Punjabi numbers: digits and counting from ikk to sau
Counting to ten in Punjabi: ikk, do, tinn, chaar, panj, chhe, satt, atth, naun, das. Gurmukhi also has its own ten digits, used in religious texts and traditional contexts, though everyday Punjabi writing mostly uses the same 0-9 numerals English does. Both are below, with audio.
The Gurmukhi digits, 0 to 9
Each card plays the number's name, which doubles as counting 1 to 9 (and sifar for zero).
Zero. Say 'sifar'.
One. Say 'ikk'.
Two. Say 'do'.
Three. Say 'tinn'.
Four. Say 'chaar'.
Five. Say 'panj'.
Six. Say 'chhe'.
Seven. Say 'satt'.
Eight. Say 'atth'.
Nine. Say 'nau(n)', through the nose.
Counting from 10 to 100
The honest part: 21 to 99
Between the tens, Punjabi numbers are compounds that must mostly be memorized, because the sound changes are irregular: 41 is iktali, 42 is biali, 43 is tirtali. The pattern half-helps (the tens stem is audible) but no rule generates them reliably, which is true across North Indian languages. Learners handle it the way native speakers did as kids: learn 1 to 20 and the tens cold, then absorb the in-betweens through prices, ages, and cricket scores.
Where you will meet Gurmukhi digits
Page and verse numbers in the Guru Granth Sahib, calendars, wedding cards, and anywhere tradition sets the typography. Read a gurdwara hukamnama board and the ang number will be in Gurmukhi digits. For everything else, from phone numbers to price tags, modern Punjab writes 1, 2, 3.
Keep going: the alphabet chart · the vowel signs · food words with audio
Learn the whole script in the app. The Gurmukhi track goes from zero to reading, with tracing on every letter, and every lesson is free.