20 Everyday Punjabi Phrases to Speak With Your Family Today

The most useful everyday Punjabi phrases are the ones your family actually says around the house: greetings like ਸਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਅਕਾਲ (Sat Sri Akal), table talk like ਰੋਟੀ ਖਾ ਲਓ (roti kha lao — eat your food), and warm essentials like ਧੰਨਵਾਦ (dhannvaad — thank you). Below are 20 of them, grouped by situation, each with correct Gurmukhi, a simple transliteration, the English meaning, and a note on when to use it.

You do not need to read Gurmukhi to start — the transliterations will carry you — but if you want to learn the script alongside these phrases, our Gurmukhi alphabet for beginners guide pairs nicely with this list.

Which Punjabi greetings should I learn first?

1. ਸਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਅਕਾਲ — Sat Sri Akal — Hello (and goodbye). The classic Sikh greeting, used both when you arrive and when you leave. Say it with hands folded when greeting elders — it lands as respect, not just words.

2. ਕੀ ਹਾਲ ਹੈ? — Ki haal hai? — How are you? The everyday follow-up to any greeting. With elders, soften it to ਕੀ ਹਾਲ ਹੈ ਜੀ? (ki haal hai ji?) — that little “ji” does a lot of polite work in Punjabi.

3. ਮੈਂ ਠੀਕ ਹਾਂ — Main theek haan — I am fine. Your ready answer to the question above. Add ਤੁਸੀਂ ਦੱਸੋ (tusi dasso — you tell me) to bounce the question back and keep the conversation going.

4. ਫਿਰ ਮਿਲਾਂਗੇ — Phir milaange — See you again. A warm way to end a phone call with your nani or bibi. It literally means “we will meet again,” which is exactly the promise grandparents want to hear.

What do Punjabi families say at the dinner table?

If there is one place Punjabi flows freely in diaspora homes, it is around food. These five phrases will get you through any family meal.

5. ਰੋਟੀ ਖਾ ਲਓ — Roti kha lao — Come eat / have some food. In Punjabi homes, “roti” often means the whole meal, not just the flatbread. If someone says this to you, the only wrong answer is silence.

6. ਬਹੁਤ ਸੁਆਦ ਹੈ — Bahut suaad hai — It is delicious. Say this to whoever cooked and watch their face light up. It is the single highest-return phrase on this list.

7. ਮੇਰਾ ਢਿੱਡ ਭਰ ਗਿਆ — Mera dhidd bhar gaya — I am full. Fair warning: in a Punjabi household this is treated as an opening bid, not a final answer. Expect one more roti on your plate anyway.

8. ਹੋਰ ਲਓ — Hor lao — Have some more. Now you can be the one offering. Use it when guests visit — offering more food is the default language of hospitality in Punjabi culture.

9. ਪਾਣੀ ਦੇ ਦਿਓ ਜੀ — Paani de dio ji — Please give me some water. A polite request form you can reuse endlessly: swap ਪਾਣੀ (paani — water) for ਚਾਹ (chaah — tea) or ਲੂਣ (loon — salt) and you suddenly have three phrases for the price of one.

How do you express love and affection in Punjabi?

10. ਮੈਨੂੰ ਤੁਹਾਡੇ ਨਾਲ ਪਿਆਰ ਹੈ — Mainu tuhaade naal pyaar hai — I love you. Punjabi families often show love through food and actions rather than words, which makes actually saying this — especially to a parent or grandparent — surprisingly powerful.

11. ਜਿਉਂਦੇ ਰਹੋ — Jionde raho — May you live long. A blessing elders give to younger people, often in reply to a greeting or a touch of the feet. If your grandmother says this to you, she is wrapping you in a small prayer.

12. ਮੈਨੂੰ ਤੁਹਾਡੀ ਯਾਦ ਆਉਂਦੀ ਹੈ — Mainu tuhaadi yaad aundi hai — I miss you. Perfect for calls home to Punjab or to family in another city. Literally, “your memory comes to me” — Punjabi has a poetic streak even in everyday speech.

13. ਸ਼ਾਬਾਸ਼ — Shabaash — Well done. The word every Punjabi kid grows up hoping to hear. Use it for children, teammates, or anyone who has done something worth celebrating.

What are the most common everyday Punjabi questions?

These four questions carry a huge share of daily conversation. They work well as a quick-reference table:

Gurmukhi	Transliteration	Meaning
ਤੁਸੀਂ ਕੀ ਕਰ ਰਹੇ ਹੋ?	Tusi ki kar rahe ho?	What are you doing?
ਇਹ ਕੀ ਹੈ?	Eh ki hai?	What is this?
ਤੁਸੀਂ ਕਿੱਥੇ ਹੋ?	Tusi kithe ho?	Where are you?
ਖਾਣਾ ਖਾ ਲਿਆ?	Khaana kha liya?	Have you eaten?

A quick note on the last one: ਖਾਣਾ ਖਾ ਲਿਆ? is not really a question about food. In Punjabi culture it means “I care about you” — it is how aunties, mothers, and grandmothers check in. Answer it warmly, even if you just ate.

Notice also that these all use ਤੁਸੀਂ (tusi), the respectful “you.” With close friends and younger siblings you will hear ਤੂੰ (tu) instead, but as a learner, defaulting to tusi keeps you safely polite in every situation.

Which polite Punjabi words should I always have ready?

14. ਧੰਨਵਾਦ — Dhannvaad — Thank you. The standard word of thanks. You will also hear the Urdu-origin ਸ਼ੁਕਰੀਆ (shukriya) in everyday speech — both are understood everywhere.

15. ਮਾਫ਼ ਕਰਨਾ — Maaf karna — Sorry / excuse me. Doubles as an apology and a way to get someone’s attention politely. Bumped into someone at the gurdwara langar hall? This is your phrase.

16. ਹਾਂਜੀ — Haanji — Yes (respectfully). A plain ਹਾਂ (haan) means yes, but haanji is yes with warmth and respect attached. When an elder calls your name, haanji is the answer they are hoping for.

17. ਨਹੀਂ ਜੀ — Nahin ji — No (politely). The gentle refusal. Useful when auntie offers a fourth helping and you genuinely cannot continue.

18. ਕੋਈ ਗੱਲ ਨਹੀਂ — Koi gall nahin — No problem / it is okay. The all-purpose reassurance. Someone apologises, something small goes wrong, plans change — koi gall nahin smooths it all over.

19. ਜੀ ਆਇਆਂ ਨੂੰ — Ji aaian nu — Welcome. The traditional welcome you will see written above gurdwara doorways and hear when you arrive at someone’s home. Use it when family visits you.

20. ਰੱਬ ਰਾਖਾ — Rabb raakha — May God protect you. A tender farewell, roughly “God be with you.” It is what elders often say instead of a plain goodbye, and it is a beautiful phrase to give back to them.

How do I actually remember these phrases?

Pick three phrases, not twenty. Use them today — on a call, at dinner, in a text to your mum. Real usage beats review every time, and Punjabi speakers are famously generous with learners: one slightly wobbly ਬਹੁਤ ਸੁਆਦ ਹੈ will earn you more encouragement than perfect silence ever will.

When you are ready to go beyond phrases, our Learn Punjabi hub maps out the full journey, and if you are reconnecting with the language later in life, you may recognise yourself in why second-gen Punjabis are learning their mother tongue. Planning to use these phrases on home soil? The 30-day plan for learning Punjabi before a trip to Punjab builds directly on this list. And if you are learning partly so you can pass the language on, see our guide to teaching your kids Punjabi abroad.

Start today

If you want these phrases with native audio, spaced repetition, and bite-size lessons that fit around real life, the PunjabiCharm app was built exactly for this — by and for the Punjabi diaspora. It has 300,000+ downloads and a 4.6-star rating across 4,000+ reviews, and it is free to download. Say your first ਸਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਅਕਾਲ today — get the app here.