Whether you're travelling to Punjab for the first time, visiting family, making a pilgrimage to the Golden Temple, or simply want to be able to greet people properly in Punjabi-speaking communities back in Australia, having a practical set of phrases at your disposal makes an enormous difference. This phrasebook covers the most useful everyday situations โ€” greetings, shopping, food, directions, transport, emergencies, and social situations โ€” with both a phonetic guide and notes on usage so you know not just how to say something, but when and why.

A note on script and pronunciation: Punjabi is written in Gurmukhi in India's Punjab state, and in Shahmukhi (a Perso-Arabic script) in Pakistan's Punjab province. The phonetic transcriptions below use a simplified Roman spelling designed for English speakers โ€” not a formal linguistic transcription, but a practical guide to approximate pronunciation. Punjabi is a tonal language, meaning pitch can change meaning, but for basic travel purposes the phrases below, spoken clearly and with reasonable effort, will be understood and appreciated even if your tones aren't perfect.

Greetings and Basic Courtesy

The most fundamental distinction in Punjabi greetings is between the Sikh greeting and the more general Punjabi greeting, which often reflects the religious context.

Sat Sri Akal is the standard Sikh greeting, used between Sikhs as both hello and goodbye โ€” literally meaning "the Eternal God is Truth." In the context of the Golden Temple and most gurdwaras, this is the appropriate greeting to use. It's said with hands pressed together (similar to a namaste gesture).

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh is the more complete formal Sikh greeting โ€” "The Khalsa belongs to the Wonderful Lord, Victory belongs to the Wonderful Lord." This is used in more formal or religious contexts, and you'll hear it continuously in and around the Golden Temple. Non-Sikhs who use it are showing respectful awareness and it's warmly received.

Kiddan (pronounced roughly: "kid-daan") is the casual, everyday Punjabi greeting โ€” think of it as "hey, how's it going?" It's the kind of greeting you'd use with someone you know, in an informal context, and you'll hear it constantly in Punjabi conversations.

Theek ho (pronounced roughly: "theek hoh") โ€” "Are you well?" โ€” is a slightly more formal version of checking in on someone, appropriate for casual acquaintances or when meeting someone's parents or family members for the first time.

Haan, theek haan ("haan, theek haan") โ€” "Yes, I'm fine/well" โ€” is the standard response to either of the above.

Shukriya ("shook-ree-yah") โ€” thank you โ€” is widely understood and used across Punjabi contexts, borrowed from Persian via Urdu. Dhanyavaad ("than-ya-vaad") is a more Sanskrit-origin thank you, used in more formal or Hindi-influenced contexts. Either will be understood.

Maafi karo ("maa-fi karo") โ€” "Please forgive me" or "Excuse me/Sorry" โ€” is the standard polite apology or excuse-me phrase.

Koi gal nahi ("koi gal na-hee") โ€” "No problem" / "That's alright" โ€” a very common, warm response when someone apologises.

Introducing Yourself

Mera naam ___ hai ("mera naam ___ hey") โ€” "My name is ___." This is exactly parallel to Hindi and will feel familiar if you've had any exposure to Bollywood.

Main Australia to haan ("main Australia to haan") โ€” "I am from Australia."

Main Punjabi sikh reha/rehi haan ("main Punjabi sikh re-ha/re-hi haan") โ€” "I am learning Punjabi." The ending changes slightly depending on gender โ€” "reha" for male speakers, "rehi" for female.

Meri Punjabi thodi thodi hai ("meri Punjabi tho-di tho-di hey") โ€” "My Punjabi is a little bit." A self-deprecating and charming way to acknowledge limited language skills that always gets a smile.

Kripya dheere bolo ("krip-ya dee-ray bo-lo") โ€” "Please speak slowly." Extremely useful when someone launches into rapid, fully colloquial Punjabi in response to your careful greeting.

Main samjha nahi / Main samjhi nahi ("main sam-jha na-hee" for males / "main sam-jhi na-hee" for females) โ€” "I didn't understand."

Getting Around and Directions

___ kitthe hai? (" kit-hey hey?") โ€” "Where is ?" The single most useful directional phrase โ€” substitute any destination (the train station, the Golden Temple, the hotel, the market).

Siddha jao ("sid-dha jao") โ€” "Go straight ahead."

Khadde paase ("khad-dey paa-sey") โ€” "To the right."

Khabe paase ("kha-bey paa-sey") โ€” "To the left."

Nere / Door ("ney-rey" / "duur") โ€” "Near / Far." Very useful when asking "is it near or far?"

Kinaey door hai? ("kin-ey duur hey?") โ€” "How far is it?"

Taxi / Auto-rickshaw kithey mildi hai? โ€” "Where can I get a taxi / auto-rickshaw?"

___ chaloge? (" cha-lo-gey?") โ€” "Will you go to ?" Used when negotiating with a taxi or auto-rickshaw driver about destination.

Kitna paisa lagega? ("kit-na pai-sa la-gey-ga?") โ€” "How much will it cost?" Essential for any transport negotiation.

Meter lagao ("mee-ter la-ga-o") โ€” "Use the meter." Worth knowing for taxi situations where a meter fare is preferable to a negotiated price.

At a Restaurant or Dhaba

Khaana menu dikhaao ("khaa-na meh-nu dik-haa-o") โ€” "Show me the food menu."

Mujhe ___ deo ("mu-jhey ___ dey-o") โ€” "Please give me ___." The most direct way to order food.

Bahut vadiya si ("ba-hut va-dee-ya si") โ€” "It was very good." Excellent post-meal appreciation.

Main shakahari haan ("main sha-kaa-ha-ri haan") โ€” "I am vegetarian." Important for many travellers to Punjab โ€” vegetarian food is very widely available, but it's worth confirming with this phrase if in doubt.

Maas nahi ("maas na-hee") โ€” "No meat." Even more direct if needed.

Pani de deo ("paa-ni de dey-o") โ€” "Please give me water."

Bill lekhaao ("bill ley-khaa-o") โ€” "Please bring the bill."

Thoda hor ("tho-da hor") โ€” "A little more." Very useful at dhaba meals where food is served informally and "thoda hor" is often the appropriate response to the server's enquiring look.

Shopping and Bargaining

Iska kya bhav hai? ("is-ka kya bhaav hey?") โ€” "What is the price of this?"

Bahut mehenga hai ("ba-hut meh-hen-ga hey") โ€” "It is very expensive." The essential opening move in any price negotiation.

Thoda ghat karo ("tho-da ghat ka-ro") โ€” "Reduce it a little." Used when you want to negotiate down from the first price offered.

Pakka bhav ki hai? ("pak-ka bhaav ki hey?") โ€” "What is the fixed/final price?" Useful when you want to signal you're serious about buying but want a firm price.

Main sochda/sochdi haan ("main soch-da/soch-di haan") โ€” "I'll think about it." Useful when you want to signal hesitation without walking away entirely, which sometimes produces a better offer.

Theek hai, lena hai ("theek hey, le-na hey") โ€” "OK, I'll take it." The satisfying phrase to deploy when negotiation is complete.

At the Gurdwara

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fatesh โ€” the full formal Sikh greeting, used on entering and leaving.

Sat Sri Akal โ€” the shorter, widely used Sikh greeting.

Langar kithey hai? ("lan-gar kit-hey hey?") โ€” "Where is the langar (community kitchen)?"

Joote rakhan di jagah kithey hai? ("joo-tey rak-han di ja-gah kit-hey hey?") โ€” "Where is the place to leave shoes?" Essential on arrival at any gurdwara.

Sewa kar sakda/sakdi haan? ("sey-wa kar sak-da/sak-di haan?") โ€” "Can I do seva (voluntary service)?" A question warmly received at any gurdwara โ€” volunteer opportunities are generally available and welcomed.

Numbers for Practical Use

Learning numbers in Punjabi is straightforward and practically essential for shopping, transport pricing, and time-telling. The numbers one through ten โ€” ik, do, tin, char, panj, chhe, satt, att, nau, das โ€” form the foundation, with teens and tens following relatively regular patterns from there. Multiples of ten are vee (twenty), tee (thirty), chaallee (forty), panjah (fifty), saath (sixty), sattar (seventy), assee (eighty), nawwe (ninety), so (hundred).

For practical travel purposes, being able to understand and say prices, times, and simple quantities is the most useful application of numbers โ€” once you can recognise "teen sau" (three hundred), "panj so" (five hundred), and "das rupaye" (ten rupees), you're well equipped for most market and transport interactions.

Emergency Phrases

Madad karo! ("ma-dad ka-ro!") โ€” "Help!"

Doctor nu bulao ("dok-tar nu bu-la-o") โ€” "Call a doctor."

Police nu bulao ("po-lees nu bu-la-o") โ€” "Call the police."

Mujhe hospital jaana hai ("mu-jhey hos-pi-tal jaa-na hey") โ€” "I need to go to hospital."

Mera passport / mera pursa kho geya ("mera paas-port / mera pur-sa kho gey-a") โ€” "My passport / my wallet has been lost."

Australian Embassy nu contact karna hai โ€” "I need to contact the Australian Embassy."

A Final Note on Using These Phrases

The single most important thing about using any of these phrases is simply to try โ€” even imperfect Punjabi, delivered with genuine warmth and effort, will be received warmly by most people you meet in Punjab. Punjabis are not, as a rule, harsh critics of foreigners attempting their language; the general response to someone making a genuine effort is a big smile, an enthusiastic attempt to help, and often an impromptu language lesson from your new friend. Don't worry about perfect tones or accent โ€” clarity, a genuine smile, and a willingness to laugh at your own mistakes will take you remarkably far.