Punjabi Transliteration Guide: Common Adjectives
These supplied Punjabi examples give you transliteration aids for several everyday adjective meanings, including Big, Ready, Small, Old, Beautiful, and Dirty. Use the single-word or paired entries as vocabulary flashcards; treat the longer “This...” items as complete sentence examples, not as additional standalone word lists.
Start with these expressions
| English | Transliteration | Native script |
|---|---|---|
| Big | vadda | ਵੱਡਾ |
| Ready | tayar | ਤਿਆਰ |
| Small | nikka nikki | ਨਿੱਕਾ / ਨਿੱਕੀ |
| Old | purana purani | ਪੁਰਾਣਾ / ਪੁਰਾਣੀ |
| Beautiful | sohna sohni | ਸੋਹਣਾ / ਸੋਹਣੀ |
| Dirty | ganda gandi | ਗੰਦਾ / ਗੰਦੀ |
| This house is big. | ih ghar vadda hai. | ਇਹ ਘਰ ਵੱਡਾ ਹੈ। |
| This room is small. | ih kamra nikka hai. | ਇਹ ਕਮਰਾ ਨਿੱਕਾ ਹੈ। |
Entries versus complete sentence examples
The practical distinction is whether the item is a vocabulary entry or a complete translated sentence. The Big and Ready entries give you a meaning and a transliteration aid, but they do not form a sentence by themselves. The dictionary passage for Big supports meanings including “big” and “large” [1], while the passage for Ready supports “ready” and “prepared” [2]. The Dirty passage likewise documents “dirty,” alongside additional senses [3].
The paired entries for Small, Old, Beautiful, and Dirty should be treated as vocabulary forms. Their paired presentation is useful when making flashcards, but this material alone does not establish a general Punjabi gender or agreement rule. Keep that distinction in mind rather than turning every displayed form into a sentence pattern.
The longer items beginning with “This...” are different: they are complete sentence examples. One describes a house as big, and another describes a room as small. Use these to recognise a meaning in context, while using the shorter or paired items as the headwords on your vocabulary cards. This keeps your transliteration practice accurate without claiming more grammar than the examples show.
[1] Source: dsal.uchicago.edu.
[2] Source: dsal.uchicago.edu.
[3] Source: dsal.uchicago.edu.
Try it
You are making a flashcard for the standalone Punjabi transliteration entry meaning “Big,” rather than copying a complete sentence. Which item should you choose?
Choose your answer before reading on.
Check your answer:
Use expression 1 in the table above.
This item is the standalone vocabulary entry for the meaning “Big.” The longer house example is a complete sentence, so it is better used for context practice rather than as the headword on this flashcard.
Make two small flashcard groups: put standalone or paired adjective entries in one group, and complete “This...” examples in the other. Review the first group as vocabulary, then use the second group to practise recognising those meanings in context.
Practise speaking with Bhol. Learn words and sentences written in English letters.
