰਾਂ ਵੱਜੇ | giaaraaN vajje |
| 12 o'clock | ਬਾਰਾਂ ਵੱਜੇ | baaraaN vajje |
If those numbers are not yet automatic for you, the numbers 1 to 100 guide is worth a pass first, because every single time expression is built on them.
How do you say half past, quarter past and quarter to?
Punjabi has neat single words for the common fractions, and they come before the number, which catches English speakers off guard:
| English | Gurmukhi | Pronunciation | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| half past | ਸਾਢੇ | saadhe | saadhe tinn = 3:30 |
| quarter past | ਸਵਾ | sava | sava chaar = 4:15 |
| quarter to | ਪੌਣੇ | pauNe | pauNe panj = 4:45 |
Two of these are slightly irregular and worth memorising on their own: deedh (ਡੇਢ) for 1:30 and adhaai (ਢਾਈ) for 2:30, rather than saadhe ikk or saadhe do. Almost nobody says those longer forms, so just learn deedh and adhaai as fixed words.
For minutes, you say the number plus mintt (ਮਿੰਟ): tinn vaj ke das mintt, "ten minutes past three," literally "three having struck, ten minutes." In daily speech, though, people lean on the quarter and half words far more than exact minutes.
Morning, afternoon, night
Since there is no strict a.m./p.m. in conversation, you anchor the time with the part of the day:
| English | Gurmukhi | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| morning | ਸਵੇਰ | saver |
| afternoon | ਦੁਪਹਿਰ | dupahir |
| evening | ਸ਼ਾਮ | shaam |
| night | ਰਾਤ | raat |
So "seven in the evening" is shaam de satt vajje, and "six in the morning" is saver de chhe vajje. These day-part words sit right next to the days of the week and the calendar, all of which I have collected in the days, months and time post if you want the wider picture.
A few real lines
- Ki vajje ne? "What time is it?"
- Saadhe satt vajje ne. "It is half past seven."
- Main das vajje aavaanga. "I will come at ten o'clock."
- Class kado hai? Sava nauN. "When is the class? Quarter past nine."
That last little exchange is most of what telling time is used for: making plans. Get the hours and saadhe / sava / pauNe solid and you can arrange almost anything.
The one piece a chart will not give you is the rhythm of how saadhe tinn or deedh actually sounds rolling off a native speaker, and time is one of those things you hear far more often than you read. I only stopped translating in my head once I had heard the hours spoken enough times to answer on reflex, which is the whole point of pairing real audio with short daily practice the way Panjabi Go does. Next time someone asks ki vajje ne, you will just answer.
