Lagan maatra: the vowel signs explained

Every sign is shown here on ਕ, then with the vowel carrier it uses at the start of a word, then with a word from Gurbani. The key column is the Gurbani Akhar key used in Tat Khalsa fonts (see How to type Gurmukhi).

Mukta is counted as the first of the ten even though it has no visible mark: a letter with nothing attached is read with a short "a". ਕਰਤਾ is therefore ka-ra-taa, not k-r-taa.

The signs are placed around the letter in four positions, and knowing them makes words much easier to scan:

• After the letter: kanna (ਾ). It is the only sign written as a full-height stroke beside the letter.
• Before the letter: sihari (ਿ). It is written and printed to the left, but pronounced after the letter it belongs to. In ਸਤਿ the sihari belongs to ਤ. This is the sign that most often confuses new readers and new typists.
• Above the letter: bihari (ੀ) hooks over and to the right; lavan (ੇ), dulavan (ੈ), hora (ੋ) and kanaura (ੌ) sit on the headline.
• Below the letter: aunkarh (ੁ) and dulainkarh (ੂ). Under a letter with a pairin (subjoined) consonant, such as ਪ੍ਰਭੁ, the aunkarh moves lower to make room.

A vowel sign cannot stand alone, so when a word begins with a vowel the sign is attached to one of the three carriers. Which carrier depends on the sign:

• ੳ (oora) carries aunkarh, dulainkarh and hora: ਉ, ਊ, ਓ, as in ਉਪਦੇਸ, ਊਚਾ and ਓਅੰਕਾਰ.
• ਅ (airha) stands for mukta on its own and carries kanna, dulavan and kanaura: ਅ, ਆ, ਐ, ਔ, as in ਅਕਾਲ, ਆਦਿ, ਐਸਾ and ਔਖਾ.
• ੲ (eerhi) carries sihari, bihari and lavan: ਇ, ਈ, ਏ, as in ਇਕ, ਈਸਰੁ and ਏਕੁ.

Note that ਓ is ੳ with a hora on top, and ਏ is ੲ with a lavan. In handwriting these fused shapes look like letters of their own, and in Unicode they are single code points, but they follow the same logic.

Three further marks are not vowels but are learned alongside them, and together they are called lagakhar (ਲਗਾਖਰ).

Tippi (ੰ, key M) and bindi (ਂ, key N) both nasalise the vowel, giving the "n" or "m" heard in ਸਿੰਘ or ਮਾਂ. Which one is written is decided by the vowel sign already on the letter, not by the sound:

• Tippi goes with mukta, sihari, aunkarh and dulainkarh: ਸੰਤ, ਸਿੰਘ, ਕੁੰਭ, ਸੂੰ.
• Bindi goes with kanna, bihari, lavan, dulavan, hora and kanaura: ਸਾਂ, ਨੀਂਦ, ਮੈਂ, ਸੋਂ, ਕਿਉਂ.

Modern Punjabi follows these rules strictly. Gurbani uses the tippi far more freely, and you will see it in positions modern spelling would not allow, such as ਸੈਭੰ and ਮੰਨੈ. Read what is written rather than correcting it.

Addhak (ੱ, key `) doubles the consonant that follows it: ਪੱਕਾ (pakkaa), ਸੱਚ (sachch), ਵੱਡਾ (vaddaa). It is a comparatively late addition to the script. The text of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji is written almost entirely without it, so ਸਚੁ in Gurbani is the same word as modern ਸੱਚ.

In Gurbani a final sihari or aunkarh often carries grammatical meaning rather than a vowel sound. A final aunkarh usually marks a masculine singular noun (ਨਾਮੁ, ਪੁਰਖੁ, ਗੁਰੁ, ਸਬਦੁ) and a final sihari often marks a case ending or a feminine noun (ਸਤਿ, ਮੂਰਤਿ, ਜੋਤਿ, ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ). In traditional recitation these final signs are not voiced: ਨਾਮੁ is read "naam" and ਸਤਿ is read "sat".

The same signs in the middle of a word are always pronounced: ਗੁਰ is "gur" and ਸਿਖ is "sikh". Learning where a sign is silent and where it changes meaning is a central part of santhiya and of Gurbani vyakaran (grammar). When you are unsure, listen to a reciter in the Pothi app and follow along in Larivaar or pad chhed.