The Ladoo Blog
Guides and essays on learning Punjabi: both Punjabi scripts, speaking as a heritage learner, and how Punjabi lives in the diaspora.
Learning Punjabi for Your Partner's Family
The greeting, the in-law words, the wedding words, and how to say no to a third roti.
Tusi or Tu? How Respect Works in Punjabi
Two words for you, the verbs that change with them, and where ji goes.
Punjabi vs Hindi: How Different Are They?
Same grammar, different small words, different scripts, and Punjabi has tones.
The Best Apps to Learn Shahmukhi Punjabi in 2026
Almost no app teaches Punjabi in Shahmukhi. Ladoo, Mango Languages, Urdu apps, and tutors, compared.
How to Learn Shahmukhi, the Perso-Arabic Script for Punjabi
If you already read Urdu, the script is mostly done. If you do not, the letters and vowel marks take a few weeks.
The 6 Best Apps to Learn Punjabi in 2026, Compared
Ladoo, Ling, Pimsleur, Mango, PunjabiCharm, and tutor marketplaces: what each one does best, and which to pick.
Punjabi for Kids: Raising a Punjabi Speaker in the Diaspora
The three-generation fade and how families stop it: home habits by age, gurdwara schools, and where an app fits.
Gurmukhi vs Shahmukhi: One Language, Two Scripts
Punjabi is written in two scripts, Gurmukhi and Shahmukhi. Where the two scripts came from, who uses which, and which one a learner should start with.
How Long Does It Take to Learn Punjabi?
The script in two to three weeks, conversation in two to three months, comfort in six to twelve. What actually moves those numbers.
How to Learn Punjabi as a Heritage Speaker
You understand it, you freeze when speaking it. Why that happens, why your head start is real, and a plan that fixes the production side.
How to Say I Love You and Thank You in Punjabi, with Audio
Main tainu piar karda haan, dhannvad, lakh lakh vadhaiaan: the words of affection and gratitude, and when thank-yous feel wrong.
Punjabi Greetings with Audio: Hello, Thank You, and Goodbye
Sat sri akal, haan ji, rabb rakha: the essential greetings with Gurmukhi, romanization, and a play button on every word.
Punjabi Family Words with Audio: Every Aunt and Uncle Named
Chacha, taiaa, mama, masar: Punjabi names every relative precisely. The whole family tree, with audio.
Punjabi Food Words with Audio: Chaa, Roti, and the Kitchen
Chaa, roti, mithai, and what "roti kha lai?" really asks. Kitchen vocabulary with native audio.
You Understand Punjabi but Can't Speak It. Here Is How to Fix That
Freezing when it is your turn to speak has a name: receptive bilingualism. Why it happens, and a plan to start speaking.
Why Diaspora Kids Lose Punjabi
Punjabi has over 100 million speakers, yet it fades from diaspora families in three generations. The pattern is predictable, and reversible.
Gurmukhi Alphabet Chart: All 35 Letters with Audio
Every Gurmukhi letter, vowel sign, and numeral with native audio, example words, and a printable chart.
Is Punjabi on Duolingo?
No, and the incubator that once added new languages is closed. The apps and methods that teach Punjabi instead.