We’re on a mission to keep Panjabi in the family
Panjabi Go teaches Gurmukhi from the very first letter, with native-quality audio and lessons short enough to actually do every day.
Why I started
The Panjabi language means more to me than any other language
I grew up in the UK speaking Panjabi quite well as it was the only language my parents spoke. But as I spent more time at school and with friends, English fast became my default language. I never really thought about Panjabi growing up (aside from the painful Panjabi School lessons on Sundays) but as soon as I had kids, it was a whole different story!
I was already aware of many second generation Panjabi kids who could not speak Panjabi. I was terrified that my own children would go into that same category. Just the simple idea that my children couldn't speak our mother tongue, the language of our ancestors, made me feel a deep loss that terrified me.
One of my biggest reasons was Gurbani. I wanted my children to be able to relate to it, to read the words for themselves and understand what they mean. That has to start with Gurmukhi and with real Panjabi.
Aside from my children, I knew many of my generation that were desperate to speak Panjabi well, but like me, had started to slowly forget how to speak with confidence, especially with people from Panjab.
The problem
Panjabi learning resources were almost non-existent
Tutors
If you find the right tutor, they can be brilliant, but they are expensive and once a week is nowhere close to being enough. Modern schedules demand on-the-go learning and immersive content.
Classes
They exist in most major cities, but they're usually catering for children only and, disappointingly, they're only designed to give you the very basics of Panjabi.
Apps
Duolingo doesn’t teach Panjabi at all. Search the App Store for “learn Panjabi” and you mostly find phrasebooks, romanised word lists, and basic projects nobody finished.
So I built it
An app that taught Panjabi properly didn't exist
Gurmukhi from zero
The real 35 akhar, not romanised crutches that fall apart the moment you meet a real word. Reading the script is the part that lasts you a lifetime, and almost nothing else out there teaches it properly.
Pronunciation, taken seriously
Panjabi is tonal, and the tones and aspirated sounds are exactly what a phrasebook can’t give you. Every word has native-quality audio, and the app listens back to your own speaking and tells you how close you are.
Small enough to actually do
People give up on a language because of consistency, not difficulty. Lessons are short and spaced repetition does the remembering for you. A few minutes on the bus beats a two-hour class you dread and cancel.
Built as a family
My children helped me build it
The children I was so worried about ended up building Panjabi Go with me. They tested the lessons, shared their design ideas, and told me straight away when something didn't work for them.
The coder
My eldest is a coder and helped me write the app itself.
The game maker
My second son loved creating the games you play in the app.
The bug hunter
My daughter found most of the early bugs, long before anyone else saw them.
What happened next
Now they teach themselves
Since using the app, my children have been teaching themselves Panjabi. They come up to us to show off what they can say, and they make up their own sentences just because they find them funny. That is exactly what I hoped for when I started.
It isn't only my family. I have heard from other learners who made huge progress within a few weeks of using the app.
Gurvinder Singh, FounderThe Panjabi Go app is more than 2 years of dedicated effort to save the Panjabi language
Who it’s for
This is for you if…
- You understand some Panjabi but freeze when it’s your turn.
- You want your kids to have what you didn’t.
- You’re learning for your faith, for family, or for a partner.
- You want to visit a pind without feeling like a tourist.
We’re still early and there’s a lot more to come. If you try Panjabi Go and something’s missing, I want to hear about it.
Get in touchGurvinder SinghFounder of Panjabi GoKeep Panjabi in your family
Short daily lessons, from your first akhar to real conversations.
